Daniel Cooper dance from "War and Peace" by Tolstoy

[M. Smirnov]

Somebody just sent me this question, if a dance that appears early in
the novel and movie "War and Peace" by Tolstoy is real, and if so,
what are its origins?

The dance is called the "Daniel Cooper". It certainly does not sound
Russian. Do you know anything about this, or do you have suggestions
about who could have information about this?

Thank you

Mikhail Smirnov
Russian dance and music ensemble Barynya
http://www.barynya.com

[Marilynnj]

I have copied and pasted a response from my dear and educated friend,
Svetlana, from Moscow:

As for your question. It seems that "Daniel Cooper" (in Russian
version, "Danilo Kupor") was an actual dance - to be more precise,
contradance (sp.?), an old English dance characterized by quick and
easy movements. F. F. Wiegel in his "Memoirs" (part 1, M., 1864, p.
62, first published in "Russky Vestnik", 1856) wrote that "one of
these contradances was named a Danilo Kupor, probably after its
composer, a certain Englishman Cooper".

I hope this of interest and help in your search for feedback to this
question.