From which country did the quadrille dance originate?

The quadrille is a lively sequence dance performed by four couples arranged in the shape of a square. It originated in France around 1760. The dance consists of repetitive movements, including turning their heads slightly from left to right, swinging their feet, and interlocking hands. The couples stand straight and upright and move to the beat of the music. Couples take turns to create patterns with their feet, which the next set of couples imitate. These patterns can be circles, rectangles, diamonds and so forth.

As the dance grew in popularity, specific opera-like music was written to accompany the dancers. The dance was split into five parts, with different music for each one. The parts were typically named 'Le Pantalon' (The Trousers), 'L’été' ( The Summer), 'La Poule' (The Hen), 'La Pastourelle' (The Shepherd Girl) and 'Le Finale' (The Final).

The quadrille reached England in the 1810s and quickly became a craze. Dance styles, such as the Waltz, were added to the dance. It also became a metaphor for forming political alliances and maintaining a power balance.