Who doesn’t like Alice in wonderland? Don’t you wonder what dance the Mad Hatter would do at the Queen of Hearts Court? I would think they would dance the Mad Hatter’s Glide Mazurka. This popular polish dance began at the end of queen Elizabeth’s reign and rose in popularity until the end of the Victorian era. It is a perfect paring for the Victorian Mad Hatter and the Elizabethan Red Queen.
Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland History
Tim burton wove the war of the roses into his variation of Alice in Wonderland. Ircebeth was a merging of the red queen, the duchess and the queen of hearts, and represented the red rose in the war of the roses. Mirabel was the white queen and represented the white rose. The war of the roses tore England apart the same way the red and white queen tore apart wonderland.
Mazourka dance History
The Mazurka originated in Poland in the 16th
century in east-central Poland among the Mazurs. The King of Poland Augustus ll
(1697-1733) Introduced the Mazurka to the courts of Germany. The term Mazurka
appeared first in 1752 in J. Riepel’s music dictionary.
“An important fact in the history of the Mazurka is its appearance in the Polish national anthem. Mazurek Dąbrowskiego (Dąbrowski Mazurka) was created in 1797 as a Song of the Polish Legion for the troops of General Jan Dąbrowski, serving Napoleon during his conquest of Europe with the hope of regaining Poland’s independence.” according to wiki dancesport.
Mazourka Introduced to England
According to Leilani Howard, Sacramento Ballroom Society ” In 1845, the Duke of Devonshire introduced England to a form of Mazurka “by ” 1847, Henri Celarius published his book, “La Danse des Salons” which included the Mazurka to become the dance’s foremost ambassador to ballrooms and dance halls far and wide.”
Mazourka Publications
Hillgrove published the Polka Mazurka in 1857, and Gilbert published the Loomis Glide Mazurka in 1890. The Loomis glide mazurka uses the original Mazurka and adds in the Loomis Glide variation. We will look at both Mazurka’s.
Polka Mazourka Description
I went ahead and created a simplified description of where the feet are placed for this classic Mazourka. My Translation:
Gentlemen:
Commence in closed position
1- Left foot side, 2-right foot closes to left foot, 3- click heels in the air
end on right foot,
4- Left foot Side 5 right foot closes to left foot, 6 hop to left foot Rotating to the right 180 degrees (half turn)
Repeat on Right foot in counter promenade
position
1- right foot side, 2- left foot closes to right foot, 3- click heels in the
air end on left foot,
4- right foot Side 5 right foot closes to Left foot, 6 hop to right foot Rotating to the right 180 degrees (half turn)
Ladies:
1- right foot side, 2- left foot closes to right foot, 3- click heels in the
air end on left foot,
4- right foot Side 5 right foot closes to Left foot, 6 hop to right foot Rotating to the right 180 degrees (half turn)
1- Left foot side, 2-right foot closes to left foot, 3- click heels in the air end on right foot,
4- Left foot Side 5 right foot closes to left foot, 6 hop to left foot Rotating to the right 180 degrees (half turn)
Polka Mazourka without the jump
Gentlemen
1- Left foot side, 2-right foot closes to left foot, 3- lift left foot up
4- Left foot Side 5 right foot closes to left foot, 6 hop to left foot Rotating to the right 180 degrees (half turn)
Repeat on Right foot counter promenade
position
1- right foot side, 2- left foot closes to right foot, 3- Lift right foot
4- right foot Side 5 right foot closes to Left foot, 6 hop to right foot Rotating to the right 180 degrees (half turn)
Lades
1- right foot side, 2- left foot closes to right foot, 3- Lift right foot
4- right foot Side 5 right foot closes to Left foot, 6 hop to right foot Rotating to the right 180 degrees (half turn)
1- Left foot side, 2-right foot closes to left foot, 3- lift left foot up
4- Left foot Side 5 right foot closes to left foot, 6 hop to left foot Rotating to the right 180 degrees (half turn)
Loomis Glide Mazurka
This glide variation is danced before the traditional mazurka. The two pieces are alternated to create a delightful variation.
My Description
Gentlemen
Grapevine to left:
1 left foot side, 2 right foot crosses behind left foot, 3 left foot side
Point:
4 right foot crosses in front of left foot, 5 point left foot to side, 6 position held (we allowed our legs to draw in to closed without weight)
Repeat 1-6 then follow with the Mazurka
Ladies
Grapevine
1 right foot side, 2 Left foot crosses in front of right foot 3 right foot side
Point:
4 right foot crosses in front of left foot, 5 point left foot to side, 6 position held (we allowed our legs to draw in to closed without weight)
Repeat 1-6 then follow with the Mazurka
Historic descriptions The Polka Mazourka
(Hillgrove, 1857):
Music in Three-Eight Time.
This is a round dance, and a combination of the Polka and Mazourka. The music is in “three-eight time.” It is very simple and easily acquired, the position being the same as for the waltz or polka. (See page 79.)
The Steps.
The gentleman rests on the right foot, with the left slightly raised behind—the slide the left foot forward to the left (count one)—then bring the right foot up to where the left foot is, and at the same time raising the left foot in front (count two)—then spring on the right foot and pass the left foot behind without touching the floor with it (count three.) (One bar.) Then slide the left foot forward (count four)—then bringing the right foot u to the left foot’s place, and at the same time raising the left foot in front (count five)—then fall on the left foot, raising the right foot behind (count six)—and then recommence with the right foot as before. (One bar.)
In the first three counts, turn half round [sic – corrected in Hillgrove 1863] turn half round; in the second three, half round again, which completes the circle.
The lady merely reverses the foot. From <http://www.libraryofdance.org/dances/polka-mazurka/>
Polka Mazourka (Spencer, 1869):
(Music in three-eight time.)
This is a combination of the Polka and Mazourka. Resting on the right foot,
slide the left foot sideways to the left, (count one), bring the right foot up
to the heel of the left at the same time passing left foot to second position,
(count two), spring on the right foot and strike the heels together, (count
three—one bar), then turn half round with the Polka step without hopping,
recommence with right foot, which completes the turn.
Loomis Glide Mazurka Gilbert, p. 148
“Glide left foot to side 1; pass right to 4th behind over, 2; slide left to side, 3; pass right to 4th over, 4; point left in 2d, 5; pause, 6; two measures. Repeat two measures. Polka Mazurka 4 measures.
Counterpart for Lady”
Dance the Mad Hatter’s Mazurka in this order
- Open with the Loomis glide variation two times
- Dance the Polka mazurka with either kick or foot lift option
- Repeat from the beginning
Production Music
I chose a common song for our mazurka. I used the “Cry Me Out (Mazurka)” by the Tony Evans Dancebeat orchestra. It was a great option with a steady beat to practice to.
Location Littleton War Memorial Rose Garden:
Everyone knows the rose is the Red Queen’s favorite flower, and America’s national flower. With that in mind we picked the Littleton War Memorial Rose Garden for our film location. This park is dedicated to veterans who have served in any of America’s wars, was purchased by the city of Littleton in 1964,
The War Memorial Rose Garden is one of only two All-American Rose Select designations within the State of Colorado and this makes the garden unique in character for our high desert plains. The Orian Sterne fountain (named for the daughter of W. C. Sterne, for whom Sterne Park is named), at the center of the garden, was originally built in front of the Carnegie Library at the west end of old town Littleton on Main Street.
The Gazebo we filmed was built in 1995. Dr. William Campbell with other organization contributed funds to design and construct a Victorian style gazebo in honor of his wife Linda Campbell. She was the president of the Arapahoe Rose Society and Denver Rose Society in her career.
Mad Hatter’s Mazurka Dance How To Cast:
- Mad Hatter- William Hooker
- Red Queen– Holly Tomazin
- Alice– Robyn Collins
- March Hair– Craig Tomazin
Holly Collins Tomazin
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References
http://www.oslhp.net/2009/node/360
www.sacballroomsociety.org
http://www.libraryofdance.org/dances/polka-mazurka/
http://www.wikidancesport.com/wiki/1086/mazurka
https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/The_Red_Queen
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/alice-wonderland-story-first-told
069 Late
Nineteenth Century Dance Loomis’ Glide Mazurka
Russian
mazurka, reconstruction of Richard Powers, USA