Forgotten Dances: Lost Styles from Centuries Past

# Forgotten Dances: Lost Styles from Centuries Past

Every dance has a life cycle. Some, like the waltz and the polka, achieve such cultural permanence that they persist across centuries. Others—dances that once captivated ballrooms, graced concert stages, and taught generations of dancers the meaning of grace and rhythm—have slipped into obscurity. They've become the archaeology of movement: styles that shaped their era, influenced countless other dances, and then faded into history.

This is the story of the forgotten dances. These aren't merely steps in a dusty archive. They're windows into how people once moved, celebrated, courted, and communed. And thanks to historical research and digitization efforts, we're beginning to recover them.

The Volta: The Scandal That Shocked Europe

If the Volta were introduced today, it might cause less controversy than it did in 16th-century courts. This Italian dance, popular during the Tudor era and the Renaissance, was scandalous—not for its music, but for its physicality. The Volta required a male dancer to lift his female partner into the air, a move that was considered shockingly intimate for the time. Court etiquette was rigidly codified; such contact was beyond the pale.

Yet the Volta persisted. Queen Elizabeth I reportedly danced it. It appeared in Italian treatises and spread throughout Europe as a transgressive novelty. By the 17th century, however, the dance had essentially vanished, replaced by more "proper" forms like the minuet and the courante.

Why it faded: Cultural standards evolved. As ballroom dancing became increasingly formalized and democratized (moving beyond the nobility to the middle classes), dances that relied on intimate contact became viewed as passé. The Victorian era, with its rigid codes of decorum, would have been horrified by the Volta's premise.

Modern echoes: The Volta's legacy lives on in any partner dance that emphasizes lift and aerial momentum—echoes appear in swing, lindy hop, and even contemporary partner improvisation.

The Cotillion: The Ornate Figure Dance

The Cotillion (also spelled cotillon) was not the casual quadrille that bore a similar name. The true Cotillion was an elaborate, choreographed figure dance that flourished in 18th-century French and English ballrooms. It required precision, memory, and social grace: dancers executed intricate sequences, often switching partners, all while maintaining perfect form.

Unlike the waltz, which celebrates the couple, the Cotillion celebrated the collective. It was social choreography—a way for an entire ballroom to participate in a unified artistic statement. French dance masters like Kellom Tomlinson and later English instructors codified dozens of Cotillion variations.

Kellom Tomlinson's Art of Dancing (1735) and other period sources documented these elaborate formations. The Cotillion required dedication to learn and was primarily the domain of the wealthy and socially ambitious.

Why it faded: The Cotillion demanded too much. It required a choreographer on hand, precise music cues, and participants who had trained extensively. As the 19th century progressed and dance became more democratic and individualistic, the labor-intensive Cotillion gave way to simpler quadrilles and eventually to the freedom of the waltz and polka.

Modern echoes: The Cotillion's spirit survives in contra dances and in modern flashmobs—any moment when a group coordinates choreography for collective impact.

The Varsovienne: The Dance Every Academy Taught

Walk into nearly any 19th-century dancing academy, and you would find the Varsovienne on the curriculum. This Polish-origin couples' dance in 3/4 time featured a distinctive rhythmic pattern and was beloved for teaching proper frame, poise, and musicality. It was in every ball program from Boston to Berlin, from the 1840s through the 1890s.

Henry Hillgrove's 1858 Complete Dancing Master devoted significant space to the Varsovienne. So did dozens of other pedagogy books of the era. Teachers praised it as an ideal introduction to partner dancing—not as fast as the waltz, not as complex as the Cotillion, but elegant and rewarding.

The dance came in many variations: mazurka-influenced versions with hop-steps, slower versions emphasizing glide, and energetic versions with small hops. Each region developed its own flavor.

Why it faded: The Varsovienne didn't die due to any single catastrophe. Rather, it was gradually crowded out. The turn of the 20th century brought a explosion of new dances: the two-step, the foxtrot, the tango. Teachers had limited time; they prioritized newer fashions. The Varsovienne, associated with the Victorian era, became linked to the "old guard" and was quietly retired.

Modern echos: Rhythm-focused waltz-like dances, particularly in folk and traditional dance communities, owe much to the Varsovienne's legacy of musicality and frame.

The Polka Mazurka: When Two Dances Collided

The Polka Mazurka was born from a fusion: the energetic 2/4 rhythm of the polka combined with the proud, stomping character of the mazurka. It flourished briefly in the mid-19th century, particularly in Vienna and Prague, before being subsumed into either the polka or mazurka proper.

What made the Polka Mazurka distinctive was its hybrid nature. Dancers performed polka steps but with the dramatic accents and heel-stamps of the mazurka. It represented a moment of experimentation—a time when dance masters were freely recombining elements, not yet codified by rigid pedagogy.

Why it faded: It was overtaken by the success of its parent styles. Both the polka and the mazurka were simpler to teach and more intuitive to audiences. The hybrid lacked the pure identity of either, and it gradually slipped from repertoires.

The Redowa: The Forgotten Waltz Cousin

The Redowa (also Redova) was a Bohemian round dance in 3/4 time that appeared in the mid-1800s, often taught alongside the waltz and the polka. It featured a characteristic turning motion combined with sideways movement, distinguishing it from the waltz proper.

Redowa instruction manuals appeared across Europe and America. Yet it never achieved the cultural permanence of the waltz. Perhaps it was too similar to waltz but not quite waltz enough; perhaps it simply arrived at the wrong moment in dance history.

Why it faded: The waltz, once established as the pre-eminent 3/4 dance, left little room for competitors. The Redowa's slight variations—its particular turning pattern—didn't offer enough novelty to justify learning a new dance when the waltz was universally admired.

The Schottische: The Highland Misfit

Despite its Scottish-sounding name, the Schottische originated in Central Europe and became wildly popular in 19th-century ballrooms. It was a couples' dance in 2/4 time, featuring a hopping step-step-step-hop pattern that gave it a bouncy, playful character. It fit neatly between the energy of the polka and the grace of slower waltzes.

Dance masters included dozens of Schottische variations in their curricula. It was particularly beloved in the United States, where it appeared in every major dance manual from the 1850s onward.

Why it faded: Like the Varsovienne, the Schottische was gradually displaced by newer fashions and the explosive growth of 20th-century social dance. Jazz-era dances—the Charleston, the foxtrot, the black bottom—offered more dynamic rhythmic possibilities. The Schottische, rooted in 19th-century ballroom propriety, felt quaint by the 1920s.

Modern echoes: Folk and traditional dance communities, particularly in Scottish and Nordic traditions, have preserved the Schottische and continue to teach it.

The Allemande: The Partner Dance (Not the Suite)

The Allemande appears in Baroque suites—it's a standard instrumental form. But long before it was a musical convention, it was a live partner dance. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Allemande was a fashionable court dance featuring distinctive arm movements and a characteristic turning step. It appears in Italian Renaissance manuals like those of Caroso and was adapted across Europe.

The dance embodied a particular aesthetic: flowing arm patterns, gentle turning, and close partnership without the intimate lift of the Volta. It required musicianship and sensitivity from both partners.

As the Baroque era concluded and the Classical period began, the Allemande as a dance fell away, though its name persisted in instrumental music. The dance itself was forgotten, leaving only the ghost of its name in concert programs.

The Gavotte: The Small, Dignified Bounce

The Gavotte was a French country dance that rose to court prominence in the 17th century. It featured a characteristic movement: small, bouncy steps that began with the leg lifted from the ground. The Gavotte was considered modest and dignified—popular enough to appear in suites by Bach and Handel, but humble in its essential character.

Throughout the 18th and into the 19th century, the Gavotte persisted in some circles, particularly in France. Yet by the Victorian era, it had become merely a curiosity—something to revive for historical balls, not something one actually danced socially.

Why it faded: The Gavotte's modest charm couldn't compete with the dramatic intensity of the waltz or the folk energy of the polka. As dance became more passionate and expressive in the 19th century, the Gavotte's restraint felt out of place.

The Sarabande: The Slow Processional

The Sarabande was once one of the most prestigious dances in Europe. Originating in Spain, it became a court favorite in 17th-century France and spread throughout Europe. It was a slow, stately processional dance in triple meter, characterized by upright posture and deliberate steps. Dancers often paused mid-movement—creating visual drama through stillness.

The Sarabande's gravity made it a favorite for formal occasions and processionals. Yet its slow pace and demanding musicality meant it was never as popular socially as faster dances. As the 18th century progressed and dance became increasingly energetic, the Sarabande receded.

By the time Baroque-revival interest emerged in the 20th century, the Sarabande had become purely historical—something to read about, not to dance.

The Rigaudon: The Festive Nobody Remembers

The Rigaudon (also Rigaudoon) was a lively, cheerful dance in 2/4 time that originated in southern France and became fashionable in courts across Europe. It featured quick, precise steps and a celebratory character. It was fast enough to be fun but controlled enough to be respectable.

The Rigaudon appears in dance masters' curricula well into the 19th century. Yet, like the Gavotte and Sarabande, it lacks the name recognition that dances like the waltz or polka enjoy.

Why it faded: The sheer proliferation of dances. By the 19th century, there were so many regional and national dance traditions competing for attention that no single dance master could teach them all. The Rigaudon, while pleasant, offered nothing that other dances didn't also provide.

The Dance Archaeology of LODance

These forgotten dances aren't merely historical curiosities. They represent genuine choreographic achievement, pedagogical wisdom, and cultural meaning. And thanks to the digitization of historical dance sources, they're increasingly recoverable.

At LODance, we've catalogued figures from hundreds of historical sources spanning centuries. Many of these forgotten dances are represented in our history section, with step descriptions drawn directly from period manuals. Cellarius wrote about the Schottische and Redowa in 1849. Hillgrove documented the Varsovienne and dozens of other mid-19th-century standards in his 1858 guide. Earlier sources—the Italian Renaissance treatises of Caroso and others—preserve the Allemande and related dances in meticulous choreographic detail.

Our glossary includes entries for many of these styles, providing both historical context and pedagogical guidance for modern dancers interested in learning them.

Why Forgotten Dances Matter

To study forgotten dances is to ask a fundamental question: Why do some cultural forms persist while others vanish? The answer is rarely about quality. The Volta wasn't abandoned because it was poorly choreographed; it was abandoned because culture changed. The Varsovienne wasn't inferior to the waltz; it was simply displaced by fashion.

Understanding forgotten dances teaches us something crucial about our own moment. We imagine that the dances we love today—the waltz, the tango, hip-hop freestyle—will persist forever. But the history of dance suggests otherwise. Every dance is temporary. Every style eventually faces obsolescence.

Yet obsolescence isn't erasure. The Gavotte, though no one dances it anymore socially, still speaks to us through Bach's music. The Sarabande still holds court in the concert hall. The Volta still shocks us with its transgression.

As we build LODance, we're engaged in an act of preservation and recovery. Not all forgotten dances will be revived. Not all should be. But each deserves to be remembered, studied, and appreciated for what it reveals about a particular moment in human culture.

The dances of the past are our inheritance. In recovering them, we honor the dancers who came before and enrich our understanding of what dance—as an art form and as a social practice—can be.

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Interested in learning more about historical dances? Explore our [history section](/history) for detailed source material and step descriptions from period manuals spanning centuries of European and American dance tradition.