Sherlockinette
The Sherlockinette was a French dance created by Eugène Giraudet in march 1912. It is a slow waltz (2/4 time) patterned after the methods of Sherlock Holmes observing a victim in the search of the criminal.
First performed on 21 and 23 march 1912 at Théâtre Marigny (Champs-Elysées, Paris) by the students of the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures. One month later, on 11 april 1912, the Sherlockinette was presented at a dance contest organized by the Académie Internationale des Auteurs, Professors et Maîtres de Danse (A.I.A.P.M.D.) [1]. It won the 1st prize among 27 new dances proposed.
The dance was published the same year in a leaflet published by Henri Leissus (Paris) as "La Sherlockinette. Théories de E. Giraudet. Musique de R. Vellenot et Paul Marcus."
Figures
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Figure 1 : Sizing up his partner's jewelry.
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Figure 2a : The partners stand facing each other.
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Figure 2b : The fair one falls into the arms of her partner in a final pirouette.
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Figure 3 : Sherlock Holmes pursues his partner.
The Sherlockinette consists of four figures :
- Figure 1 : the first figure of the Sherlockinette is intended to give the man in the case an opportunity to size up his partner's jewelry. To do this, he takes four steps of a two-step. (photo 1).
- Figure 2 : the Sherlockinette proper. The partners stand facing each other, the man's feet at the right of the woman's. This gives Sherlock Holmes an opportunity to complete his inventory and formulate his plans, during which he turns round his victim. Then the two dancers separate, so as to find themselves standing side by side, after which the man turns round his partner, passing under her right arm; next she twines about and around and falls into her partner's arms in a final pirouette. (photos 2a-2b show the beginning and the end of this figure).
- Figure 3 : Sherlock Holmes pursues his partner, jumping alternately on the toes of each foot (photo 4).
- Figure 4 : the fourth figure comes along with four steps of a two-step and eight steps of a gallop, just like a regular dance.
Music & Dance
In 1912, Eugène Giraudet published the music sheet "La Sherlockinette" [2] (mispelled on the cover but not inside) :
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La Sherlockinette (cover)
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Introduction
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Music sheet (p. 1)
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Music sheet (p. 2)
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Music sheet (p. 3)
In 1913, Eugène Giraudet published a book "Méthode Moderne de Danse et d'Éducation" [3] with many detailed dance courses including the Sherlockinette (theory, figures and explanation of the figures) :
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Méthode Moderne de Danse et d'Éducation (cover)
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Méthode Moderne de Danse et d'Éducation (p. 83)
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Méthode Moderne de Danse et d'Éducation (p. 84)
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Méthode Moderne de Danse et d'Éducation (p. 85)
Related articles
- Sherlockinette Ousts Bunny Hug and Turkey Trot (1 april 1912, St. Louis Post-Dispatch [US])
- No St. Vitus Dances (8 april 1912, The Pall Mall Gazette [UK])
- La "Sherlockinette" (9 april 1912, Le Radical [FR])
- La Sherlockinette (12 april 1912, Le Figaro [FR])
- The Sherlockinette (29 may 1912, The Tampa Times [US])
- New Dance Hits London (1 june 1912, The Evening Sun (Baltimore) [US])
- Successor to the Trots and Hugs (14 july 1912, The Buffalo Sunday Morning News [US])
Video
In this 1940s Dutch demonstration, only figures 1, 2a and 4 have been danced.