1. a lively dance in duple or quadruple time that was popular in the 17th and 18th centuries
Usage: historical
2. the music composed for or in the style of this dance
Usage: historical

Examples

• The court dancers performed an elegant rigadoon at the royal ball.
• Bach composed several rigadoons as part of his keyboard suites.
• The rigadoon was characterized by its quick, jumping steps.
• Musicians at the festival played a traditional rigadoon from the Baroque period.
• She learned the steps to the rigadoon in her historical dance class.
• The rigadoon’s lively rhythm made it a favorite at 18th-century social gatherings.