It Only Takes A Minuet, Girl, To Fall In Love

Ask your servant to name his favourite colonial dance, and it's this one: the Minuet. It's festive yet fancy. It's beautiful for both the lady and the gentleman.

A mix of your servant's favourite music
and moves, set to stories and observations.

A lot of us think of the Minuet as only one dance, but in reality it's a family of dances, each with their own patterns and intricacies. A lot of us also think of it as some stately procession, which is not the case in most situations. I've seen one version that is, but most are like what you see above, a refined interchange between one man and one lady.

But they all share this: you give honours, you hold your hands in a graceful position and move about your partner in three-quarter time, inserting fancy flourishes and affectations as need be.

In Colonial times, people judged you by the steps you made. Minuets would lead off a fancy ball, one couple at a time, in the social-status equivalent of "Dancing With The Stars." Muff it and people would talk about your lack of ability. No wonder they would be danced only once an evening, and dancing masters would find themselves in solid demand throughout the colonies.

Thankfully, as times have changed, the judgments have evaporated from the exercise, leaving your servant to focus on the majesty, the beauty, and the regality, as in this minuet I danced with a lady in 2017 at the George Washington Ball in Williamsburg, Virginia. She had been wondering all week whether she was going to dance it. I was wondering all week, thousands of miles away, if I would have a willing partner. Through the grace of GOD, we came together that evening for this moment of bliss.



I hope to one day show your servant dancing with Princess Sherri!