▁country ▁dance ' s ▁eclipse . ▁The ▁earliest ▁French ▁works ▁refer ▁only ▁to ▁the ▁long ways ▁form ▁as ▁contrad anse , ▁which ▁allowed ▁the ▁false ▁et ym ology ▁of ▁" a ▁dance ▁in ▁which ▁lines ▁dance ▁opposite ▁one ▁another ". ▁The ▁square - set ▁type ▁also ▁had ▁its ▁v og ue ▁in ▁France ▁during ▁the ▁later ▁ 1 8 th ▁century ▁as ▁the ▁quadr ille ▁and ▁the ▁cot ill ion . ▁These ▁usually ▁require ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁eight ▁people , ▁a ▁couple ▁along ▁each ▁side . ▁" Les ▁L anci ers ", ▁a ▁desc endant ▁of ▁the ▁quadr ille , ▁and ▁the ▁" E ight some ▁Re el " ▁are ▁examples ▁of ▁this ▁kind ▁of ▁dance . ▁Dan cing ▁in ▁square ▁sets ▁still ▁surv ives ▁in ▁Ireland , ▁under ▁the ▁name ▁" set ▁dan cing " ▁or ▁" figure ▁dan cing ". ▁ ▁For ▁some ▁time ▁British ▁publish ers ▁issued ▁annual ▁collections ▁of ▁these ▁d ances ▁in ▁popular ▁pocket - books . ▁Jane ▁Aust en , ▁Charles ▁Dick ens ▁and ▁Thomas ▁Hard y ▁all ▁loved ▁country ▁dan cing ▁and ▁put ▁detailed ▁descri ptions ▁into ▁their ▁nov els . ▁But ▁the ▁v og ue ▁for ▁the ▁w alt z ▁and ▁the ▁quadr ille ▁ou sted ▁the ▁country ▁dance ▁from ▁English ▁ball rooms ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁though ▁Scottish ▁country ▁dance ▁remained ▁popular . ▁ ▁In flu ence ▁ ▁The ▁English ▁country ▁dance ▁and ▁the ▁French ▁cont red anse , ▁arriv ing ▁independently ▁in ▁the ▁American ▁colon ies , ▁became