Quadrille

quadrille

Dance for four couples in square formation, fashionable from the late 18th through the 19th century. Imported to England from Parisian ballrooms in 1815, it consisted of four or five contredanses (see country dance), each danced with prescribed combinations of intertwining figures rather than depending on intricate individual steps. It was often danced to opera melodies. See also American square dance.

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quadrille¹

1. a square dance of five or more figures for four or more couples

2. a piece of music for such a dance, alternating between simple duple and compound duple time

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quadrille²

an old card game for four players

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Quadrille 

(1) A dance prevalent among many peoples. As a rule, it is written in 2/4 time and consists of five or six figures, each of which has its own name and special musical accompaniment. It came to Russia from France. From the late 17th century to the late 19th, the quadrille was one of the most popular dances of the salon. It also became widespread among the common people, bearing different names; there exist Russian, Ukrainian, Byelorussian, Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian quadrilles.

(2) At tournaments, carousels, and the like, a group of fourhorsemen, usually in costume.