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In the context of dance, a figure is a named pattern of movement that is bigger than a step and smaller than a phrase. Figures were a widespread feature of Western social dances in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, and typically involved multiple dancers creating formations and patterns. [1]
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.
Common figures taught in Irish Ceili dance today include "Advance and Retire," "Figure of Eight," "Hands Round Four," etc. 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. [2]
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.
