{{Short description|Term}} {{Multiple issues| {{inline|date=January 2026}} {{refimprove|date=December 2025}} }} In the context of [[dance]], a ''figure'' is a named pattern of movement that is bigger than a [[Dance step|step]] and smaller than a phrase. Figures were a widespread feature of Western [[Social dance|social dances]] in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, and typically involved multiple dancers creating formations and patterns.<ref>Aldrich 1998</ref> ==History== Dances were documented using a variety of notations, which would graphically represent the ballroom floor and the ways dancers would travel through space on that floor. Figures remain a feature of popular group social dances derived from these older forms, including [[Contra dancing]], [[Irish dancing]] and American [[square dancing]]. ==Example figures== Common figures taught in Irish [[Ceili dance|''Ceili'' dance]] today include "Advance and Retire," "Figure of Eight," "Hands Round Four," etc. [[Irish stepdance|Irish stepdances]] are often built around a single ''figure'', which alternates with ''steps'', similar to the repeating theme in a musical ''[[Rondo]]''. Dances constructed in this way are called ''figure dances''.<ref>O'Keeffe 1914</ref> ==Calling and skating== Some forms of figure dancing, such as square dancing, feature a caller who tells the dancers which figure to perform next; dancers are expected to learn a shared vocabulary of figures and perform them upon request by the caller. English Style Skating works in a similar manner, except dancers are working on a sheet of ice instead of a dance floor.
== Notes == {{Reflist}}
== References == * Aldrich, Elizabeth (1998). "[https://www.loc.gov/collections/dance-instruction-manuals-from-1490-to-1920/articles-and-essays/western-social-dance-an-overview-of-the-collection/|Western Social Dance: An Overview of the Collection: An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals, ca. 1490 to 1920], ''Library of Congress Digital Collections'' * O'Keeffe, J G and O'Brien, Art (1914). "[https://www.itma.ie/texts/okeeffe/ A Handbook of Irish Dances]", ''M.h. Gill & Sone, Ltd'', Dublin, Ireland * {{cite journal |last1=Lewis-Williams |first1=J.D. |title=Dance and Representation |journal=Cambridge Archaeological Journal |date=October 1999 |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=281–283 |doi=10.1017/S0959774300015420}} * {{cite journal |last1=Matsuyama |first1=Hitoshi |last2=Hiroi |first2=Kei |last3=Kaji |first3=Katsuhiko |last4=Yonezawa |first4=Takuro |last5=Kawaguchi |first5=Nobuo |title=A Basic Study on Ballroom Dance Figure Classification with LSTM Using Multi-modal Sensor |journal=Activity and Behavior Computing |date=2021 |volume=204 |pages=209–226 |doi=10.1007/978-981-15-8944-7_13}}
[[Category:Dance moves]]