The Tempest ~ Washburn/Modern

The Tempest ~ Holden #1 La Tempête ~ Hillgrove The Tempest ~ Thompson Hart's Tempẽte Dance La Tempête ~ Bohn La Tempete ~ Henderson#1 La Tempête ~ Lowe (Original) La Tempete ~ Reilley La Tempete ~ Skinner La Tempète ~ Whale#1 La Tempète ~ Whale#2 La Tempete Originale ~ Hofer Ted's Tempest Tempete ~ Carpenter Tempête ~ Liller Tempete Dance ~ Chivers The Original Tampete ~ Burnton The Tempest ~ Holden (Sicilian#1) The Tempest ~ Howe The Tempest ~ Washburn/Modern The Tempest ~ Squire The Tempest ~ Washburn Tom Pate Tom Pete ~ Howe La Tempête ~ RSCDS

According to The Regency Dance site Joseph Binns Hart published "Hart's 2nd Set of Quadrilles" sometime between 1818 and 1820. In this work he has a dance called Hart's Tempete Dance which was a dance with two couples facing two other couples (a rare formation for cotillions, but not unknown), however unlike cotilions (or quadrilles) Hart's dance progresses.

In his Hart's Second Set of Quadrilles, Hart writes:

Form a line of 4, the 2 Ladies on the 2 Gentlemens right, 4 more opposite to the first 4, form lines of 4 behind the 2^d. line as many as intend to dance.

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FIGURE

The first 2 lines right and left, chassez across to the right and left with your partner, dechassez, in returning you go behind the 2^d. Couple The Center 4 hands round, the outside couple's turn and back all 8 Set quite round to the right re set to your places, the top four lead through the 2^d. line and begin the same figure with the 3^d. line & so on to the bottom of the dance.

Then in ~1825 GMS Chivers published a dance called La Tempête in his "Dancing Master in Miniature".

The Contrafusion site says the dance was originally European and dates it back at least to 1802.

Washburn's The Ball Room Manual, 1855 (printed in Boston, distributed in Maine) contains:

[In taking places for this dance the dancers form in two lines, facing each other, the lady on the same side as her partner at his right. There should be an even number of couples on each side.]

The first and second couple (the couple directly opposite) down the middle four abreast, and break to the right and left; the first couple right and left with the third, and the second couple the same with the fourth; first and third ladies chain, and second and fourth the same; then the first and second couple balance to each other, swing four. The same four dance together down the whole set

As I understand this description it is an early version of the "tempest" formation for a four couple minor set dance. As was usually at this time, the dance starts with only the dancers in the top minor set active.

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