The American Boy (Mahler, "Five New Dances Now the Delight of Society," 1909):
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This is an easy American sequence two-step described by Jacob Mahler in 1909.
Both facing LOD, holding inside hands.
Part I - Balance, Two-Step, and About Face (4 bars): Step forward with outside foot along LOD (1), leaving inside foot behind, then step backward with inside foot against LOD, leaving outside foot in front (3), then two-step forward (5-and-6), step forward with inside foot along LOD (7), and turn 180° toward partner to step back with outside foot (now new inside foot) along LOD (8).
Part II - Repeat Opposite (4 bars): Repeat opposite to return to starting point (1, 3, 5-and-6, 7, 8), facing partner at the end.
Part III - Four Slides Up and Back (4 bars): Four slide galop along LOD (1-and-2-and-3-and-4), then four slide galop against LOD (5-and-6-and-7-and-8).
Part IV - Two-Step (4 bars): Two full turns of turning two-step (1-and-2, 3-and-4, 5-and-6, 7-and-8).
Repeat from the beginning.
No music is specified, so any square, early 20th century two-step will do.
The following tune works nicely:
"Norsemen" by Brannan, recorded by the Victor Dance Orchestra
© 2018 Nick Enge
(Click to expand)
The American Boy (Mahler, "Five New Dances Now the Delight of Society," 1909):
For more dance descriptions, see our three books on dancing:
The Book of Mixers: 100 Easy-Teach Dances for Getting Acquainted (2022) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge,
Cross-Step Waltz: A Dancer's Guide (2019) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge, and
Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living (2013) by Richard Powers and Nick Enge.
For full-length teaching videos, visit: University of Dance.
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