# Dance figure

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In the context of [dance](/source/Dance), a *figure* is a named pattern of movement that is bigger than a [step](/source/Dance_step) and smaller than a phrase. Figures were a widespread feature of Western [social dances](/source/Social_dance) in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, and typically involved multiple dancers creating formations and patterns.[1]

## 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](/source/Contra_dancing), [Irish dancing](/source/Irish_dancing) and American [square dancing](/source/Square_dancing).

## Example figures

Common figures taught in Irish [*Ceili* dance](/source/Ceili_dance) today include "Advance and Retire," "Figure of Eight," "Hands Round Four," etc. [Irish stepdances](/source/Irish_stepdance) are often built around a single *figure*, which alternates with *steps*, similar to the repeating theme in a musical *[Rondo](/source/Rondo)*. Dances constructed in this way are called *figure dances*.[2]

## 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

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Aldrich 1998

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** O'Keeffe 1914

## References

- Aldrich, Elizabeth (1998). "[Social Dance: An Overview of the Collection: An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals, ca. 1490 to 1920](https://www.loc.gov/collections/dance-instruction-manuals-from-1490-to-1920/articles-and-essays/western-social-dance-an-overview-of-the-collection/%7CWestern), *Library of Congress Digital Collections*

- O'Keeffe, J G and O'Brien, Art (1914). "[A Handbook of Irish Dances](https://www.itma.ie/texts/okeeffe/)", *M.h. Gill & Sone, Ltd*, Dublin, Ireland

- Lewis-Williams, J.D. (October 1999). "Dance and Representation". *Cambridge Archaeological Journal*. **9** (2): 281–283. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/S0959774300015420](https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0959774300015420).

- Matsuyama, Hitoshi; Hiroi, Kei; Kaji, Katsuhiko; Yonezawa, Takuro; Kawaguchi, Nobuo (2021). "A Basic Study on Ballroom Dance Figure Classification with LSTM Using Multi-modal Sensor". *Activity and Behavior Computing*. **204**: 209–226. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/978-981-15-8944-7_13](https://doi.org/10.1007%2F978-981-15-8944-7_13).

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