KWDMS VII : July 2, 2009 July 5, In the Canton of Eoforwic, the Kingdom of Ealdormere Held at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

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1 KWDMS VII : July 2, 2009 July 5, 2009 In the Canton of Eoforwic, the Kingdom of Ealdormere Held at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Cover image taken from p.199 of Cesare Negri's Le Gratie d'amore / Nuove Inventioni Di Balli. Image comes from the Library of Congress facsimile of the 1604 edition.

2 Welcome Message from Emma To all who have come to Dance and Make Music from far and wide: I extend my warmest greetings and hope that you have a wonderful time at this, the Seventh Known World Dance Symposium. We have all worked very hard here in Ealdormere to make this a fantastic event. Please let us know of your pleasures and concerns. We sincerely hope there are more of the former, but we are on hand throughout the event to resolve any of the latter. Dance is a community event and like everything, you get out of it only as much as you put in. This is your event now, it is your responsibility to be enthusiastic, to be intrigued, to be exhausted, and to have fun. Share what you know; be like Capriol and be filled with a longing to learn dance take honest pleasure without becoming tainted by vice or evil habits, remember that the poet numbers the dancers among the happy ones. (Arbeau s Orchesography 1589) This has really been a cross kingdom effort. Thanks must go to so many people: from the officials in the Society for Creative Anachronism and the Kingdom of Ealdormere who supported this event, to the people of Eoforwic for agreeing to sponsor us, to all the people behind the scenes supporting us with favours small and large. Special thanks to the exchequer and seneschal of Eoforwic, to our neighbours from the Barony of Cynnabar, to everyone who has volunteered to teach or play music, and to all our event staff for their tireless work to make this all come together. Your pleasure is my pleasure -- YAY Dancing! In Service Emma Dansmeyla (mka Sarah Scroggie) 2

3 Welcome Message from Darius Greetings! I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome all of you to an event we are most honoured to host this year, the Known World Dance Symposium. I'd especially like to welcome all those who are visiting Canada for their first time, and I hope that you get a chance to experience our own history, though much of it is younger than the dances you will learn this weekend. This particular symposium weekend is a biennial event which leaps from location to location around the world, drawing us all together to share our research and learn from one another. Days of classes are followed by our best attempts at recreating a proper Renaissance ball, which results in an unparalleled dance experience in the SCA. I joined the SCA approximately 13 years ago, and from the beginning dance has been my first love. Out of all the different eras of dance I have learned in my life since then, I love the variety of dance styles we cover in the SCA the best. I think that each renaissance dance style has its own appeal, its own nuances, and had its own place in renaissance life, as well as in SCA life. In medieval society, dance was a part of politics and court, as well as an important part of finding love. In the SCA, dance and music are not just research opportunities, as dance is by far one of the most social activities that draw us together as a group, and one of the most inviting activities for newcomers. Dance and music also play one of the biggest roles in creating the atmosphere of the idealized Renaissance that so many of us wish to experience for ourselves. Given this, I am so pleased that we can help in furthering the pursuit of this field of knowledge, and I'd like to welcome you all to join us as we continue our Year of Dance in the Kingdom of Ealdormere. Sincerely, Darius the Dancer / David Learmonth 3

4 Table of Contents Welcome Message from Emma...2 Welcome Message from Darius...3 How to Teach Dance (or anything else!)...5 How to Teach European Dance...14 So You Want To Be A Dancer (Beginning Dance Class)...19 Beginner English Country Dancing...22 Obscure English Country Dance for 3 couples...29 New to You: Three Couple Dances Rarely Seen in this Realm...31 Odd English Country Dances for three couples...37 ECD Odd Lots...44 Around London - Hockley in the Hole, Maiden Lane, St. Martin's...53 Playford's F Dances for 4 Couples...55 Three four-couple English Country Dances strictly reconstructed...57 Obscure English Country Dance for 4 couples...65 Longways for as Many as Won t...67 Survey of for as many as will 1st edition English Country Dances...71 Origins of the Playford Dances...84 The Dancing Rector of Tortworth and Other Curious Tales from the Archives...86 Some Dances from the Gresley Manuscript...88 What then is a Doblis?: Analyzing the steps from the Gresley manuscript Vikings Do Too Dance! I-Talians for the English Verçepe Tesara For Six Two 15th Century Italian balli Belriguardo, old, new, and for three Two 15th Century Italian basse Bassadanza to Waltz Music Bransles - Location, Location, Location th to 16th Century BasseDance (the long way 'round) Introduction to Sixteenth Century Italian Dance Steps Bella Gioiosa, re-translated and re-reconstructed Introduction to Cascarde Cascarde Favorites Furioso all Italiana Composing Music for Dancing White Mensural Time Signatures Counterpointing By Numbers Die Baßmethode Ravenscroft's Rounds, Catches, and Cannons Survey of European Dance Sources Your Dance Event Needs A Special-Effect Budget Further Reading / Recommended Links Teacher Biographies Event Staff for KWDMS Dance Index

5 How to Teach Dance (or anything else!) By Mistress Janelyn of Fenmere Barony of Madrone, Kingdom of An Tir aka Janelle Durham, Seattle WA USA Developing a class or planning a practice: Asking the Right Questions Many dance instructors ask themselves only one question when preparing to teach. They ask What will I teach? They think about what dances they know, and what they have music for, and then they make an attempt at teaching. If they know the dances, do a reasonably competent job of teaching them, and have an engaging personality, then the evening is likely to be a success, and the students will leave feeling reasonably satisfied and somewhat enlightened about dance. However, dance instruction can be taken to a much higher level if the instructor learns more about the process of teaching, and asks themselves some fundamental questions than just what will I teach. Consider these questions: Why do I teach dance? What is my philosophy? What motivates me, personally? Who are my students? When preparing a class, always keep your audience in mind. Are they likely to be skilled dancers, with years of training in multiple genres? Or computer geeks who haven t done much with their bodies since elementary school? What learning styles are they most likely to possess? Why are they here? Given how many options we all have for how to spend our time, what is it that led them to commit some precious hours to dance? And what do we need to give them so they feel fulfilled by the experience, and will choose to come back? Why am I teaching now? What is my purpose at this specific time and place? What do I hope to accomplish with this particular class? What are my objectives? Now you can begin to ask yourself: What will I teach? And once you begin to plan the content, that question should be immediately followed by: How will I teach it? We will review some teaching theories and techniques that will help your students learn more effectively, and retain the information better. How will I know that I have taught effectively? The final step, evaluation, is left out by many instructors. You ll notice over time that some instructors never change their mode of teaching over many years of teaching. Others, who are continuously thinking critically, and evaluating themselves, will continue to change and improve their teaching, becoming better over the years. The rest of this handout will walk you through these questions, as you explore your teaching in more depth. 5

6 Philosophy This process begins with self-discovery understanding what your personal motivation is for teaching dance. The philosophy statement is a statement of beliefs about dance, the purpose of dance education, the role of the dance instructor, the role of class members. I have listed a wide variety of beliefs about dance, some of which will resonate with you, and others which will not. Read the statements below, and use them as a guide in writing your personal philosophy. Possible statements of beliefs: Why do I want to teach? I like dancing, and want to dance. So, I need to make sure that other people learn how to dance, so I m not out on the floor alone. Dancing is good exercise. Gets me up off my butt once a week. I got tired of watching other people teach badly. I finally decided that if I wanted to see it done right, I d have to do it myself. Dance was a vital part of Renaissance culture, and thus it is essential for SCA participants to have a knowledge of dance. My role is to spread this gospel. Dance is participatory, and gets people involved. It s especially great for getting newcomers involved, and helping them realize the SCA is about participation, not about being members of an audience. Opportunities for flirting: Arbeau says I can touch and savor the babes. Ebreo says I ll be able to arrive stealthily at the satisfaction of [my] desires. It s a way to fit in, and a way to contribute. I feel awkward in social occasions sometimes, and it s easier if I have something to do My role is to encourage period authenticity: To teach only period dance, and discourage the teaching and performance of non-period dances. I like to teach. I m happy to teach anything (dance or otherwise), because for me the joy is in the challenge of how to effectively communicate to others. Researching and teaching renaissance dance is a nice break from my day job. It lets me use my brain in a different way. I d studied modern dance for years, and it s fun to play with a new genre. It is useful to take time to write down your philosophy. It is important to revisit this statement of beliefs periodically-- it will evolve as your interests evolve. Write down your philosophy of dance. Why do you teach dance? Audience We ll look at 3 aspects of understanding our audience: characteristics of adult learners, learning styles, and ways to assess student s abilities and interests. If you keep these characteristics in mind, your teaching will be more effective. Adult learners. 1. Are motivated and ready to learn - they sought out the class. 2. May be impatient to get info or gain skills they desire. Don t waste their time! 6

7 3. Like to enjoy themselves. Humor and opportunities to share socially along with a relaxed atmosphere increase their enjoyment of class. 4. Learn best when they are active participants, involved in setting the goals and direction for the class; and when they are given specific learning activities. 5. Learn best in a non-threatening atmosphere, where they are free to ask any question and in which they are likely to succeed at a task. Reflect on the people who typically dance when you teach: Why did they seek out this class? Are they just here to socialize? Do they want to learn dance for a specific reason? List some possible goals of your students. Learning Styles. We all have different ways of hearing, processing, and retaining information. Most of us have learned to adapt over the years, and can learn in many different languages, but it is easiest for learners if the teacher can use a variety of teaching techniques, or broadcast on several channels at once, so everyone in the room is following at least a portion of what the teacher is trying to convey. There are many theories about learning styles. I will note a couple categories below, and include some thoughts on what elements are essential in dance classes for each. Visual Auditory Kinesthetic. o Visual Learners need to see information to retain it. Demonstrate steps, draw diagrams of figures on a white board, show hand holds, show videos, give them handouts with written information, diagrams and period illustrations. Avoid: distracting clutter in the room and distracting mannerisms like fidgeting with handouts or wandering. o Auditory Learners learn by listening. Hum the music as you teach, describe a step as you perform it, use sing-songy chants when teaching to help them to learn the rhythms of the dance. Avoid: distracting noises, saying Ummm; use sarcasm cautiously, as auditory learners absorb words, and don t remember they were said sarcastically o Kinesthetic Learners need to move. When you demo a dance, give the visual learners permission to just stand and watch; but give the kinesthetic learners permission to do the steps in place as they watch. Let them do things over and over till they have it down. Avoid: having them stand still for long periods as you explain/demo something. Global vs. Analytic: o Global learners learn best when shown the big picture. Begin by demoing the dance start to finish. They also learn well if you just stand in front of the group, and say do what I do. If you have students who have taken ballet/modern classes in the past, or done lots of sports, they may be very comfortable with this style. They enjoy a class with a smooth flow of information, and stories, and interaction, and are happy to just absorb 7

8 whatever information comes at them. o Analytics want all the little details and want them all broken out into a logical sequence of steps. They love it if you write an outline on the board of what dances you expect to cover. They like it when you start by explaining the structure of the dance to them: There will be three verses, each followed by the same chorus. Then, as you go through the dance, you verbally review that. That s the end of the second verse, so let s go to the chorus again. Written handouts with a clear structure also help these students to learn the dances well. Write down and reflect on what you're doing well in regards to different learning styles, and what you might do to enhance your teaching. Ways to Assess Students Abilities and Interests: One of the most valuable things you can do in a session is to spend the first few minutes of class learning about your students so you can adapt your teaching to best meet their needs and goals. Introductions: No matter what topic you re teaching, you can structure introductions around three big questions: Who are you? What do you know? What are you hoping to learn? I always list for them the questions, then go back to each one and give some examples of what they might answer. The examples help them know how much detail to give, which helps them feel more comfortable answering, and helps you control how long intros will take. o Who are you? Tell them which name to use and anything else you want to know (where they re from?) o What do you already know? This question is rarely asked in introductions, but it can be so revealing! Don t ask them if they are skilled dancers, because even experienced dancers may feel the need to hem and haw around this question. Try Tell me something about your experience with learning physical skills: have you taken dance classes before? Are you a fencer? A musician? Do you knit? Telling me how you use your body helps me think about how best to teach you new skills. o What are you hoping to learn? Ask: What are you hoping to get out of tonight? It s OK to just say I m here to be social, or I want to learn a couple basic dances or I want to figure out how to do a piva step without feeling unbalanced when I m done. Observation. You can also learn a great deal by observing your dancers: do they move well on their feet? Are they looking confident or confused? Are they making the same errors repeatedly? If they re doing well, you can speed up your teaching, if they re struggling, slow it down Purpose For any given dance practice, dance class, or dance at an event, it helps to 8

9 think about what your purpose is. This can reveal which information needs to be included and which does not. Notice how the following statements would guide you. The purpose of this rehearsal is to prepare students for an upcoming performance The purpose of this practice is to introduce newcomers to a wide range of dances. The purpose of this class is to help experienced students develop a deeper knowledge of the basse dance genre, and understand the structure of mesures. The purpose of pickup dancing is to have fun doing our favorite dances. The purpose of dance at this event is to fill time/entertain while we wait for court Learner Objectives While the purpose describes in broad terms what a teacher intends to do, the learner objectives will describe specific things the learner will be able to do at the end of the class. Well thought out and designed objectives define the content of the class. They serve as a sort of screen, helping the educator to decide which content must be included and which can be left out. They should be as specific as possible, measurable, and achievable for your audience within the time available to you. Saying Students will understand late Italian dance is not measurable, nor probably achievable in two hours. Saying students will be able to demonstrate continenze, riprese, and seguiti ordinarii is measurable. Saying students will be able to describe the pattern for Ballo del Fiore is probably achievable. If you re working with newcomers, you might say students will be able to perform pive and your criteria for evaluating success might be: they were reasonably on tempo and didn t run into anyone else. If you re working with advanced students preparing for a performance, you might say students will be able to perform a doppio with mayniera shading that compliments partner s movement. Think about an upcoming dance class or practice you plan to teach, and write a statement of purpose, followed by 3 objectives for the class. Content What dances will you actually teach, and in what order? Dance List: Keeping in mind your philosophy, and your students general goals, plus your specific purpose and objectives for this class, list what you plan to teach. (Or, if it s an informal dance practice, have a list of what dances are available as options.) Always be flexible in your planning, as it can be hard to predict whether you will make it through five dances or ten dances in the time you have available to you (with time and experience, you will be able to predict this better.) Will you teach several dances from one genre? Or teach a sampler pack of dances? Spend two hours perfecting one dance, or have fun playing with ten dances? 9

10 Also, have plans that can be flexible based on the number of dancers there. If you planned a whole evening of four couple dances, and you only have 6 dancers there, it just won t work! Again, it may help to have notes about what all your options are for each possible number of dancers. Sequencing. One theory you may want to employ in your planning is sequencing of learning: moving from simple to complex. When you start simple, it allows students to gain basic vocabulary at the same time as they gain confidence in their abilities, and then you can build on that throughout the class. This idea is not new, and has been known to dance masters for centuries. If you look at the Old Measures from Elizabethan England, you will note something significant about them. They are always listed in the same order in all the sources, and this order goes from the simplest dance, to the most complex, adding new concepts with each dance, to build a skill repertoire in the student. Quadran Pavan uses only sideways singles, and doubles forward and back. Turkelone and Earl of Essex use the same steps, but in a longer pattern. Tinternell and Old Alman add in circling with your partner, rather than just moving forward and back. Queens Alman adds the turn single in place. Madam Sosilia is much more complex than the other dances, adding in reverence and embrace. Black Alman is another stride in complexity, and adds slides to the repertoire. If you re teaching dance at a demo for the public, using a sequence of branles can be very effective. First introduce the basic double branle. Then when they ve all easily mastered that, you can say: well, it s easy, but a little dull. What did they do to spice it up a little? Then start adding complexity from there. Single branle with kicks. Then a mixed branle like Charlotte. Then a mimed branle, like Pease. If you re teaching a more advanced crowd, and your final goal is to teach a complex dance from a complex repertoire, you may find it easiest to start with an easy dance to introduce the step vocabulary, and build their confidence, and then move on. (e.g. Villanella first, and when they ve mastered that, then Leggiadra.) Think of a set of dances you could teach, in sequence, to allow for this growth in mastery. Spiraling For spiraling, we start where a student is, add new skills, then circle back to review where we started to help them remember that before we move forward to add new skills. This reinforces confidence, and enhances retention. Each week at dance practice, begin by going back and reviewing a dance from last week before teaching a new one. Or, as you teach, ask them to verbally review concepts they have learned: OK, the last verse started with siding. How will this one start? When teaching a complicated dance, you may teach section one and then practice it to music, 10

11 then teach section two, then practice one and two to music, etc. Scripting An experienced instructor may work off of a brief outline, or a vague list of dances. But for a new instructor, scripting is a useful tool for preparing for a class. For each dance you want to learn to teach, you can create a word-for-word script of everything you intend to say while teaching it. This allows you to think through what steps to teach in what order, when to stop talking and let them practice, how to explain the floor pattern or a figure, and so on. Then you practice that script, at the same pacing you would use in a class, and time yourself. You may discover that your planned content takes far more time than you have, or you may find you need to add significant content to fill the time. Then you revise the script, and practice it again, until it s flowing just right. Scripting does take time. Lots of time! But, the benefits are tremendous in terms of increased confidence, better teaching, and a more organized class that flows well. And once you ve learned your script, all you have to do is press the play button in your mind, and it flows out magically and effortlessly. Also, it helps you to make sure that you really know all the dances you re preparing to teach!!! Hint: If you re not sure of the exact pattern, gather a small selection of stuffed animals, game tokens, or the like, and practice the dance with them, so you re sure who trades with whom, and where they end up at the end of each figure. Preparing for class: Take time outside of dance class to prepare your music. There s nothing more frustrating to dancers than learning a dance and then standing around waiting for the dancemaster to find the right CD, and set up the music, and figure out how the stereo works, etc. Sometimes by the time you ve gotten your act together, they ve already forgotten the dance! Teaching Techniques When teaching a physical skill, it is not sufficient to just tell learners what to do. Learning is enhanced when the teaching process involves a brief description of the desired skill and its use, demonstration of the skill, noting the steps involved in successful performance of the skill, practice -- first of each of the constituent steps of the dance and then of the complete dance, and frequent feedback from the instructor to reinforce what the students are doing well, and to correct problems before they become ingrained habits. Description. Provide verbal guidance about what skill you are teaching, and why the skill is important. For the global learners in the room, it may sometimes make sense to demo the dance in full before beginning to teach, but be certain to reassure the analytic learners that they aren t expected to remember it yet, and that you will be going through it step by step in a moment. 11

12 Demonstration. Clearly illustrate one skill at a time, and have them practice before moving on. Remember, as you demonstrate it, use words to describe what your body is doing, or draw figures on the board, or compare it to some other physical skill they have learned in the past ( it s just simple walking steps, in rhythm to music. ) Give them only the basic information they need to succeed in doing the skill. Too much detail at this point is stressful. (Save nitty gritty details for feedback time) Practice. More short sessions produce better learning than fewer longer sessions. Repetition helps to reinforce learning, so it is better to have several short sessions, each of which reviews information already covered, then adds new information. When teaching a long, complex dance, you may find that it works best to teach the first section, then practice it. Then teach the second section, and practice first and second together. Then the third section, and so on. Feedback. After observing them practicing the skill, now you can give them more of the details and help them finesse their performance of the dance. If it is clear they have not understood the demonstration, then find another way to show them, but point out that you are doing so. Ok, let s try doing this a little differently to see if that will work better for you. Don t criticize or blame them. Always find something to praise, and then mold that into success. Also, on a regular basis, ask if they have any questions. They will better integrate information they hear in response to questions than they will information that just gets handed to them in lecture form. The more specific your request for questions, the more likely you are to get them. (If you ask do you have any questions about anything we ve learned tonight, they ll look blankly at you. If you say Is everyone feeling confident about the doppio? Any questions about it? you ll get questions!) It is great if you can do the dance once through to slower music, calling the whole time. Then have a question and answer / feedback time. Then do the dance again to faster music, fading out the calling by the end. More teaching techniques / steps to enhance learning Handouts. When possible, give students handouts that they can use to guide themselves during class, and to review information later. Homework. If you are preparing a performance, it s very helpful to make extra recordings of the music, and encourage students to practice at home frequently. Teachbacks. If you ever want to be certain that students really understood the information, then have them teach it! Videos. There are some lovely videos of period dance available, with fully costumed dancers performing the dances. These can sometimes serve to inspire students to refine their dancing, and think about the subtle details of posture and expression. Help students feel like they belong: Learn their names, welcome them when they arrive, and introduce them around. Encourage students to trade partners to get to know a variety of people. Encourage interaction at the break. 12

13 Help them feel comfortable. Define the "norms" for the group, like when class begins and ends, where members will sit or stand, how to find a partner, etc. The more specific you are, the less they have to worry and wonder about whether they re behaving OK, and whether what they re doing is appropriate. Evaluation Master teachers learn that evaluation is a crucial part of education. It helps to gauge the usefulness of the teaching and the extent of the participants achievement of their goals. During a class: Observe your students. Do they seem to be mastering the skills? Ask them questions, and listen to their responses to evaluate understanding. Listen to their questions: see if they re just working out details (which is fine) or if they are just way off base in their understanding of something (if they re clueless, it s not their fault, it s because you didn t do a good job of teaching them!) Fade your instruction: the first time through a dance, call every step. The next time through, call out hints for every figure. Next, just remind them which section of the dance they re at (chorus, hey, or half-moon figure). The final time through, try doing no calling at all see if they can handle it without your help. After the class: take time to reflect on your class, thinking through what went well, and where you would like to improve. Make those changes in the future. Observing Other Teachers Another great learning opportunity for you is to observe other instructors, and learn from watching them and their students. Anything that worked well for them, you can adopt. Anything that didn t work well for them helps caution you. Watching a master teacher helps show you how all the best techniques come together. But don t feel like you have to do everything the same way they do. Some instructors use lots of humor versus some are uncomfortable with it; some are flamboyant, some restrained. Do what feels comfortable to you! Watching a beginning teacher (or weak teacher) helps you remember what doesn t work well so you can remember to avoid it, and helps reinforce your confidence in what you are doing well. Interestingly, sometimes when you observe a new teacher, they try something you ve never thought of before, or never imagined it would work, and it helps shake up your stuck-in-a-rut views of what works and what doesn t. Be open to learning from all you come in contact with, and you ll be a great teacher. 13

14 How to Teach European Dance By Master Philip White (Craig Shupeé) Introduction: This article is a supplement for the class How to Teach European Dance - A Workshop. The workshop focuses on how teachers can improve their abilities as dance instructors. These notes are particularly useful for beginning dance teachers but can help polish anyone s skills. Some of these notes, or best practices as I call them, may seem obvious or come to you naturally but I have tried to break down the process as simply as possible. They are different actions that have been most successful for me as I have worked to become a better teacher myself. Also, some skills are more advanced than others. Do not expect yourself to follow all of these best practices at once. Work on the ones that seem most logical to you and then start incorporating other. Best Practices: Preparation Things to do Before Your Class Learn the Choreography Before trying to teach the dance, know how to dance it yourself. Unless you are experimenting as a group to learn a dance, come prepared. You do not want to lose your students concentration or have them lose their patience. Practice the Dance Yourself Past knowing the choreography make sure to perform the dance yourself at some point before your class either in someone else s class, at your home, or some other venue. It is better to know the dance before trying to teach it cold. It will help you recognize which sections might need more explanation or description. It will point out to you which sections are challenging or do not make sense with the music. Do not Teach off of a Cheat Sheet As long as you are looking down at a piece of paper to read out the next part of the dance you are missing how well the class is performing. It is important for you to be able to notice anyone having difficulties so you can help them. Know a Variety of Dances in the Genre you will Teach If you are familiar with many dances from the same time and geography then you will have a better understanding of the style you are teaching. It helps students to know if the dance they are learning follows certain stylistic guidelines or if it is atypical of the other dances in the same style. Reconstruct the Dances you are Teaching Yourself You will learn more about how the dance is done by looking at the original choreography and then putting it into danceable terms. You may even find that someone else s work could be flawed in your opinion so you can teach it the way that you think the dance was meant to be performed. Know the Music for the Dance Learn the tune so that you can hum it in your head as you dance. You can point out the changes of the music (variations in the theme) that correspond to the choreography 14

15 and you can build in cues for different sections of the dance. Also know how fast the music will be so you can see how quickly the dancers will be moving. You don t want to give them a slow walk through and then expect them to run through the dance without time to think, although if it is a very fast dance having a slower version and a faster version might help your students learn. Practice Calling the Dance to Music Before seeing your students, try calling the next dance steps to the music you will be using to teach. It will help you build the habit of calling the next dance steps early enough for your students to follow. You may want to call out a section of the dance, or maybe each step, or maybe even the counts and parts of each step. With practice, you ll be able to concentrate on how the class is doing rather than trying to think of the next step yourself. Set the Scene Things to do at the Beginning of Your Class State Your Goals Before you begin your class tell everyone what you are planning for the session. Give them an idea of what to expect and what you hope to accomplish. You may be trying to get them exposed to as many dances as possible in preparation for a ball. You may be trying to perfect the performance of a single dance. Both are reasonable classes to teach but students need to know what they should be learning so that they do not walk away disappointed. Limit Class Size You may want to limit the number of students for a couple of reasons. You class room may be too small so that you can physically fit only so many dancers at a time. You may also be attempting a difficult choreography that takes both experience and concentrations from your dancers. If you limit how many people you are working with, you will likely see more success. Teach the Entire Class While you are working with your class focus on all of your dancers equally. Try to keep all of your dancers working on the same part of choreography at the same time. It will help you manage your class structure. In a particularly large class, it may help to allow the more experienced students to help those with less dance familiarity, which also helps keep the class going at the same pace. Teach Steps Confirm that all of your students know how to perform the different steps for the class you are teaching. Let them concentrate on learning one thing at a time; don t try to have them remember steps as well as choreography at first. I like to keep the dancers out of sets and have them learn steps as individuals. I have them stand in a circle, usually with me in the middle, so that I can see everyone s feet as we are first learning how to perform the steps. Don t Hide Your Feet Be prepared to demonstrate steps and choreography in a way that people can see what you are doing. Make sure that your garb does not prohibit you from serving as an example for your class. They are watching you (well, actually your feet) more than you realize. Note for women: If you wear skits be prepared to lift them high enough to show your feet and legs. You could also wear men s clothing. Be flexible Teaching In/Out of a Set Depending on your number of students you may end up teaching from inside a set as a dancer or you may be outside as just the instructor. Be prepared to do both because each has its own challenges. When you are inside of a set, other people may have trouble seeing you and you may not be able to demonstrate all positions. If you have to walk away from your set to work with another group you make them lose a person. If you are outside of the set then you may 15

16 not have a partner to demonstrate moves with or you may have trouble remembering the steps because you are not in a set. Practice doing both. Identify Strong Dancers Know the more experienced dancers in your class and pair them up with newer students that they can help. At times they can even act as your assistants for a set if you are working with a large class. A newer dancer will be able to follow their clues and you will have a more successful class. Teaching the Dance Ways to Approach Teaching Choreography Teach as a Group You may be able to teach whole sections of the choreography to all the dancers at the same time. Then, you can split them up into different sets or divide them by sexes to perform the dance. For example, if men and women are all going to do the same step sequence except that the men will dance first and then the women will dance start by teaching everyone all at once to save time and then have them take turns performing it. Divide the Dance into Sections Divide the dance into different building blocks. Help your students to learn smaller parts of the dance, one at a time, and then put them all together. Then as they dance they just need to remember each section rather than a long series of individual steps. Once you have decided how to divide up the dance make sure your students are able to dance that section before moving on. Walk through all the steps, put them together, and even try dancing it to the music for that section. Ask Dancers to Anticipate the Next Step Before you start a section, ask your dancers what they think the next step will be. This is a way for them to start thinking of how the choreography works and what are the general characteristics of a style. This is also a good way to keep advanced dancers attention by making them think ahead. You ll be able to teach them things like if we just did this to the left then we will next do it to the right or men do it first and ladies follow. Then, as they dance, they will have cues to follow for their next steps. Identify Unusual Choreography If you are teaching a dance with an unusual movement or dance step or even if you are interpreting your dance in a new way then point it out to your students. You want them to be prepared when they go out to learn other dances or try to dance with other groups. Make sure they know that you are doing it outside of common practice or if it is unrepresentative of the style of dance. Demonstrate Parts of the Dance You may find it useful to have part of the dance performed for everyone in the class first. Try to plan ahead for this and make sure you have people dancing that already know how to do parts of the choreography. Your students will usually be able to learn faster if they can see someone demonstrate first. How to Put it All Together Review the Dance Verbally Many of your dancers learn by doing, but some will also learn by thinking the steps through in their head. Before walking through a section, review all of the steps while they stand in place. Before walking through the dance, review all of the sections while they stand in place. It takes only a little time but it will help them put it all together in their heads. I like to have the dancers tell me what the order of the dance is so that they learn to rely on their own memories instead of my 16

17 calling. Run Through the Dance I like to walk my dancers though the dance at least once before having them dance with music. Then I ll play the music while calling each of the steps or at least calling each of the sections. Before ending the class or moving on to another dance I think it is important to do a final run through without any calling at all. Each of these practice runs will show me if there are any sections I did not explain well and if I need to re-teach something. Listen to the Music First Before trying to have your class perform a walk-through with the music, play the music for them. Have them stand in place and remind them of what the different steps are. Let them hear how long any introductions for the music are and point out how changes in the tune can signal changes in choreography. This will also let them know how fast or how slow the dance will be. Move Around the Classroom I like to move from one part of the room so I can make sure everyone has a chance to see me and I am able to look at everyone as well. I find that when I stay at the front of the classroom people in the back have trouble seeing me. I also find that students will mimic my movements if I stay in one place rather than dancing from memory. Watch your Students Dance Pay attention as they are learning steps and choreography. Watch them as they are walking through a run through or as they are performing the dance. You will grow to notice if the dancers are struggling because of their own inexperience or if they are having difficulty because you were not clear in how you wanted the dance performed. Call Ahead of the Music When you first have your dancers perform to music, call the following steps or section out to them to remind them what to do next. As a necessity, you will need to call out the movement ahead of when it happens in the music. If the music is slow, then you will want to time it pretty close to when the next step will be performed. Call too far ahead and your dancers may skip what they are doing and perform what you just called out instead. If the music is fast then you will need to call a few steps beforehand to make sure they have time to hear you before the music speeds by. Ending Your Class Provide Class Handouts Bring notes on the dances you are teaching for your students to take away with them. This could be as simple as dance cheat sheets or you could be more detailed with reconstruction notes, discographies, and more. Diagrams are often very helpful. This will help them have a chance to remember what they learned during your class. Ask for Feedback Don t be afraid to ask your class what is working and what is not. Don t take it as rejection; the same teaching techniques may not work as well for every dance or every set of dancers. Let your dancers tell how they like to learn. Then, try to teach them following that method. Also, you may not realize that something you do really makes sense to them. If they like it they will let you know and you can keep doing it for your other classes. Be Thankful Thank everyone for participating in your class and the time they spent learning from you. That can include appreciating the ones who come out to do your dance again at the ball. 17

18 Summary: My goal is to have more people comfortable teaching and even more people having a fun time dancing. Hopefully you will have been able to pick something up from these ideas that will make it easier for you as a dance teacher. But don t stop here. Talk to more dance instructors and see what works for them. Try some different ways to teach yourself and see if that helps. I am certain there are other dance teachers that can give you good advice and that there are more ways to approaching dance instruction. Have fun with it and make sure your students are having fun too! 18

19 So You Want To Be A Dancer (Beginning Dance Class) by Gwenllyen the Minstrel So you want to be a dancer: YAY dancing!!!! 1) Learn the steps 2) Record the names of the dances you ve danced 3) Memorize one dance per event, per dance class, or per month. Learn the steps o If you know the steps, it s easy to follow the calls o It s easier to learn new dances because all you have to learn is the new steps and the order of the steps. o You will be able to be pulled into a dance that you don t know and be able to do 90% of the dance! Record the names of the dances you ve danced o You ll never remember the names, otherwise o You ll be more confident the second time. Memorize one dance per event, per dance class, or per month. o Dance ALL the dances you want o Learn ONE dance so that you don t have to re-learn it every time Write down the steps in your own words Read through the teacher s notes Walk through it with the music o In a year, you ll know 12 more dances than you know now! o Buy a dance CD and learn the dances on the CD. o Don t be surprised at variations of the dances. Today's Steps : Double forward and back Siding Arming Set and turn Piva Double Single Slides, up the hall and down the hall Two hands, switch places Reverance 19

20 Today's Dances : Half Hannigan Rufty Tufty Black Alman Petit Vriens Le Bens Distonys HALF HANNIGAN For as many couples as will in a circle Double forward and back, twice Siding, right and left Arm right all the way around Arm left 1½ times around so the lady is on the wrong side. Repeat dance with new partner RUFTY TUFTY Sets of two couples facing each other Double forward and back, twice Set and turn, twice Chorus: Lead partner away from set in a double Turn around and go back to set in a double Everyone spin Lead corner away in a double Turn and go back to set in a double Everyone spin Siding right and left Set and turn, twice Repeat chorus Arming right and left Set and turn, twice Repeat chorus Reverance BLACK ALMAN As many couples as will, usually promenade together 4 doubles forward Face your partner and back away in a double Go toward your partner in a double Turn to your left Go in the direction you are facing in a double Turn around and go in the direction you are facing in a double (You should be back with your partner) Lords solo (set and turn) Ladies solo (set and turn) 20

21 (The Black Alman continued) Take both of your partner s hands Switch places Slide up the hall Switch places Slide down the holl Drop hands Back away in a double Go toward your partner in a double Set up for a repeat of the dance, ladies will do solo first PETIT VRIENS Sets of 3 people: Lord, Lady, Lord or Lady, Lord, Lady Person on the left is the leader 16 Pivas anywhere on the floor Then one at a time going from left to right: Left: 4 pivas alone Middle: 4 pivas to catch up Right: 4 pivas to join them Left: 4 steps Middle: 4 steps to catch up Right: 4 steps to join Take hands Left and Middle: Reverance Middle and Right: Reverance All: Reverance Back up and apart in a double Go forward and together in a double Set and turn Repeat dance LE BENS DISTONYS As many couples as will Single, single, double Face partner (lords turn to the front of the lady) (Keep facing each other through the next steps) Back away in a double Go toward each other in a double to partner s place Back away in a double Go toward each other in a double to original place (Side by side now) (Variation on a set and turn) Step forward Step back Spin Repeat dance 21

22 Beginner English Country Dancing Taught by: Lady Jane Milford, OM STEP TRANSLATIONS: Arming: The couple holds each other by the forearm and uses two doubles to walk around in a circle, with their forearms as the pivot point. When arming left, walk clockwise (left), grasping the right forearms. When arming right, walk counter-clockwise (right), grasping the left forearms. Double: Starting on the left foot, take four steps in the direction noted in the dance. A double forward/backwards is done as a step with the left foot, step with the right foot, step with the left foot, and bring your right foot next to the left foot to close. The next double would start on the right foot. A double to the left/right is done as two singles, starting on the foot in the direction noted. For example a double left would be: step with the left foot to the left side, bring the right foot next to the left foot to close. Then step with the left foot to the left side, bring the right foot next to the left foot to close. Reverance: Bow or curtsey, respectively. This is done at the beginning and/or end of the dance to honor your partner. Set and Turn: The can be done to the left or the right. To do a set and turn to the left, the noted gender (sometimes both) do a step to each individual s left, then a step to each individual s right, then turn themselves in place. When stepping to the sides, couples should not mirror each other. Siding: To side left, the couple does a double forward, starting with the left foot, and angling slightly to the left to match up right shoulders. Then the couple does a double backwards, to their places. To side right, the couple does a double forward, starting with the right foot, and angling slightly to the right to match up left shoulders. Then the couple does a double backwards, to their places. Single: The one step in the direction noted, then bring the other foot next to it to close. DANCES: All in a Garden Greene Source: John Playford s The English Dancing Master (First Edition, 1651) (3 couples in a line) Verse 1: Double Forward & Back Set and Turn Left 22

23 Double Forward & Back Set and Turn Right Chorus: All face their partner Man 1 shakes hands with Lady 1; slides down between Couple 2 Man 1 shakes hands with Lady 2; slides down between Couple 3 Man 1 shakes hands with Lady 3 twice; kisses her twice; turns her all the way around Man 1 shakes hands with Lady 3; slides down between Couple 2 Man 1 shakes hands with Lady 2; slides down between Couple 1 Man 1 shakes hands with Lady 1 twice; kisses her twice; turns her all the way around Verse 2: Side Left Set and Turn Left Side Right Set and Turn Right Chorus: All face their partner Lady 1 shakes hands with Man 1; slides down between Couple 2 Lady 1 shakes hands with Man 2; slides down between Couple 3 Lady 1 shakes hands with Man 3 twice; kisses him twice; turns her all the way around Lady 1 shakes hands with Man 3; slides down between Couple 2 Lady 1 shakes hands with Man 2; slides down between Couple 1 Lady 1 shakes hands with Man 1 twice; kisses him twice; turns her all the way around Verse 2: Arm Left Set and Turn Left Arm Right Set and Turn Right Chorus: All face their partner Man 1 shakes hands with Lady 1; slides down between Couple 2 Man 1 shakes hands with Lady 2; slides down between Couple 3 Man 1 shakes hands with Lady 3 twice; kisses her twice; turns her all the way around Man 1 shakes hands with Lady 3; slides down between Couple 2 Man 1 shakes hands with Lady 2; slides down between Couple 1 23

24 Man 1 shakes hands with Lady 1 twice; kisses her twice; turns her all the way around Reverance Gathering Peascods Source: John Playford s The English Dancing Master (First Edition, 1651) (Couples take hands around a circle) Verse 1: All take 8 slipping steps to the Left Drop hands; turn single All take 8 slipping steps to the Right Drop hands, turn single Chorus: Men double into the circle, take hands around the smaller circle, slip 8 steps, and double back to the larger circle. (If there is a small circle, you should be able to make it back to your original place. If there is a larger circle, move the 8 slips and wait for your partner to catch up to you.) Lady double into the circle, take hands around the smaller circle, slip 8 steps, and double back to the larger circle. Men double into the circle, clap once, and double out Lady double into the circle, clap once, and double out Men double into the circle, don t clap, and double out. Lady double into the circle, clap once, and double out Men double into the circle, clap once, and double out Lady double into the circle, don t clap, and double out Verse 2: Side Left; Turn Single Side Right; Turn Single Chorus: Lady double into the circle, take hands around the smaller circle, slip 8 steps, and double back to the larger circle. Men double into the circle, take hands around the smaller circle, slip 8 steps, and double back to the larger circle. Lady double into the circle, clap once, and double out Men double into the circle, clap once, and double out 24

25 Lady double into the circle, don t clap, and double out. Men double into the circle, clap once, and double out Lady double into the circle, clap once, and double out Men double into the circle, don t clap, and double out Verse 3: Arm Left; Turn Single Arm Right; Turn Single Chorus 3: Repeat chorus as danced after Verse 1 Reverance Jenny Pluck Pares Source: John Playford s The English Dancing Master (First Edition, 1651) (3 couples in a circle; Numbered 1 3) Verse 1: 8 slips to the Left Set and Turn Left 8 slips to the Right Set and Turn Right Chorus: Couple 1 sets their lady in Couple 2 sets their lady in Couple 3 sets their lady in All Reverance Men circle the Lady (clockwise) for 16 steps Men turn around and circle the Lady (counter-clockwise) for 16 steps (reach original partner) Couple 1 takes their lady out Couple 2 takes their lady out Couple 3 takes their lady out All Reverance Verse 2: Side Left 25

26 Set and Turn Left Side Right Set and Turn Right Chorus: Couple 1 sets their man in Couple 2 sets their man in Couple 3 sets their man in All Reverance Lady circle the Men (clockwise) for 16 steps Lady turn around and circle the Men (counter-clockwise) for 16 steps (reach original partner) Couple 1 takes their men out Couple 2 takes their men out Couple 3 takes their men out All Reverance Verse 3: Arm Left Set and Turn Left Arm Right Set and Turn Right Chorus: Couple 1 sets their lady in Couple 2 sets their lady in Couple 3 sets their lady in All Reverance Men circle the Lady (clockwise) for 16 steps Men turn around and circle the Lady (counter-clockwise) for 16 steps (reach original partner) Couple 1 takes their lady out Couple 2 takes their lady out Couple 3 takes their lady out Reverance New Boe Peep Source: John Playford s The English Dancing Master (First Edition, 1651) (Line of as many couples as will) 26

27 Verse 1: Double Forward; Double Back Repeat Chorus: Lady double towards their wall Men double to catch up, stopping behind them Men peep over the Lady s shoulder, 4 times, alternating left and right (sometimes accompanied by a peep sound) Both double back to their places and turn single. Men double towards their wall Lady double to catch up, stopping behind them Lady peep over the man s shoulder, 4 times, alternating left and right (sometimes accompanied by a peep sound) Both double back to their places and turn single Verse 2: Side Left Side Right Chorus: Repeat chorus as above, but with men doubling towards their wall first Verse 3: Arm Left Arm Right Chorus: Repeat chorus as danced after Verse 1 Reverance Upon a Summer s Day Source: John Playford s The English Dancing Master (First Edition, 1651) (3 couples in a line) Verse 1: Double Forwards and Backwards Repeat 27

28 Chorus: Face your partner All take hands along their gender lines Double Forward and Backwards Weave and Slide: 2nd and 3rd couples make arches and does a (small) double up the hall Front couple weaves through the arches and take hands on the end of the gender lines Repeat chorus until all are in their original places Verse 2: Side Left Side Right Chorus: Face your partner All take hands along their gender lines Double Forward and Backwards Weave and Slide: 2nd and 3rd couples make arches and does a (small) double up the hall Front couple weaves through the arches and take hands on the end of the gender lines Repeat chorus until all are in their original places Verse 3: Arm Left Arm Right Chorus: Face your partner All take hands along their gender lines Double Forward and Backwards Weave and Slide: 2nd and 3rd couples make arches and does a (small) double up the hall Front couple weaves through the arches and take hands on the end of the gender lines Repeat chorus until all are in their original places Reverance 28

29 Obscure English Country Dance for 3 couples By James Blackcloak Beggar Boy: English country dance for three couples in a line V1: Double forward and back x2 Ch1: C1&3 double away from their partner while C2 double towards partner. Men take hands in a circle and turn halfway, Women do likewise. Repeat the chorus. V2: Siding x2 Ch2: C1&3 switch places while C2 double back and forward from their partner. C2&3 take hands and circle while C1 does a set and turn. Repeat chorus with C1&2 circling while C3 does a set and turn. V3: Arming x2 Ch3: Take hands along the lines, back away a double from your partner and meet. Men do half a hey while Women do the same. Repeat the chorus. Confesse: English country dance for two triples of one man and two women facing as so: Woman 1A Man 1 Woman 1B Woman 2A Man 2 Woman 2B V1: Double forward and back x2 Ch1: Man 1 moves between Women 1B and 2B, take hands in a line and doubles away, turns and doubles back. Man 2 does likewise with Women 1A and 2A. All turn the person across from them. Men return to their original positions, take hands with their partners and double out and back. All turn the person across from them. V2: C1 turns away, both do 2 doubles forward. Both couples turn and do 2 doubles the other way. Ch2: Man 1 doubles forward and selects either woman 2A or 2B. The other four circle around them. Repeat with Man 2 selecting woman 1A or 1B. V3: C2 turns away, both do 2 doubles forward. Both couples turn and do 2 doubles the other way. Ch3: Women 1A and 2A take hands, as do Women 1B and 2B. Man 1 and 2 turn away from eachother, and all do a double out and back. The four Women take hands and circle while the Men turn single. Repeat the first half of the chorus, then the Men turn eachother while the Women turn single. V4: Repeat V1. Ch4: Women 1A and 2A move between the Men and take hands in a line in no time. The line of four doubles forward while Women 1B and 2B cast behind them. The line turns and raises arches for Women 1B and 2B. All double back to place. Women 1B and 2B turn eachother, while the Men turn the Woman they doubled with. Repeat switching the roles of the A and B women. 29

30 Jack Pudding: An English country dance for three couples arranged as so: Woman 2 Man 2 Woman 3 Man 1 Woman 1 Man 3 V1: C1&2 double out and back while C3 does two doubles up between them. Repeat with Couple 3 doubling down between Couples 1 and 2. Ch1: C3 goes up between C1&2, then casts. C1&2 raise arches. Man 3 travels between C1 and Woman 3 goes between C2. C3 switches then goes under the next arch, casts back down and switches to their original place. C1&2 take hands and circle, then C3 turns. V2: Siding normally. Ch2: Men take hands and circle, then raise arches. Women go under the arches, and turn their partner. Repeat switching the roles of Men and Women. V3: Arming. Ch3: C1 raises an arch, and C3 switches places with them under the arch, they turn to face inward. C3 takes hands with the other two Women and circles. C3 switches with C2 in the same way, then takes hands with the other two Men and circles. Repeat dance x2 so everyone is back to place. Adson's Sarabande: An English Country Dance for 3 Couples in a line V1: Double forward and back, set & turn. x2 Ch1: Men double away from partner, double back. Men set & turn. Repeat with Women. V2: Men face down, Women face up. Double forward and back, ending in partner's spot. Set & turn. Repeat with Men facing up, Women facing down. Ch2: Half a mirror hey, set & turn. Finish the hey, set & turn. V3: Men double away from Women, Women catch up. Set & turn. C1 turns C3 while C2 turns. All turn partner. Ch3: Step back, switch with partner. Set & turn. C1 take right hands and lead down through other couples. After they pass C2, they take right hands and follow, likewise with C3. When C1 reaches bottom of set, they turn left and lead all couples back to their original position. 30

31 New to You: Three Couple Dances Rarely Seen in this Realm THE NIGHT PEECE, SHEPHEARDS HOLYDAY, AND WOODDICOCK. Three new reconstructions of longways English country dances from Playford By Ly Felice Debbage, O. G. R. Introduction1 Although folk dancing had been practiced in England long before the publication of John Playford s The English Dancing Master in 1651, it had always been a fluid art form, adopting the graces, style, and social mores of each successive generation. In spite of this sense of variation, however, for the past hundred years, dancing societies and dance masters have generally adopted a fixed series of interpretations based on the work of Cecil Sharp a researcher who sought to reinterpret the Playford dances in their most original format, before the corruptions of the upper classes set in. Unfortunately for Sharp, research published in recent years indicates that not only were the Playford dances never done by the lower classes, they were created by dancing masters inspired by rustic tradition. As scholar Anne Day notes, contemporary French dance master Andre Lorin remarked that these dances were generally done in circles connected with upper classes: he observed them performed at court, at assemblies, in dancing schools, at masquerades and balls, at comedies, in pleasure gardens, and even in the country (79, emphasis mine). Daye s statements suggest that, contrary to expectations, these dances stemmed from urban environments, branching out into rural areas. These country dances, as published in 1651, thrived on the myth of the pastoral and served to sustain the dance activity of the upper classes while wearing the guise of English nationalism. An Alternative Source for Playford s Dances Because of his relationship with his master, John Benson, John Playford had indirect access to the foul papers from many of Ben Jonson s court masques. Playford, of course, in numerous publications across his commercial life, drew on vocal and instrumental music in the theatre. There is, furthermore, strong circumstantial evidence that quite fortuitously he could access dance material also theatrically preserved (Whitlock 553). In the antimasques of the Stuart court, Ben Jonson may have employed traditional folk dancing styles in order to convey a sense of rustic naturalism (556, Sabol 12,14). Referring to Andrew Sabol s work, Whitlock summarizes: Sabol s remarks upon the folk origins of many dances of masque and antimasque effectively render redundant the concept of Playford as a sort of amateur dance collector. Masque and antimasque innocently recorded, transmitted, and transmuted much of folk material; and it is entirely possible that Playford gained access to both the dances and music of his publications through foul papers or performance texts precisely such as those known to have been held by fellow stationers like Benson and Crooke. (556) In a somewhat exhaustive listing of dance titles, Keith Whitlock effectively demonstrates that many of the works listed in Playford s book make direct references to either people in the court or scenes from court masques far too many, in fact, to look like accidents of folk tradition: Lord of Carnarvons Jeg, number 44, recalls the royalist Robert Dormer, killed at Newbury in William Cavendish ( ), then Earl of Newcastle, is surely remembered in the dance 1 This research originally appeared in part in my unpublished essay, JOHN PLAYFORD AND THE MYTHIC ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCE, written in To request a copy, send me an . 31

32 Newcastle, number 77, whose structure suggests a professional choreographer or dance master. [ ] Bath, dance number 51, must in parallel be a tribute to John Grenville, Earl of Bath ( ), a member of the Cornish gentry, knighted at the age of fifteen in 1643, who was severely wounded at the second battle of Newbury. [ ] Lady Cullen, number 50, was also a tribute, to the former Lady Mary O Brien, first daughter and co-heiress of Henry, fifth earl of Thomond; she married Charles Cockaigne, created Viscount Cullen in [ ] The dance Pauls Steeple, number 69, was also known as I am the Duke of Norfolk. [ ] I do not claim to have exhausted the heroic tributes encoded in Playford s dances, but these alone amount to compelling evidence for a subversive royalist text. ( ) It s important to note that all of the references Whitlock points out date from just before the interregnum, granting further evidence of The English Dancing Master as a text secretly devoted to preserving and advancing an aristocratic, rather than plebian, cause. The Controversy with Cecil Sharp In spite of the mounting evidence linking the Playford s folk dances to the disempowered English court, as Whitlock notes, the usual thesis on Playford s The English Dancing Master is that he collected genuine, original folkdances straight out of the countryside with the help of a friend, and that he felt he needed to preserve them from some sort of imposing force, whether that be the corruption of a false and surrepticious Copy or the Puritans in power (Playford, Whitlock 548). In the past, this interpretation has been forwarded without much controversy by many folk dance enthusiasts, most notably Cecil Sharp at the turn of the 20th century. This thesis of Playford-as-collector, interestingly enough, mirrors Cecil Sharp s own project of collecting folksongs and folkdances in the late 19th century. His concern was to preserve such pieces in their most authentic form as they originally were intended to be performed, and where he found insufficient information, he used modern folk dance and song examples to fill in the gaps. The problem, of course, is that the folk genre of song and dance has always been fluid and transient, and despite Sharp s many excellent contributions to the field, he only managed to capture ancient music and dance in brief snap-shots of the way they looked and sounded in the late 19th century. In short, Sharp s concerns about the degeneracy of the English country dance were already far too late, as it had already changed considerably over the expanse of hundreds of years. Seeking to identify himself with Playford in his apparent struggle to save the people s dance, Sharp contends that, by the early 17th century, the English country format: was slowly invading the parlours and drawing-rooms of the wealthy, competing in attractiveness with the Minuets, Courantes, Gavottes, and rapidly gaining favor with the upper classes. [ ] It suffered little or no injury by transference from cottage to castle; but when, as time went on, it challenged, on its own merits, the supremacy of the drawing-room dances, the dance was at once subjected to an enervating influence which, paralyzing its power of resistance, ultimately led to its corruption. [The professional dancing master], more suo, sought to embroider upon it the fashionable steps of the day, to stifle it with the artificial graces and genteel posings of the drawingroom until, in a short time, of the freshness, spontaneity, and gay simplicity of the people s dance very little remained. (9) Sharp s clear zeal for English nationalism is more than evident in the preceding passage as he describes the country dance as a militant, invading force intent on driving out foreign-inspired dances and their effeminate dancing masters who sought to destroy a common English heritage. Unfortunately, as documented in Playford and argued by Whitlock, the dances Sharp tried to save were not the dances of the countryside, and the fashionable steps that he called corruptions had more or less always been a part of the style of these works. 32

33 Playford s Work in the Context of Early Modern Dance Because of the politics of the Interregnum, John Playford could hardly afford to publish a proaristocratic dance manual, knowing these Times and the Nature of it do not agree (Playford foreword). On a surface level, The English Dancing Master appears to avoid catering to noble sympathies, referring to the dancers as men and women instead of the customary lords and ladies. Yet the audience, the Ingenious Reader to whom Playford addresses his foreword, must have undoubtedly consisted primarily of those wealthy enough to afford such a volume, and as Whitlock writes, it reinforces ethics similar to those of Caroso and Arbeau: the values implicit in the foreword are classical authority and learning, royalism, social degree and order, and dancing as an elite accomplishment and training and symbolic of cosmic order (566). While such words may serve to help elevate the status of the country dance in the eyes of the elite, as Cecil Sharp might argue, given the connections between the court and these dances, it seems likely that Playford (or a person in service of the aristocracy ghostwriting for Playford) intended that the book function to preserve the dances of the wealthy in the guise of the popular pastoral tradition. An Introduction to the Dances in This Set Like the other dances in this set, The Night Peece appears in the original English Dancing Master volume. The title potentially came from a romantic poem of the same name by Robert Herrick ( ). Herrick was an avid follower of Ben Jonson, the court masque writer whose foul papers John Playford had access to, and like Playford, he had royalist sympathies. He lost his government position in the priory during the English Civil War, and published The Night-Piece, along with about 1200 others, in the Hesperides about three years before the release of Playford s first dance manual (Jokinen). In the 4th edition (1670), it received an alternate title, The Shaking of the Sheets. There is an English Broadside Ballad with the same name, although it has a different melody than the Playford dance. Like The Night Peece, Shepheards Holyday, or Labour in Vaine, appears to have its source in the works of upper-class and aristocratic authors. During the 1620s (scholars disagree on the exact year), Ben Jonson wrote a masque called Pan s Anniversary, or The Shepherd s Holiday, for King James I. It lauds the country life of the mythical land of Arcadia, and contrasts it with the warlike nation of Thebes ( Pan s Anniversary ). Pan, the lord of Arcadia, symbolizes the pacifist reign of King James, and the masque is laden with pastoral imagery that is, the faux representation of actual country life so adored by the English aristocracy in the seventeenth century. (For an example of this style and a period parody that illuminates its falseness, see The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, by Christopher Marlowe and The Nymph s Reply to the Shepherd, by Sir Walter Ralegh. Both are easily available online.) Because a number of English country dances appear to have come from Ben Jonson s rough drafts of court masques, given the connection of the title and the rise of this form of dance as an imitation of the ways that good country people might have danced, Shepheards Holyday may have originated in this particular Jonsonian masque. The final dance in this set, Wooddicock, has been harder to trace than its other three-couple cousins. The name probably refers to the modern word woodcock, which is a kind of migratory game bird, or, in archaic use, a foolish person. The tune also appears in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, an anonymous work of keyboard music that includes pieces dating from As a result, it s possible to place the origins of the dance within the SCA period, although it s certainly possible that the music was written decades before the dance choreography. A Note on Today s Music 33

34 My musical source for The Night Peece is the compact disc, English Country Dances: From Playford s Dancing Master , by the Broadside Band, Their version of the dance repeats in an AABBBB pattern, but for the Playford choreography to work, the repeat should be AABBB. I have excised the fourth B strain on a computer editing program for today s class. Be aware of this problem if you decide to purchase this CD. Shepheard s Holyday is from Nobody s Jig: Mr. Playford s English Dancing Master, by Les Witches, Shepherd s Holyday was short a verse, so I added one in. For Wooddicock, I used the music popularly used for Wherligig in the SCA. It s the actual Wooddicock music, although you will have to edit it to make it have the correct number of repeats, as I have done. Works Cited Daye, Anne. A Valentine for the King. Dance Research 15.2 (1997): Jokinen, Anniina. The Life of Robert Herrick. Luminarium. 26 Feb [9 Jan 2009] < Pan s Anniversary. Wikipedia. 9 Aug 2008 [9 Jan 2009] < /wiki/pan %27s_Anniversary> Playford, John. The English Dancing Master. Eds. Hugh Mellor and Leslie Bridgewater. London: Dance Books Ltd., Sharp, Cecil J. The English Country Dance Book, Part II. 3rd Ed. London: Novello, Whitlock, Keith. John Playford s The English Dancing Master 1650/1651 as Cultural Politics. Folk Music Journal 7 (1999):

35 THE NIGHT PEECE (NO. 3) PLAYFORD 1651 MODERN RECONSTRUCTION Ly Felice Debbage, O.G.R. Beats Forward and back a double. That again. C2 backs a double, then slips into C1 s place (Simultaneously, C1 and C3 switch places, with ending order 2-3-1) (Repeat this chorus 2x, beginning with a new C2 each time) 16 8 (8) (16) Side right. Side left. C1 crosses over and falls into C2 s place as C2 slips up into C1 s place C1 crosses again into C3 s place, with C3 sliding up into C2 s place. (Repeat this chorus 2x, so that all couples can do this.) Arm right. Arm left. Ld1 and Ly2 switch; Ly1 and Ld2 switch; C3 switch Ld1 and Ly3 switch; Ly1 and Ld3 switch; C2 switch Set and turn all 16 2;2;4 2;2;4 8 SHEPHEARDS HOLYDAY (NO. 101) PLAYFORD 1651 MODERN RECONSTRUCTION Ly Felice Debbage, O.G.R. Beats All go forward and back a double; switch with partner All go down and back a double; switch with partner C1 slips down in front of C2; C3 slips up behind C2 to create a line (321123) Ld1 and Ly1 individually cast to his and her own left hands, leading the lines of lords and ladies back into their original places. (Note: the lords will need to individually make extra loops around their own places to make it fit the music better.) (Repeat this chorus again, with C3 starting the slipping.) 8;4 8;4 4;4 Side R. Switch with partner. Side L. Switch with partner. All lords join hands and back a double while ladies do the same Lords meet and make a circle while ladies do the same Full circle left for both genders Gendered lines go back a double, drop hands and meet backwards Join hands backward and circle round to the left facing outwards to place Arm R. Switch with partner. Arm L. Switch with partner. Ld1 and Ly2 switch; Ly1 and Ld2 switch; C3 switch Ld1 and Ly3 switch; Ly1 and Ld3 switch; C2 switch 24 4;4;8 4;4;

36 WOODDICOCK (NO. 15) PLAYFORD 1651 MODERN RECONSTRUCTION Ly Felice Debbage, O.G.R. Beats All go forward and back a double; that again Set and turn all; that again C2 lead up between C1, break hands, and individually cast off into place C2 lead down between C3, break hands, and individually cast into place Set and turn all; that again Sides all; that again Set and turn all; that again Ld2 crosses over and circles Ly1 to place as Ly2 crosses and circles Ld3 Ld2 crosses and circles Ly3 to place as Ly2 crosses and circles Ld1 Set and turn all; that again Arm R; arm L Set and turn all; that again Men do a single hay. Set and turn all; that again Women do a single hay. Set and turn all; that again Double hay all (The double hay may be done as two faster hays done in succession, or as a round hay starting with C1, Lds2&3, and Lys2&3 passing each other.) Set and turn all; that again

37 Odd English Country Dances for three couples Taught by Arglwydd Dafydd Cyhoeddwr (mka John White) Web-site: There are 27 1st edition English Country dances for 3 couples, most arranged in a line though three are circular dances. Most actually follow the regular verses and three parts formula (22) the remaining five consist of a single-figure dance that is formatted like a for as many as will dance (Mundesse) and another with three figures that travel around the circle of dancers in a slightly different manner (Kemp s Jig), one that has 12 parts without any particular verse or chorus among them (Adson s Saraband), and two that have 6 parts each with a single verse repeated over and over, and various choruses (Greenwood is one we will be doing here, and the other, Jack a Lent, has choruses that vary wildly in length). More statistics could come out of these dances for example, of the 22 standard format dances, 10 have their verses split by something, usually by sets and turns, but in 3 cases by something else. Two of the standard verses are slightly different from standard Jack Pudding has the third couple doing two doubles up the line (between the other two couples) and then two doubles down the line for the first verse, while Stingo has the lines go back a double and forward, then everyone go up a double band back. Several have the second couple doing most of the work in the dance, though one of those switches everyone around so that each couple gets to be in the middle (Whirligig). Some stretch the repeat structure in various ways (Jack a Lent, Picking of Sticks, Scotch Cap the latter two have extended first choruses). The three dances being taught in this class have interesting little oddities that caught my fancy a few years ago. Now that I ve reconstructed all 105 1st edition ECDs, I ve found even more that merit further study. Since I m lacking music for only 10 of them, I ll be teaching plenty more of these classes in the future! 37

38 The Whish for a line of three couples. Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Music: Hang up Sorrow and Care by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band. This is part of a medley, and I pieced and patched together a version that was the required 22 repeats long. Notes: dance. As in Boatman, the second couple is the active/primary couple in this The strange thing about this dance is that the melody has seven measures, whereas English Country dance tunes usually have even numbers of measures. That s really the only tricky thing about this dance. The numbers below refer to the measure, each of which is a count of 2. Part 1 Verse 1, Part A 1&2: Lead up a double 2&4: Fall back a double 5&6: Face your partner, set (step and close) left and right, angling inward toward your partner as you go. 7: Step back to your place. Verse 1, Part B 1&2: Lead up a double 2&4: Fall back a double 5&6: Face your partner, set (step and close) right and left, angling inward toward your partner as you go. 7: Step back to your place. Chorus 1, Part A 1&2: The second man leads the first man between the first two women 3&4: They cast off and fall back to their places (man 1 around the top of the set, man 2 between woman 2 and 3) 5-7: Man 2 and man 1 arm by the left in 6 beats (instead of the normal 8) Chorus 1, Part B 1&2: The second man leads the third man between the second and third women 3&4: They cast off and fall back to their places (man 2 between woman 2 and woman 1, man 3 around the bottom of the set) 5-7: Man 2 and man 3 arm by the left in 6 beats (instead of the normal 8) Chorus 1, Part C 1&2: The second woman leads the first woman between the first two men 3&4: They cast off and fall back to their places (as did the men) 5-7: Woman 2 and woman 1 arm by the right in 6 beats (instead of the normal 8) Chorus 1, Part D 1&2: The second woman leads the third woman between the second and third men 3&4: They cast off and fall back to their places (as did the men) 5-7: Woman 2 and woman 3 arm by the right in 6 beats (instead of the normal 8) Part 2 Verse 2, Part A 1-4: Side left with your partner (double toward your partner to line up right shoulders, double back) 5&6: Set left and right, angling inward toward your partner as you go 7: Step back to your place Verse 2, Part B 1-4: Side right with your partner (double toward your partner to line up left shoulders, double back) 38

39 5&6: 7: Chorus 1&2: 3&4: 5-7: Chorus 1&2: 3&4: 5-7: Chorus 1-7: Chorus 1-7: Chorus 1-7: Chorus 1-7: Set right and left, angling inward toward your partner as you go Step back to your place 2, Part A The second couple leads up between the first couple They cast off and fall back to their places Second couple arm left in 6 counts 2, Part B The second couple leads down between the third couple They cast off and fall back to their places Second couple arm right in 6 counts 2, Part C Same as Chorus 1, Part A 2, Part D Same as Chorus 1, Part B 2, Part E Same as Chorus 1, Part C 2, Part F Same as Chorus 1, Part D Part 3 Verse 3, Part A 1-4: Arm left with your partner (take right arms and walk two doubles to the left) 5&6: Set left and right, angling inward toward your partner as you go 7: Step back to your place Verse 3, Part B 1-4: Arm right with your partner (take left arms and walk two doubles to the right) 5&6: Set right and left, angling inward toward your partner as you go 7: Step back to your place Chorus 3, Part A 1-7: The second couple cross over between couple 1. Man 2 circle woman 1, woman 2 circle man 1. They cross over between couple 1 again. Man 2 circles man 1, woman 2 circles woman 1. They fall back to their places. (The exact timing isn't absolutely critical.) Chorus 3, Part B 1: The second couple does the same with couple 3 (cross over between, circle, cross over again, circle, fall back to place) Chorus 3, Part C 1-7: Same as Chorus 1, Part A Chorus 3, Part D 1-7: Same as Chorus 1, Part B Chorus 3, Part E 1-7: Same as Chorus 1, Part C Chorus 3, Part F 1-7: Same as Chorus 1, Part D 39

40 Kemps Jegg for a circle of three couples. Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Music: Fortune My Foe by Les Witches. medley and add repeats. Of course, I had to extract it from the Notes: This dance is named for a real person, one William Kemp who was one of the original actors in William Shakespeare s plays. He is also known for performing jigs and jests, as well as being famous for the Nine Days Morris (a dance he did from London to Norwich). The interesting thing about this dance is that it is done in groups of three. It has three figures, and each figure is done by one of the men and the two women on either side of him. It is supposed to be done with man 1 going all the way around the circle with figure 1, then man 2 doing the same, then man 3 doing the same, whereupon man 1 starts the second figure, etc. This means that the dance is done 27 times through, which is a little excessive in most circumstances. Fortunately, a logical way to shorten it is to have each man go around the circle with a different figure, meaning that the dance is only repeated nine times. I m sure the musicians will thank you. Part 1 Figure 1, Part A 1&2: Man 1 leads the women on either side of himself (women 1 and 2) forward a double, fall back a double 3&4: Do that again 5: Man 1 honor woman 1 6: Man 1 honor woman 2 7&8: Man 1 turn woman 3 all the way around and shift over one place (end up in position between women 1 and 3, overall counterclockwise from before). The other men slip counterclockwise around the circle into the next man's position to make room. Figure 1, Part B 1&2: Man 1 leads these next two women (1 and 3) forward a double, fall back a double 3&4: Do that again 5: Man 1 honor woman 3 6: Man 1 honor woman 1 7&8: Man 1 turn woman 2 all the way around and shift over one place (end up in position between women 2 and 3), the other men shifting as well Figure 1, Part C 1&2: Man 1 leads these next two women (2 and 3) forward a double, fall back a double 3&4: Do that again 5: Man 1 honor woman 2 6: Man 1 honor woman 3 7&8: Man 1 turn woman 1 all the way around and shift over one place, the other men shifting as well, all returning to where they started Figure 1, Parts A-C 1-8x3: Man 2 does as man 1 did, moving counterclockwise around the circle Figure 1, Parts A-C 1-8x3: Man 3 does the same, moving counterclockwise around the circle Part 2 Figure 2, Part A 1-4: Man 1 lead women 1 and 2 forward a double, fall back a double, repeat 5: Line turns halfway around to face out ( gate figure) 40

41 6: 7&8: Figure 1-4: 5: 6: 7&8: Figure 1-4: 5: 6: 7&8: Figure 1-8x3: Figure 1-8x3: Line turns halfway around to face back in (in the opposite direction) Man 1 turns woman 3 to shift places counterclockwise, other men shifting as well 2, Part B Man 1 leads the next two women forward a double, fall back a double, repeat Line turns halfway around to face out Line turns halfway around to face back in (in the opposite direction) Man 1 turns woman 2 to shift places counterclockwise, other men shifting as well 2, Part C Man 1 leads the next two women forward a double, fall back a double, repeat Line turns halfway around to face out Line turns halfway around to face back in (in the opposite direction) Man 1 turns woman 1 to shift places counterclockwise, other men shifting as well, everyone returning to their starting places 2, Parts A-C Man 2 does as man 1 did, moving counterclockwise around the circle 2, Parts A-C Man 3 does the same, moving counterclockwise around the circle Part 3 Figure 3, Part A Note: the starting position for each of these figures is: man 1 has his arms behind the backs of the woman, holding their outside hands 1-4: Man 1 leads women 1 and 2 forward a double, fall back a double, repeat 5: Man 1 unwinds woman 1 (pull her outside hand toward him and up to turn her under his arm to face him) and kiss 6: Man 1 unwinds woman 2 (as before) and kiss 7&8: Man 1 turns woman 3 to shift places counterclockwise, other men shifting as well Figure 3, Part B 1-4: Man 1 leads the next two women forward a double, fall back a double, repeat 5: Man 1 unwinds woman on right (as before) and kiss 6: Man 1 unwinds woman on left (as before) and kiss 7&8: Man 1 turns woman 2 to shift places counterclockwise, other men shifting as well Figure 3, Part C 1-4: Man 1 leads the next two women forward a double, fall back a double, repeat 5: Man 1 unwinds woman on right (as before) and kiss 6: Man 1 unwinds woman on left (as before) and kiss 7&8: Man 1 turns woman 1 to shift places counterclockwise, other men shifting as well, everyone returning to their starting places Figure 3, Parts A-C 1-8x3: Man 2 does as man 1 did, moving counterclockwise around the circle Figure 3, Parts A-C 1-8x3: Man 3 does the same, moving counterclockwise around the circle 41

42 Greenwood for a line of three couples, middle couple improper Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr. Music: John Playford s Popular Tunes by The Broadside Band. extraction and repeat boosting job. Another medley Notes: The interesting feature of this dance is how it is almost a round dance done in a line, with all of the couples switching around to dance with everyone else (to a point). Another thing to note, too, is the structure at the beginning, everything is done by couples, so the choruses have three repeats, but at the end, it switches to doing things by gender, so the choruses only have two repeats. Finally, the coda-like repeat of the verse at the end is actually given in the instructions and not an artifact of how the musicians played the dance. Part 1 Basic Verse, Part A 1: Face your partner, lines take hands, go forwards a double 2: Fall backwards a double 3&4: Set and turn single, left Basic Verse, Part B 1: Turn your back on your partner, lines take hands, go forwards a double 2: Turn around, take hands again, meet a double (Yes, Playford actually expressly dictates this choreography, as awkward as it is) 3&4: Set and turn single, right Note: This verse is done throughout the dance. Chorus 1, Part A 1&2: Side left in pairings as follows: middle couple, first and last men, first and last women 3&4: Set and turn single, left, to the person you sided with Chorus 1, Part B 1&2: Men turn to the woman to their left (man 1 - woman 1, man 2 - woman 3, man 3 - woman 2), and side right 3&4: Set and turn single, right, to the person you sided with Chorus 1, Part C 1&2: Men turn to the woman on their right (man 1 - woman 2, man 2 - woman 1, man 3 - woman 3), and side left 3&4: Set and turn single, left, to the person you sided with Part 2 Basic Verse, Part A & B 1-8: Lines meet a double, fall back a double, set and turn, left, lines double away, turn and return a double, set and turn, right Chorus 2, Part A: 1&2: Arm left as you sided (middle couple, end men, end women) 3&4: Set and turn single, left, to the person you armed with Chorus 2, Part B 1&2: Continue the arming-as-you-sided - man 1/woman 1, man 2/woman 3, man 3/woman 2, arm right 3&4: Set and turn single, right, to the person you sided with Chorus 2, Part C 1&2: Finish the arming-as-you-sided - man 1/woman 2, man 2/woman 1, man 3/woman 3, arm left 3&4: Set and turn single, left, to the person you sided with Part 3 Basic Verse, Part A & B 1-8: Lines meet a double, fall back a double, set and turn, left, lines 42

43 double away, turn and return a double, set and turn, right Chorus 3, Part A: 1&2: Each line form a circle and go all the way around to the left 3&4: Set and turn single, left, to your partner Chorus 3, Part B 1&2: Man 2 circle with couple 3, woman 2 circle with couple 1, all the way around to the right. 3&4: Set and turn single, right, to your partner Chorus 3, Part C 1&2: Man 2 circle with couple 1, woman 2 circle with couple 2, all the way around to the left 3&4: Set and turn single, left, to your partner Part 4 Basic Verse, Part A & B 1-8: Lines meet a double, fall back a double, set and turn, left, lines double away, turn and return a double, set and turn, right Chorus 4, Part A: 1-4: Each line does a single hey Chorus 4, Part B 1-4: Man 2 single hey with couple 3, woman 2 single hey with couple 1 Chorus 4, Part C 1-4: Man 2 single hey with couple 1, woman 2 single hey with couple 2 Part 5 Basic Verse, Part A & B 1-8: Lines meet a double, fall back a double, set and turn, left, lines double away, turn and return a double, set and turn, right Chorus 5, Part A: 1&2: Men take hands and circle all the way around to the left in two doubles 3&4: Set and turn single, left, to your partner Chorus 5, Part B 1&2: Women take hands and circle all the way around to the right in two doubles 3&4: Set and turn single, right, to your partner Part 6 Basic Verse, Part A & B 1-8: Lines meet a double, fall back a double, set and turn, left, lines double away, turn and return a double, set and turn, right Chorus 6, Part A: 1-4: Men do the single hey (zig-zagging works perfectly, but don t get hung up on the figure 8, but rather changing shoulders when you should and shouldn t as you pass) Chorus 6, Part B 1-4: Women do the single hey (see above) Coda Basic Verse, Part A & B 1-8: Lines meet a double, fall back a double, set and turn, left, lines double away, turn and return a double, set and turn, right 43

44 ECD Odd Lots A class for the Known World Dance Symposium, July 2009 Instructor: HL Sara de Bonneville (Sara L. Bonneville) A very wise woman asked what I was trying to accomplish with this class. I sat-down and had to think about it. She had asked if I wanted to feature my own reconstructions (not particularly), did I want to put forward a point of view (no really), did I want to do dances that all had a similar theme or motif (nope), or did I just want to relax and have fun (bingo!). I ve listed 5 dances here (with the goal to teach at least 4 in this class). So what do these dances have in common? They all make me smile. -- S de B Glossary of Steps and Terms Much of the terminology used in English Country Dance depends on local custom ; whenever you dance with a new group, to be sure you are all on the same page and avoid the equivalent of a 6-car pile-up in the middle of the dance. There is no right definition, just a consensus. The following terms are used in these notes: (L) Left ; (R) Right; (fwd) Forward; (bck) Back (H) Honor or Reverance a bow or curtsey. (D) Double - four steps, traveling forward ( up a double ) or back. (S) Siding - double toward partner, meeting shoulders, double back to place. (A) Arming (2) doubles while grasping forearms w/ partner and circling. Note that reconstructions for Siding & Arming use different conventions to indicate which arm (or side). For some, Arm Left indicates to take left arms. In others, Arm Left indicates that you should aim to the left and take RIGHT arms. Set - step to the side and close, often done in pairs (set left & right). Turn / Turn-single double (4 steps) turning in place (turn your nose over your left shoulder and follow it around). Set-and-turn two setting steps (set left & right), and a turn single (left). Cast partners separate, moving away from each other and around the outside of the set and (generally) back to place. Slip sideways slide ( chausser ); slip left: left, together, left. Hey dancers weave in a line or circle, passing as they double forward alternately left and right; usually begin passing right shoulders. Various types of heys include: 3 or 4 person, circular, sheepskin, etc. Salute A kiss of the hand, cheek, or may substitute a hug or reverence. Contrary In general, other or non-usual, as with the contrary hand. In a dance set, it is the person opposite you, also called corner or opposite in two-couple sets; also used to indicate moving into another s place ( fall down on the contrary side ). Corner In circle or square sets, the person on the man s left (women s right). In longways (dupleminor) sets, it is the person diagonally across from you. Opposite the person across the set from you; in a 2-couple set, the corner. 44

45 Key to Set Symbols men: woman: Which way do I go? In general, if a direction is not specified, start left : e.g. start your double on the left foot, do the first set to the left, turn single going left, etc. Men usually place their partner on their right hand, holding her left hand ( proper ). Another tip is that a lady generally gives her left hand to her partner, and her right hand to strangers (not always true, but a good rule of thumb in 2-couple sets). All the dances in this class are from the 1st Edition of Playford s The English Dancing Master, or Plaine and easie Rules for the Dancing of Country Dances, with the Tune to each Dance 45

46 Milisons Jeg Longwise for 3 couples As transcribed from The English Dancing Master: Leade up all a D. forwards and back _. That Againe _: First man take his Wo. by both hands, and four slips up, and the 2. as much, the third as much, turne all S. _. Third Cu. foure slips downe, the 2. as much, first as much, turne all single _: Sides all _. That Againe _: First Cu. change places, the second as much, third as much, turne S. _. Third Cu. change places, the 2. as much, first as much, turne all single _: Armes all _. That Againe _: First man change places with the 2. Wo. first Wo. change with the 2. the last change with his owne, turne S. _. First man change with the last Wo, first Wo, change with the last man, tother change, turne all single _: Reconstruction per Sara L. Bonneville Milisons Jegg, longwise, for 3 couples I II III 1-16 Double forward and back ( Up a double and back ); -- Repeat. Chorus: A st couple (4) slips up the hall; 2nd the same; 3rd the same; all turn single; B 1-16 Reverse (A), 3rd couple slipping down, then 2nd, then 1st, all turn single Side R (meet R shoulders) with partner; then side to meet L side; Chorus: A st couple changes places; 2nd the same; 3rd the same; all turn single; B rd couple change back; 2nd the same; 3rd the same; all turn single Arm R (take R arms) with partner; then arm with L arms; Chorus: A 1-16 Man 1 & woman 2 change places; man 2 & woman 1 change; 3rd couple change; all turn single; B 1-16 Original man 1 & woman 3 change, then man 3 & woman 1 change; original 2nd couple change at top; all turn single. * ** Dance ends with 1st couple at bottom of the set, 2nd at the top, and 3rd couple in the middle; you could repeat dance two more times, with new #1 couples, until all back in place. 46

47 Shepheards Holyday (Labor in Vayne) Longwise for 3 couples As transcribed from The English Dancing Master: Leade up all a D back, cross over _._ Leade downe, back againe, crosse over _:_ The first man slip before the 2. man, while his first Wo. before the 2. Wo. then the last man slip behind the 2. man, while his Wo. behind the 2. Wo then all six turne round about the left hand into their places, then the last Cu. doe as the first and the first as the last _:_ Sides, back againe, cross over _._ That againe _:_ Three men and 3. We. back, joyning hands meet 3. men hands and goe round, We. doing the like, men and We. backes before and meet, hands backward and goe round as before Armes as you sided _:_ The first man cross into the 2. Wo. places, and his Wo. into the 2. mans place, &c Reconstruction based on that of Dafydd Cyhoeddwr (John White - KWDS 2003) Shepheards Holyday, longwise, for 3 couples pace: leisurely I II III 1-12 Up a double and back; change places w/ partner; Turn and lead down a double and back; change places w/ partner; Chorus: A 1-8 1st couple (4) slips down to end between 2nd; 3rd slips up behind 2nd; 9-16 Man 1 & Woman 1 each lead to their own left around and back to place, others following (men head up and do a full loop, women head down and do a half-loop back to get back to place); B Repeat, couple 3 slipping up between 2nd, 1st slipping down behind 2nd; 9-16 Man 3 & Woman 3 each lead to their own right, others following back to place (women do the full loop); Side R (meet R shoulders) with partner & cross; -- repeat, siding L sides; Chorus: A 1-8 D back away from partner; take hands in line (own gender) & D fwd; 9-16 ea line take hands & circle round(to the left) to place; B Repeat, taking hands back-to-back, circle facing outward (this looks and feels as awkward as it sounds; you may wish to simply circle as in A, facing in, but going to the right); Arm R (take R arms) with partner & cross; -- repeat, arming with L arms; Chorus: A 1-8 1st couple cross into 2nd place; 1st cross again into 3rd place; nd couple (at top of set) cross into 2nd place; 2nd cross into 3rd place; B rd does the same; (all) Set and turn-single. 47

48 Old Mole Longwise for 3 couples As transcribed from The English Dancing Master: Lead up all a D. forwards and back, set and turn S. _. That againe _: All a D. to the left hand back again, set and turn S. _.: As much to the right _:: First man and last woman meet a D. back again, meet again and change places _.: : First Wo. and last man as much _.:.: the second man as much with his owne _.:.: : The two first We. hands and the two last men hands, lead forwards and back to the odd one against them, let the odd ones go under your armes _. do this change four times, over to the place where you began is _: : Then first and last change as before to your places _: : All the men hands, and all the We. hands, meet all forwards and back the first and last, last on each side turn each other the 2. turning his owne _. Sides where you turned and turne your owne _: Men the S. Hey _.: We. as much _: : The D. Hey twice over _.: : Cast off all and come to your places. That again. Reconstruction based on that of Trahaearn & Janelyn (Peter & Janelle Durham), and that of Dafydd Cyhoeddwr (John White - KWDS 2003) Old Mole, longwise, for 3 couples I II A B 1-32 Up a double & back; set & turn; -- that again; 1-16 (men) D up & back, -AS- (women) turn, D down & back; (all) set & turn; (men) turn, D down & back, -AS- (women) D up & back; (all) set & turn; Chorus: A 1-16 (Bounce/trade): man 1 & woman 3 double (D) to meet, double back, (2) double to pass each other by R shoulder; B man 3 & woman 1, the same; C man 2 & woman 2, the same; -- (set has been reversed) A (Mole figure) original man 1 & woman 3 are moles, others are holes ; Woman 1 & woman 2 take hands and face man 1 AS- man 1 & man 2 take hands and face woman 1: 1-16 (All) double to meet, double back, (2) double to trade ( moles passing between the holes, ducking beneath their joined hands); All turn 90 and repeat (m1 now facing m2-&-m3, as w3 faces w1-&w2); B 1-16 Turn 90 and repeat (m1 with w1-&-w2; w3 with m2-&m3); Turn 90 and repeat (m1 with m2-&-m3; w3 with w1-&-w2); Chorus: A 1-16 (Bounce/trade as in chorus for Verse I): m1 & w3 D to meet, D back, (2) D to pass by R shoulder; B man 3 & woman 1, the same; C man 2 & woman 2, the same (all end in original places);

49 Old Mole, continued III A Men s line meets women s line with a double; Couples 1 & 3 fall back as couple 2 remains (reform the line horizontally with man 1 & 3 facing each other, woman 1 facing woman 2, and the 2nd couple facing each other); 9-16 new couples turn* (m1-&-m3, w1-&-w3, m2-&-w2); Side once where you turned (end looking toward your own partner); Partners turn* their own (re-form the original vertical line); B 1-16 (men) Single-hey (man 1 & man 3 start by facing down & trade by R shoulder w/ man 2 & man 4); (women) Single-hey. Chorus: A 1-16 Circular hey (begin by top man and woman crossing, passing R shoulders w/ each other) B 1-16 twice around C 1-16 Cast twice, top couple splitting and going down around the outside of the set and back up the center, all following lead couple (this is brisk! finish the circular hey early and start the cast). * Turning again is not specified as one-hand or two-handed; I prefer 2-hands. Mole Figure : 1st man (now at bottom of set), and 3rd woman (now at top of set) are the moles ; the other dancers will take hands in pairs, man 2 with man 3, woman 1 with woman 2. Begin with man #1 meeting women 1&2 in a bounce/trade, meet a double, back a double, 2 doubles to pass beneath their joined hands; at the same time woman #3 does the same with men 2&3. Then all turn 90 to face new moles and mole holes ; man #1 now bounce/trade with men 2&3, woman #3 with women 1&2. Continue two more times thru, so all have made a complete square around the set and are back in place. 49

50 Cuckolds All a Row Square for two couples As transcribed from The English Dancing Master: Meet all forwards and back _._ That again _:_ Turn back to to back to the Co. We. faces again, goe about the Co. We. not turning your faces _._ Turn back to back to your owne, faces again, goe about your owne not turning faces _:_ Sides all with your owne _._ Sides with the Co. _:_ Men change places We. change places, hands all, goe round_._ We. change places, men change places, hands all and goe round, to your places_:_ Arms all with your own_._ Arms with the Co._:_ Men put the Co. We. back by both hands, fall even on the Co. side men cast off to the right hand, your We. following, come to the same places again _._ put them back again, fall on your owne side. men cast off to the left hand, and come to your places, the We. following. _:_ Reconstruction based on that of HE Mistress Katelin McFarlin (Chris Bremmer), as modified by SLB Cuckolds All a Row, for sets of 2 couples begin facing opposite couple I II III 1-16 Double forward (to meet other couple) and back; -- Repeat. Chorus: A 1-8 Circle contrary/opposite back to back (double fwd passing R shoulders, and double back passing L shoulders); 9-16 Take both hands w/ contrary and turn them, face to face; B 1-16 [Repeat A, with partner] Side (passing R shoulder) with partner; Side L shoulder with contrary. Chorus: A 1-16 Men change places, women the same; all take hand and circle (all the way round, or 1/2 circle back to original places); B 1-16 [Repeat A, with women changing places, then men, then circle] Arm (take R arms) with partner; Arm L with contrary. Chorus: A 1-8 Men push opposite women back a double, man turns 90 to back into other man s place, pulling contrary woman into her place; 9-16 Men cast off to their right, partners following, quickly around and back into same places; B 1-16 [Repeat A ] push/pull contrary, men end in original places, men cast to left, partners following to end in place. 50

51 Broome (The Bonny Bonny Broome) Longwise for 4 couples As transcribed from The English Dancing Master: Lead up a D. forwards and back, the first foure cast off and come to your places, the last four doe the like _._ Lead downe and as much _:_ first and 3. Cu. meet and goe back, hands and goe round _.:_ The other foure as much _::_ Sides all. set and turne S. _._ That againe _:_ the two first men hands and change places, and the last two men change, We. doing the same, set and turne S. _._ All that againe _.:_ Armes all, set and turne S. _._ That againe _:_ the 2. and 3. on each side leade to each wall, while the first Cu. leade up and the last leade downe: change hands and meet; hands all and halfe round _.:_ all that again _::_ Reconstruction per Sara L. Bonneville Broome, for longways lines of 4 couples pace: leisurely I II III A 1-8 All lead up a double and back; 9-16 Top couple (w/ 2nd following) cast from the top, down to 2nd place and back up to place -AS- bottom two couples (3rd leading) do the same; B 1-16 Turn, double DOWN and back; cast from the bottom, 4th and 2nd leading; Chorus: A 1-8 1st & 3rd couples meet w/ a double (between 2nd couple), and double back; st & 3rd couples take hands and go round w/ 2 doubles (between 2nd); B nd & 4th couples the same (meeting between 3rd couple) Side w/ partner (meet R shoulders), set & turn L; Side (L shoulders), set & turn; Chorus: A 1-4 Man 1 & 2 take R hands and change places -AS- man 3 & 4 the same; (alternately, first two change in 2 counts, second two change separately); 5-8 Woman 1 & 2, and woman 3 & 4, the same; 9-16 All set-and-turn single (left); B Repeat A Arm w/ partner (tale R arms), set & turn L; Arm (L arms), set & turn; Chorus: A 1-4 1st couple lead up a double -AS- 4th couple turn and lead down a double -AS- 2nd & 3rd man, and 2nd & 3rd woman, lead out a double to ea wall (e.g.: explosion ); 5-8 Turn and take inside hands, lead back in a double; 9-16 All take hands and go half-round (w/ 2 doubles); B Repeat A. 51

52 RESOURCES Some primary sources, and other dance books and music available. Primary Sources: - Playford, John, The English Dancing Master, 1651 edition; facsimile reprint with introduction and notes by Margaret Dean-Smith, London: Schott & Co. Ltd., 1957; modern reprint edited by Hugh Mellor, Dance Books Lt., London, 1984 Other Useful Books & Pamphlets: - Complete Anachronist # 101, Western Dance , 1999, Janelle/Peter Durham - Complete Anachronist #74, Dance: The Playbeau Interview - The Playford Ball MUSIC: SCA & Ren-dance music recording available direct: - Download or purchase CD s from Eric Praetzel ( Includes: The Tape of Dance series, Companions of St. Cecilia series, etc. - CD Courtly Dance of Western Europe, Jouissance, ( (companion music to Complete Anachronist #101, Western Dance ) - CD s (3) from Music Subterranea ( - CD from The Dragon Scale Consort ( - CD In Timely Measure Move, The Queens HaPenny Consort (Calif.) #NQHC001 (Elvyn Blair, 3136 California St, Oakland, CA 94602, elvynblair@yahoo.com) Available in music stores, or Amazon, Tower, etc. - CD Country Capers, New York Renaissance Band - CD English Country Dances, The Broadside Band, Jeremy Barlow - CD Popular Dances of the 17th C, The Broadside Band, Jeremy Barlow Available from CD Baby - CD Shepheards Holyday, Wandering Hands (info available on WH website) Note that there are many more books and music sources available. This is intended to be a short list of basic books and readily available music to get you started. In the SCA, the Honourable Lady Sara de Bonneville is an aficionado of dance, a student of Master Trahaearn, and a sometime Exchequer and Chronicler. In the modern world, Sara L. Bonneville is school district Budget Manager who spent her college years (long ago!) studying and teaching ballet and jazz. In 2009 she (finally) married a gentleman she met 30+ years ago at that self-same ballet studio. 52

53 Around London - Hockley in the Hole, Maiden Lane, St. Martin's By Aaron Drummond. Dances excerpted from Terpsichore at the Tower XV Guide to the Dances, Barony of Cynnabar (online at Dance reconstructions by Aaron Drummond. Hockley-in-the-Hole (Longways for as Many as Will) Verse 1: Forward & Back a Double (2x) Chorus: Set and turn single (2x) Verse 2: Lord1 & Last Lady Double to meet & Double back; Lady1 & Last Lord same; Repeat Chorus Verse3: Lord1 & Last Lady Arm Right; Lady1 & Last Lord Arm Left; Repeat Chorus Verse4: Lord1 two Doubles to meet Last Lady at bottom of set Two Doubles for Lord1 & Last Lady to go to top of set (other Ladies shift down); Repeat Chorus Verse5: Last Lord two Doubles to meet his Lady at top of set Last Couple two Doubles to bottom of set as Couple1 follow & pass through to become new Last Couple Repeat Chorus Maiden Lane (3 couples in a line) Part1: Forward & back a double (2x) Double left & back Double-speed single hey on both sides Set & turn single (2x) Part 2: Sides right & left Back a double & switch with partner Repeat; Set & turn (2x ) Part 3: Arm right & left Lord1 & Lady2 switch Lord2 & Lady1 switch as Couple3 switch Lord1 & Lady3 switch Lord3 & Lady1 switch as Couple2 switch Set & turn (2x ) Couples should now be progressed, ready to do the dance two more times. (Playford 1651) == In 4 == 2 (2x) 2 (2x) (Playford 1651) == In 4 == 2 (2x) (2x) (2x) (2x) 53

54 Saint Martins (Playford 1651) == In 4 == (2 couples, facing) Verse 1: Double forward to meet corner; Partner slip left 2 steps, slip right 2 steps Turn single out of list (lords left, ladies right); Turn single into set Double forward to meet corner & pass through; Switch with partner; Turn single Chorus 1: Lords fall back a double as ladies turn single Lords switch by left hand Corners take right hand & turn 1 1/2 times Ladies fall back a double as lords turn single; Ladies switch by right hand Partners take left hands & turn 1 1/2 times (to orig place) Verse 2: Double forward to meet corner & pass through Set & turn Repeat Chorus 2: Lords meet & honor; Ladies same Circle left halfway slipping; Turn single Ladies meet & honor; Lords same Circle left halfway (to place); Turn single Verse 3: Double Fwd to meet corner; Two slips out, then in with corner Lords cast over left shoulder, through partner's place to place, as partners follow Partners Double back; Partners switch, lady in front Lords gypsy & fall back to place, ladies doing same as lords cross in middle Chorus 3: Lords meet & honor; Ladies same Star right once around Ladies meet & honor; Lords same Star left & fall into line to honor presence 1; 1 1; 1 2 1; ; 1 1; 1 1; 1 1; 1 1; 1 2 1; 1 2 1; 1 2 1;

55 Playford's F Dances for 4 Couples by Lord Gwommy The Fine Companion 1st Verse(Doubles w/set & Turn) Take hands around the circle and double in and back out returning to your place. Set and turn single facing your partner. Repeat the entire 1st verse. 1st Chorus(Men vs. Women) Men double to the center, then women double in as the men double back. Men double in as the women double back Then men take hands and circle all the way around and return to place. Repeat the 1st chorus with the women starting instead of the men. nd 2 Verse(Siding w/set & Turn) Side right with your partner, then do a set and turn. Side left with your partner, then do a set and turn. nd 2 Chorus(Head Couples vs. Side Couples) The head couples double to center then double back as the sides double in. Head couples double in as the sides double back. Then the head couples takes hands around and circles back to place. Repeat the 2nd chorus with the side couples starting instead of the heads. 3rd Verse(Arming w/set & Turn) Arm right with your partner, then do a set and turn. Arm left with your partner, then do a set and turn. 3rd Chorus(Circling the Opposite Gender) Men double into the center and turn to face out from the center. Women circle around the men to your left(clockwise). Men step out as the women double into the center to face out. Men circle around the women to your left(clockwise) 55

56 Faine I Would 1st Verse(Double Out and Back Then the Switches) Facing away from the set with the ladies on the right, Double out of the set. Turn half to switch hands with your partner to double back to your place. Switch places with your corner then the head couples switch places with their partner as the other four switch with their opposites. Repeat all this with the new partner and returning to your place. 1st Chorus(Pick Up Your Corner and Two Hand Turn to Place) Head couples will double into the center with their partner and take hands with their corner. Double back in lines of four, then the head couples will do a full two hand turn with their opposites and fall into the side positions while the side couples do a two-hand turn with their opposites to end in the head position. Then repeat with the side couples leading so that everyone ends up back in their original positions. 2nd Verse(Siding Then the Switches) Side right with your partner, then switch as before. Side left with your new partner, then switch as before. 2nd Chorus(Cast And Circle) Head couples will face away from the set and do a small circular cast returning to their while the side couples follow their corner through the cast. Take hands in two circles of four with each head couple and their corners and circle around back to your original places. Repeat with the side couples casting and the heads following their corners. 3rd Verse(Arming Then the Switches) Arm right with your partner, then switch as before. Arm left with your new partner, then switch as before. rd 3 Chorus(Circling w/hands) The head couples meet in the center of the set while the side couples try to take hands around them and circle around to their corner s place. The head couples then double out into their corner s place. Repeat with the sides in the center and everyone returning to their original places. 56

57 Three four-couple English Country Dances strictly reconstructed Taught by Arglwydd Dafydd Cyhoeddwr (mka John White) Web-site: The three dances that I am presenting my strict reconstructions of are reasonably well known, which makes this class somewhat risky in that my interpretations of the 1st edition source are in opposition to the popular versions that are circulating. I stand by these reconstructions and my interpretations, and can only hope that they find favor with the dance community. My version of Newcastle is probably the least different from various popular versions. I have modified the somewhat confounding method that the first verse is split after seeing it done this way and realizing that it made perfect sense considering subsequent verse-splitting instructions, and it does not involve any wild contortions or over-hasty movements. I have also resorted back to the actual instructions in terms of how to get from partner to partner in the second and third verses the change places instruction is explicit and not a modified version of the basic verse figure itself. The other two changes to Newcastle involve the first and last choruses. For the first chorus, I m taking Playford s explicit instruction for both halves to start by arming left and putting left shoulders into the center. I m also not adding any verbiage that has the people in the center circling at all Playford doesn t ask for it, so I don t require it. And in the last chorus, there are too often bits skipped or added, none of which is required, so once again, Mr Playford s instructions are adhered to. Nonesuch is a very popular dance that has rather a few problems in the commonly known reconstruction. Some people say that the version that is most often done is a kind of amalgamation of Playford s 1st Edition Nonesuch and A la Mode de France, a dance that bears an amazing resemblance to Nonesuch but is not exactly the same dance. That doesn t explain why most versions won t complete the first chorus, inverting the line instead of returning everyone to their places, nor why the second chorus and first part of the third chorus is always done double-time, creating a dissonance with common ECD practices (i.e. starting the third verse with the B-strain music instead of the A-strain). In strictly reconstructing Nonesuch, I tried to use only those instructions in the manuscript, combined with my current understanding of what makes an English Country Dance fit into its genre. Where I had to, I took cues from A la Mode de France, but only in general, and not very often. I used the actual instructions for the moves of the progressive figure, which turned out to be not quite what the common version is, and I reconstructed it to return everyone to their starting positions. I slowed down the slipping into/out of a single-file line figure so that each person is moving for a full 4 beats, which means that slipping into single file and then back out of it takes a full repeat of the music each time. And finally, the only way the final hey can work is for everyone to begin at once, rather than have the first couple start it and then communicate the switching to the rest of the couples. There are other dances where this is required to complete a 4-couple hey, and the hey figure has to fit the music in a sensible manner, which this solution maintains. I decided to reconstruct A la Mode de France just so that both of these dances could be done side by side (they can actually be done in exactly the same 57

58 time 15 repeats of their respective music will complete each dance). Everything about this dance makes it, at the very least, a fraternal twin to Nonesuch, from the music (which is in a different key but retains most of the familiar melody, with a weird twist at the very end) to the correspondences between the verses and choruses identical in type and general form, though slightly different at times in detail. The real problem trying to reconstruct the dance, however, is that it is clear that it was either hastily added at the very end of the production process (and so very badly edited), or was done so early that the conventions the rest of the manuscript uses weren t yet in place. There are omitted instructions, confusing punctuation, and very unclear descriptions galore, to the point that it is sometimes absolutely required to use the guidelines of Nonesuch (and the metarules of the dance form) to make any sense of what is on the page. Which makes it all the more ironic that this dance is the only one out of 105 dances in the 1st edition that actually gives a direction to both the siding and arming figures: while the second verse is described as Sides all to the right and left, requiring a little bit of a stretch to equate those with the shoulders being lined up with the figures, the third verse is less ambiguous, and armes all with your owne by the right and left makes it clear that the directions are the arms linked, making the direction of travel the opposite of what is stated. It is only one piece of evidence as to the fact that these two very common figures are done in opposite directions, but added to the other evidence, especially the manuscripts containing the Old Measures, it becomes more reasonable to apply this across the entire manuscript. The figures in the first chorus are much more familiar to people who have done the popular version of Nonesuch than that dance s actual instructions, but like that dance, the progressive figure in A la Mode de France returns everyone to their starting positions. The other major difference between the dances is the end of the third chorus, where the instructions are explicit that couple 1 begins the switching figure, with man 1 working his way down the women s side of the line as his partner does the same on the men s side quite possibly where the common Nonesuch practice came from. However, the same obstacle to trying to reconstruct Nonesuch that way arises here to do a handed hey all the way around with couple 1 starting and progressing as indicated requires 11 changes to get everyone back where they started, and the musical phrase is 8 measures long, which does not go into 11 evenly, meaning that this cannot be the correct solution. However, reading no more into the instructions in A la Mode de France than are given, the solution becomes obvious the only couple that is traveling around the set is couple 1, and it would take them exactly 8 changes to accomplish the maneuver, perfect for a single repeat of the music. I think that these three reconstructions are worth doing, and worth spreading with the hope of replacing the currently popular versions of the dances in question. If anyone wants to discuss the finer points of my reconstructions, I ll be happy to do so at any time. 58

59 Newcastle for a circle of four numbered couples. Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Music: English Country Dances by the Broadside Band; A Trip to Killburn by the Baltimore Consort; and half a dozen more. Part 1 Verse 1, Part A 1: Take hands around, double into the center of the circle 2: Fall back a double, drop hands and face your partner 3: Set left (step left, then right) to your partner 4: Turn slightly toward the center of the circle to face the person of your opposite gender in the next couple in the direction you are facing this is the next that Playford refers to (both here, with and to the next, and in the second verse when you Sides all with the next ) set right (step right, then left) to them Verse 1, Part B 1: Take hands around again, double forward into the circle 2: Fall back a double, face your partner 3: Set left (step left, then right) to your partner 7: Turn slightly to that same next person as before and set right (step right, then left) to them Chorus 1, Part A 1&2: Arm left with your partner (take right arms and walk two doubles around to the left) 3&4: Men slip into the center of the circle, close enough to touch left shoulders (more or less) men all fall with your left hands into the middle while the women circle the men in the direction they were facing (clockwise) Note: These two motions may need to be combined because 8 beats just really isn t enough time to circle, but as long as it flows, that s fine. Note: The men in the center do not move until the end when they need to slip out and be ready for the second half of the chorus no circling required by them Chorus 1, Part B 1&2: Arm left (yes, left again see below) with your partner again 3&4: Women slip into the center to touch left shoulders (as Playford explicitly requests) while the men circle the women in two doubles ( to the left, or clockwise), everyone slipping back out to stand in their normal places at the end Part 2 Verse 2, Part A 1&2: Side left with your partner (double forward to line up right shoulders, double back) 3&4: Change places with your partner by the right shoulder in two doubles (smoothly, don t make it look like you are siding again) Verse 2, Part B 1&2: Side right with this next new person (double forward to line up left shoulders, double back) 3&4: Change places with this person by the left shoulder in two doubles (again, don t make it look like siding again) Note: The odds have switched partners with each other and are now in the evens positions in the circle; same with the evens (switched partners, in odds positions) 59

60 Chorus 2, Part A 1: Odd opposites meet a double 2: Odd opposites fall back a double, raising their inside hands in an arch AS the even opposites cast off (turn toward their partner, keep turning, and walk away from their partner ) and circle around the odds, meeting their starting partners behind the odd opposites 3: Evens lead their partner under the arches and into the center of the circle 4: Evens fall back with their opposites to where they started this figure Chorus 2, Part B 1: Even opposites meet a double 2: Even opposites fall back a double and make an arch AS odd opposites cast off, circle around to meet their partners behind the even opposites 3: Odds lead their partner through the arch and into the center of the circle 4: Odds fall back with their opposites to where they started this figure Part 3 Verse 3, Part A 1&2: Arm left with your opposite (take right arms and walk two doubles to the left) 3&4: Change places with your opposite in two doubles to meet the next person Verse 3, Part B 1&2: Arm right with this next person (take left arms and walk two doubles to the right) 3&4: Change places with this person in two doubles to meet your partner on the opposite side of the circle from where you started Chorus 3, Part A 1: Odd couples fall back a double, taking the nearest person in the even couples along to form two lines of four facing each other 2: Everyone turn single 3&4: Change places with the person across from you in two doubles and fall back into the circle (this will put the odds on the correct side of the circle but improper) Chorus 3, Part B 1: Even couples fall back a double, taking the nearest person in the odd couples along to form two lines of four facing each other 2: Everyone turn single 3&4: Change places with the person across from you in two doubles and fall back into the circle (this will return everyone to where they started the dance) 60

61 Nonesuch for a line of four numbered couples Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Music: Playford Re-Play d among several others, though no commercial version has the 15 repeats necessary for this reconstruction Notes: Nonsuch was a palace built by King Henry VIII starting in 1538, and so named because there was no other palace elsewhere of such magnificence. It was unfortunately torn down in 1682 to pay for the gambling debts of the Countess of Castlemaine. Nonesuch (the dance) is unusual in that, though the music has a verse/chorus structure, that structure is not particularly relevant to the way the dance is configured with respect to its verses and choruses. Each figure of the dance, every verse and chorus element, takes at least one full repeat of the eight measures of music that makes up the tune. As mentioned above, the dance requires this music to be played 15 times in order to complete the dance, due mostly to the progressive first chorus. Part 1 Verse 1 (one repeat of the music) 1: Couples take inside hands and face up the hall; lead up a double 2: Fall back a double 3&4: Lead up a double, fall back a double, face your partner 5&6: Set and turn single, left 7&8: Set and turn single, right Chorus 1 (one repeat of the music) 1: Man 1 and woman 1 meet a double 2: Couple 1 takes 4 slips down between and just past couple 2 in a measure 3: Man 1 and woman 1 turn outwards (down the line) from each other in a 3/4 circle in a double, ending up with man 1 facing man 2 and woman 1 facing woman 2 4: Man 1 takes both hands with man 2 and pushes him up into man 1 s former position, with woman 1 pushing woman 2 up as well this move will invert/progress the couples 5: Still keeping both hands, man 1 turns man 2 a ¼ turn so that man 2 is in the center of the set, woman 1 doing the same with woman 2 couple 2 ends up back to back at the end of this double 6: Couple 1 turns couple 2 back the way they came to end up still in couple 1 s places 7&8: Turn your partner all the way around in two doubles Note: This chorus is progressive, and like all progressive figures, the couples in the line will progress down the line, sit out at the bottom or top, and come back in as the opposite element of the 2 couple figure than they were before. The progression continues until everyone is back where they started, with couple 1 at the top and couple 4 at the bottom. So, repeat chorus 1 as follows: Couples 1 and 3 switch Couples 2 and 3, 1 and 4 switch Couples 2 and 4 switch Couples 3 and 4, 2 and 1 switch Couples 3 and 1 switch Couples 4 and 1, 3 and 2 switch (couple 1 is back in place) Couples 4 and 2 switch (couple 2 is back in place) 61

62 Couples 4 and 3 switch, putting both of them back in place, finishing the chorus in 9 repeats of the music Part 2 Verse 2 1&2: 3&4: 5&6: 7&8: Chorus 2 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7: 8: Side left with your partner (double forward to line up right shoulders, double back) Side right with your partner (double forward to line up left shoulders, double back) Set and turn single, left Set and turn single, right Man 1 slips/walks a double into the center of the line, slightly above his starting position, facing down the line Woman 1 slips/walks a double into the center to face her partner (facing up the line) Man 2 slips/walks a double into the center facing down Woman 2 slips/walks a double into the center facing up Man 3 slips/walks a double into the center facing down Woman 3 slips/walks a double into the center facing up Man 4 slips/walks a double into the center facing down Woman 4 slips/walks a double into the center, facing up, completing the single-file line Part 3 Verse 3 1&2: Arm left with your partner (take right arms and walk two doubles around to the left) 3&4: Arm right with your partner (take left arms and walk two doubles around to the right) 5: Everyone take four slips to their own left 6: Everyone take four slips to their own right (to line up again) 7: Everyone take four slips to their own right again 8: Everyone take four slips to their own left again (to line up again) Chorus 3, Part A 1: Man 1 slips/walks a double back to his starting place at the side of the set 2: Woman 1 slips/walks a double back to her starting place at the side of the set 3: Man 2 slips/walks a double back to his place 4: Woman 2 slips/walks a double back to her place 5: Man 3 slips/walks a double back to his place 6: Woman 3 slips/walks a double back to her place 7: Man 4 slips/walks a double back to his place 8: Woman 4 slips/walks a double back to her place, returning the lines to their original positions Chorus 3, Part B This will be a single, handed hey starting with right hands 1: Couples 1 and 4, men 2 and 3, women 2 and 3, take right hands and change places in a double 2-8: Continue switching, alternating hands, crossing over at the top and bottom as required, taking a double for each change until everyone is back where they started 62

63 A la Mode de France for a line of four numbered couples Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Music: Popular Music of the Renaissance not enough repeats Notes: This dance is listed in the manuscript as for as many as will but there are multiple reasons that this is yet another editing error the structure of the music, identical to that of Nonesuch in that it has a verse and chorus even though they are not relevant to the structure of the dance, joined with the progressive nature of the first chorus, the single-file figures, the final almost-hey; these all preclude this as being any kind of whomever wants to joine in dance, as varied as those are. Part 1 Verse 1 (one repeat of the music) 1: Couples take inside hands and face up the hall; lead up a double 2: Fall back a double 3&4: Lead up a double, fall back a double, face your partner 5&6: Set and turn single, left 7&8: Set and turn single, right Chorus 1 (one repeat of the music) 1: Man 1 and woman 1 meet a double 2: Couple 1 takes 4 slips down between and just past couple 2 in a measure 3: Man 1 and woman 1 turn outwards (down the line) from each other in a 3/4 circle in a double, ending up with man 1 facing man 2 and woman 1 facing woman 2 4: Man 1 takes both hands with man 2 and pushes him up into man 1 s former position, with woman 1 pushing woman 2 up as well this move will invert/progress the couples 5: Partners face each other, and take inside hands with the pusher/pushee; meet a double (only the couples involved in the switching figures this repeat) 6: These pairs fall back a double 7&8: Turn your partner all the way around in two doubles Note: This chorus is progressive, and like all progressive figures, the couples in the line will progress down the line, sit out at the bottom or top, and come back in as the opposite element of the 2 couple figure than they were before. The progression continues until everyone is back where they started, with couple 1 at the top and couple 4 at the bottom. So, repeat chorus 1 as follows: Couples 1 and 3 switch Couples 2 and 3, 1 and 4 switch Couples 2 and 4 switch Couples 3 and 4, 2 and 1 switch Couples 3 and 1 switch Couples 4 and 1, 3 and 2 switch (couple 1 is back in place) Couples 4 and 2 switch (couple 2 is back in place) Couples 4 and 3 switch, putting both of them back in place, finishing the chorus in 9 repeats of the music Part 2 Verse 2 1&2: Side left with your partner (double forward to line up right shoulders, double back) 63

64 3&4: 5&6: 7&8: Chorus 2 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7: 8: Side right with your partner (double forward to line up left shoulders, double back) Set and turn single, left Set and turn single, right Man 1 slips/walks a double into the center of the line, slightly above his starting position, facing down the line Woman 1 slips/walks a double into the center to face her partner (facing up the line) Man 2 slips/walks a double into the center facing down Woman 2 slips/walks a double into the center facing up Man 3 slips/walks a double into the center facing down Woman 3 slips/walks a double into the center facing up Man 4 slips/walks a double into the center facing down Woman 4 slips/walks a double into the center, facing up, completing the single-file line Part 3 Verse 3 1&2: Arm left with your partner (take right arms and walk two doubles around to the left) 3&4: Arm right with your partner (take left arms and walk two doubles around to the right) 5: Everyone take four slips to their own left 6: Everyone take four slips to their own right (to line up again) 7: Everyone take four slips to their own right again 8: Everyone take four slips to their own left again (to line up again) Chorus 3, Part A 1: Man 1 slips/walks a double back to his starting place at the side of the set 2: Woman 1 slips/walks a double back to her starting place at the side of the set 3: Man 2 slips/walks a double back to his place 4: Woman 2 slips/walks a double back to her place 5: Man 3 slips/walks a double back to his place 6: Woman 3 slips/walks a double back to her place 7: Man 4 slips/walks a double back to his place 8: Woman 4 slips/walks a double back to her place, returning the lines to their original positions Chorus 3, Part B Despite the correspondence between this part of this dance, and this part of Nonesuch, this cannot actually be a hey because of the explicit instructions for couple 1 to switch with each other, then switch with couple 2 and then couple 3, etc. This will *only* work as stated if it is only couple 1 that is moving any distance from their original positions: 1: Man 1 and woman 1 take right hands and switch across the top of the set 2: Man 1 and woman 2 switch by left hands as woman 1 and man 2 do the same 3-8: Couple 1 continues like this, switching down the opposite side of the set, switching over at the bottom, and then switching back up their proper side, moving everyone else back to their original places as they move, so that everyone is where they started when couple 1 reaches the top again 64

65 Obscure English Country Dance for 4 couples By James Blackcloak Lord of Carnavann's Jegg: An English Country Dance for 4 Couples in a line. V1: Double forward and back x2. Do-si-do x2. Ch1: C1 crosses and goes around C2, crosses again and goes around C3, leads through C4. C1 leads half a cast to reverse the order of the couples. All turn partner 1.5 times. V2: Repeat V1 with C2 leading down. Ch2: Repeat Ch1 with C2 leading. V3: Repeat V1 with C3 leading up. Ch3: Repeat Ch1 with C3 leading. V4: Repeat V1 with C4 leading down. Ch4: Repeat Ch1 with C4 leading. Lull me beyond Thee: An English Country Dance for 4 Couples in a line, last 2 improper. V1: Take hands down the lines, double towards partner and back x2. Ch1: C1&4 double towards eachother while C2&3 back away from partner. Take hands down the lines, double back. Double forward and turn opposite. Repeat chorus switching roles of C1&4 with C2&3. V2: Side right with partner. C1&4 Side left with partner as C2&3 side left with opposite. Ch2: Take hands along the lines facing out. Double out and back, while doubling back collapse into a square. Go in a circle. Repeat chorus with new lines. V3: Arm as you sided. Ch3: C2&3 Double out with opposite and back, While C1&4 cross with partner, continue around the circle and cross with opposite. C2&3 make arches with opposite, and switch with C1&4. All turn half with opposite. Repeat chorus switching roles of C1&4 with C2&3, and the roles of partners and opposites. 65

66 Mage on a Cree: An English Country Dance for 4 Couples in a circle. V1: Double in and back, set & turn. x2. Ch1: Men circle back to back clockwise, then turn corner. Women circle back to back clockwise, then turn partner. V2: Side right, set & turn. Side left, set & turn. Ch2: Men travel in front of corner then behind the next. Women double in, clap, double back. Repeat switching roles of Men and Women. V3: Arm as you sided. Ch3: Turn Corner 1.5 times. Turn next 1.5 times. Turn next 1.5 times. Turn partner 1.5 times. Dull Sir John: An English Country Dance for 4 Couples in a square, numbered 1-4 clockwise. V1: C1 doubles forward then casts between C2&4, man going left, woman going right, and back to place. C3 does same. C2 does same. C4 does same. Ch1: Man 1 and Man 3 switch places. Woman 1 and Woman 3 Switch places. C1&3 switch across, then with partner. C2&4 do the same. V2: C2&4 have the woman stand in front of the man. C1 doubles into C3's position, while C3 Splits and moves between C2&4 into C1's position. Repeat switching roles of C1 and C3. Repeat with C2 Doubling into C4's position. Repeat switching roles of C2 and C4. Ch2: Hey for 4 in a line with C1&3, women in the centre leading. Repeat with C2&4. V3: Men Cast behind partner into next man's place. Repeat with Women. Repeat with Men. Repeat with Women. Ch3: C1&3 do-si-do eachother, switch across then with partner. Repeat with C2&4. 66

67 Longways for as Many as Won t Stanes Morris, A Health to Betty, and Pauls Steeple. Three reconstructions of proto-contra dances from Playford By Ly Felice Debbage, O. G. R. (felicedebbage@gmail.com) A Health to Betty and Pauls Steeple are two early prototypes of the contra dance from Playford s original 1651 text. Unlike standard contra dances, such as Hole in the Wall, that feature half the couples moving up the hall and half down, these longways -style dances begin with the first couple activating the second couple, and then the third, and so on down the line, like in Trenchmore. When a couple finally becomes first couple, they wait out a turn and then become active. Eventually, all the couples are actively participating in the dance, but depending on the number of couples, much of the time is spent idle. Phrases in the original text like the first two on each side, hands and go back ( Bobbing Joe ) and doe this change to the last, the rest following and doing the like ( Have at Thy Coat Old Woman ) help to suggest that this kind of dance began with only the first two couples and eventually progressed to the remainder in line. Note also, that the two standard contra dances in Playford 1651, My Lady Cullen and Tom Tinker, lack the do this change, the rest following instructions. Furthermore, the standard contra dances in later editions of the Playford books (see Jamaica, Hole in the Wall ) also lack this distinction. In spite of the long amounts of time spent idle, these longways-style pseudo-contra dances were apparently highly popular in mid-17th century England. Given the large number of these dances in Playford 1651 (on a quick glance, I identified 20) and considering the fact that books and paper were extremely costly, a smart publisher wouldn t want to spend money incorporating so many of them into the volume if they weren t crowd-pleasers. Indeed, the protocontra dances seemingly remained fond favorites until after the 1690 edition of The Dancing Master, when they were finally cut (along with many of the circle and set dances) and replaced with standard-style contra dances. But from a modern perspective, it can be hard to see why any of them were ever popular in a long line of couples, a dancer would spend a sizeable amount of time not dancing at all! However, when we consider the fact that half of the purpose of dancing during the early modern period was to socialize with members of the opposite sex, a lengthy pause in dancing might allow a young couple the chance to have entire conversations while dancing a luxury that they might not have been allowed without a chaperone present in other circumstances. For the following reconstructions, begin each verse pattern with the first and second couples, and let the first couple carry on down the line, the rest of the couples becoming active and doing likewise after they reach the top of the set. When all are back in their original places, begin the next verse pattern. (At about halfway through each repeat cycle, these dances should look just like regular contra dances.) Lastly, although Stanes Morris isn t technically a proto-contra dance, I have included it in this set because it too features large numbers of dancers standing idle. In this particular work, a single lord ventures to the bottom of the longways set to fetch up the last lady and bring her to the top as his new partner. During his fetching, all other dancers on the floor stand still, and the dance continues until he has danced with every lady in the set. But how might a lord gain the fortune of being the sole active dancer in a set with so many couples? My personal guess is that this dance was a chance for a high-ranking young lord to meet and greet with all of the eligible ladies in the room. And since he d gone out of his way to be in attendance at that evening s ball, why not honor him by giving him a dance that allowed him to be at the absolute center of attention? Unfortunately, while this type of dance was certainly in vogue in Playford s dance, I can see few modern dancers who would be satisfied with participating in a lengthy dance that offers very little actual dancing. To that end, I offer a modification of this dance in my reconstruction that allows every lord the chance to perform the fetching sequence. My musical source is the CD Nobody s Jig: Mr. Playford s English Dancing Master, by Les Witches. For the purposes of making the music danceable, I looped the music for Pauls Steeple and Stanes Morris, and both looped and increased the speed of A Health to Betty. 67

68 STANES MORRIS (NO. 87) PLAYFORD 1651 MODERN RECONSTRUCTION Ly Felice Debbage, O.G.R. Beats Part A All go forward and back a double; that again 8;8 All turn and double to the L; all turn and double R; Set and turn; that again 4;4;8;8 Part B: Step and Fetch Her Ld1 walks down in between the rest to the last lady Ld1 and last lady side R Ld1 and last lady take R hands; Ld1 and last lady take L hands Ld1 and last lady half turn to L and kiss; half turn to R and kiss Ld1 brings last lady to the top of the set (all other ladies move down) 8 8 4;4 4;4 8 Entire dance repeats from the top until all of the women have been fetched up. (A suggestion for a more egalitarian method: after one time through the dance, the first lord doubles forward on the repeat but casts off to the bottom of the set instead of doubling back. All other dancers fall into position with new partners as they double back to place. This will guarantee that all of the men will get to do the Step and Fetch Her sequence.) 68

69 A HEALTH TO BETTY (NO. 21) MODERN RECONSTRUCTION Ly Felice Debbage, O.G.R. PLAYFORD 1651 Beats Verse A All go forward and back a double; set and turn single 16 That again 16 Pattern A: Side and Turn to Switch C1 sides R; C1 turns 1 ½ times to switch places 16 C1 faces down the hall and sides with C2; 1 ½ turn to progress. 16 Continue this pattern with the next couple until you come to your own places, with all of the other couples following after and performing the same pattern in order. Hint: C2 starts the pattern at the top of the set when C1 reaches C4. Verse B Side all R; set and turn single. That again. 32 Pattern B: Meet, Cast, and Get Out of the Way C1 meet going forward and back a double 8 C1 casts down one place to progress as C2 moves up one place 4 C1 full turn in C2 s position 4 Continue the pattern with the next couple until you come to your own places, with all of the other couples following after and performing the same pattern in order. Verse C Arms all R; set and turn single. That again. 32 Pattern C: Fall Back, Slip Down, and Turn C1 fall back a double; meet again; slip into C2 s place; turn single 4;4;4;4 (C2 moves up as C1 slips down.) Continue the pattern with the next couple until you come to your own places, with all of the other couples following after and performing the same pattern in order. 69

70 PAULS STEEPLE (NO. 69) PLAYFORD 1651 MODERN RECONSTRUCTION Ly Felice Debbage, O.G.R. Beats Verse A All go forward and back a double; set and turn single 16 That again 16 Pattern A: Lead and Spin C1 takes near hands facing C2; Ld1 leads Ly1 a double to Ly2 4;4 Ld1 takes Ly2 with R hand; Ld1 slips with Lys 1 & 2 up to C1 s place 4;4 Ly2 casts to her own place; Ly1 casts to hers; Ld1 cast and turn to his own. 4;4;8 Continue this pattern with the next couple until you come to your own places, with all of the other couples following after and performing the same pattern in order. Hints: When C1 leads down to C3, C2 moves up into C1 s original place to make the progression happen. C2 starts the pattern at the top of the set when C1 reaches C4. Verse B Side all R; set and turn single. That again. 32 Pattern B: Lead and Kiss the Hands C1 takes near hands facing C2; Ld1 leads Ly1 a double to Ly2 4;4 Ld1 takes Ly2 with R hand; Ld1 slips with Lys 1 & 2 up to C1 s place 4;4 Ld1 kisses Ly2 s hand; Ld1 kisses Ly1 s hand; All turn back to place 4;4;8 Continue the pattern with the next couple until you come to your own places, with all of the other couples following after and performing the same pattern in order. Verse C Arms all R; set and turn single. That again. 32 Pattern C: Lead and Kiss the Face C1 takes near hands facing C2; Ld1 leads Ly1 a double to Ly2 4;4 Ld1 takes Ly2 with R hand; Ld1 sets Ly1&2 back to back in center 4;4 Ld1 kisses Ly2; Ld1 kisses Ly1; All turn back to place 4:4;8 Continue the pattern with the next couple until you come to your own places, with all of the other couples following after and performing the same pattern in order. 70

71 Survey of for as many as will 1st edition English Country Dances Taught by Arglwydd Dafydd Cyhoeddwr (mka John White) Web-site: Out of the 105 dances in the 1st edition of the English Dancing Master, 43 -almost half! -- are labeled for as many as will. These dances are not homogeneous by any means, and can be variously given the following attributes: Verse/Progressive Chorus Limited Participation Intro, then progressive figure(s) Switch by couple Individuals switch All switch at once Dance with (as opposed to switch with) Standard Dance (3 parts, verse/chorus) No progression Many of the AMAW dances can be given more than one of the above attributes, and some of those attributes are really just different ways of doing the same basic type of dance. So here are some broader categories to separate each of them into: Non-progressive dances that are absolutely for as many as will (to varying degrees) but which do not involve switching or progressing of any kind (you ve probably been doing one of these for as long as you ve known about English Country Dance): Gathering Peascods Goddesses The Maid Peeped Out at the Window New Boe Peep These dances all have the benefit of music that does not change with the number of couples doing the dance. Only one of these truly works for as many as will without any caveats New Boe Peep, which is just as effective with one couple or 100 in the line. Gathering Peascods could conceivably have a very large circle, but the tendency to try to get back to your partner in the B-part of the dance effectively limits the circle s size. Goddesses has limitations with respect to the circling figures and the heys, so 4 couples is really all that the dance can accommodate without some very talented musicians. And finally, the Maid Peeped requires that the line of couples inverts and reverts itself in two doubles, so there is a practical limit to the number of couples in that line, and the last chorus requires an even number of people (unless the odd-couple-out just stands and watches). Limited participation dances that, despite being for as many as will, don t actually have more than one or two of the couples in the line doing anything but watching: An Old Man is a Bed Full of Bones Drive the Cold Winter Away Hockley in the Hole Staines Morris The first three of these dances use music that does not change with the number of couples doing the dance, only the last one does that, though a case could 71

72 be made for Hockley in the Hole to be like that as well. In the first dance, the first and last couples end up exchanging partners with each other throughout anyone else in the line is just there to watch. Drive the Cold Winter Away is very much a performance dance with the first couple doing most of the showing off, though at least the line of either men or women get a little choreography to execute instead of just standing and watching. Hockley in the Hole again follows this top and bottom model, though at the end, the top couple puts themselves at the bottom of the line as a sort-of progression, though the dance ends two sets and turns later. Staines Morris yet again does the top and bottom thing, with the first man executing some nice choreography to go down to the bottom of the line and steal the last woman as his new partner. The dance then explicitly repeats until man one has brought up all of the women (thus finally bringing up his starting partner again). It may be that Hockley fits into this same sub-model, though there is no explicit instruction to continue changing. However, the figure in Staines that allows man one to take a new partner takes two repeats, while in Hockley it takes 5 repeats of the music to execute the entire figure that ends with the top couple going to the bottom of the set. Whatever the case, all four of these dances have little-to-nothing for the couples in between the top and bottom to do besides watch, and the distance from the top to the bottom of the set has some bearing on how well the dance can be executed, thus effectively limiting the number of couples that can (or want to) actually be in the line. Verse/Chorus progressives dances that follow the standard ECD model of 3 parts, each with a verse and a chorus where at least one chorus happens to be progressive: Bobbing Joe The Bath Cast a Bell The Country Coll The Gun A Health to Betty Have at thy Coat Old Woman The London Gentlewoman Lavena Lady Lie Near Me Petticoat Wag Paul s Steeple Paul s Wharf The Saraband Skellemafago Every single one of these dances requires music that changes in length depending on the number of couples doing the dance, because the progressive figures will take longer to do the more couples that are involved. I m not going to detail each one of these, but I will point out that they can have a mix of progressive and dance-with figures (A Health to Betty is one such), or even more complex mixes (such as The London Gentlewoman, where the first progressive figure involves a zipper -like progression a la Picking of Sticks, the second is a switching progressive, and the last is a dance-with progressive). Though my classifications are somewhat subjective, there are as many dances in this category as in the next, and the variety displayed is truly fascinating. Primarily progressive dances that are all about switching or progressing, 72

73 sometimes with an introductory figure or figures: Dargason The Friar and the Nun Half Hannikin Irish Trot The Irish Lady Jog On My Lady Cullen New New Nothing Once I Loved a Maiden Fair The Punk s Delight Row Well Ye Marriners Saturday Night and Sunday Morn The Slip Tom Tinker Up Tails All These dances also require music that varies in length with the number of couples. They also allow the visually interesting ability to start the next progressive figure once the first and second couples have returned to their places, so that two different figures can be danced at once in the same line. These dances also have some very inventive figures in them, some of which include playing patticake, or sometimes just clapping, and even kissing here and there. Dance-with progressives dances that don t actually involve switching places, but rather the active couple(s) dancing with the other people or couples in the dance. These are most often circle dances, but it can be done in a line as well: Chirping of the Nightingale Mill-field Pepper s Black Rose is White and Rose is Red A Soldier s Life Finally, these dances also require variable-length music, and they can tend to be somewhat long especially if the figure is lengthy and complicated. When done in a circle, as the first four are, the figure usually involves the active couple dancing with each of the other people in the circle, one at a time, increasing the length of the dance by a factor of two. The last dance in the list is the only one done in a line, and one of the three figures turns out to heavily resemble the reel bit out of Strip the Willow or the Virginia Reel. 73

74 Non-Progressive dances Of the four dances in this category, this one is almost never done, despite the music being readily available on the wonderful Country Capers disc, source of the familiar music to so many favorite dances. As mentioned above, the only practical limit to the actual number of couples in the line is the necessity of inverting the line in two doubles, and the format of the last chorus, which pairs off the couples in the line and has these pairs doing the requested figure. The Maid Peeped Out at the Window, or the Frier in the Well for a line of as many couples as will Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Music: Country Capers by the New York Renaissance Band English Country Dance Tunes for Dulcimer, Volume 1 by Mark Gilston Part 1 Verse 1, Part A 1: Go forward a double 2: Fall back a double Verse 1, Part B 1&2: Go forward a double, fall back a double Chorus 1, Part A 1&2: First couple casts off and inverts the line in two doubles, everyone face your partner 3&4: Set and turn single, left Chorus 1, Part B 1&2: First couple casts off and reverts the line in two doubles, everyone face your partner 3&4: Set and turn single, right Part 2 Verse 2, Part A 1&2: Side left with your partner (double forward to line up right shoulders, double back) Verse 2, Part B 1&2: Side right with your partner (double forward to line up left shoulders, double back), everyone face up the hall Chorus 2, Part A 1: Everyone double forward, the men angling as they do so that they end up in front of their partners in single file 2: Everyone fall back a double, the men angling as they do so that they end up on their partners right side, everyone face your partner 3&4: Set and turn single, left, then face up the hall again Chorus 2, Part B 1: Everyone double forward, the women angling as they do so that They end up in front of their partners in single file 2: Everyone fall back a double, the women angling as they do so that they end up on their partners right side, everyone face your partner 3&4: Set and turn single, right Part 3 Verse 3, Part A 1&2: Arm left with your partner (take right arms, walk two doubles around to the left) 74

75 Verse 3, Part B 1&2: Arm right with your partner (take left arms, walk two doubles around to the right) Chorus 3, Part A 1: The odd men take the even women by both hands and push her back a double from her position, while the even men do the same with the odd women (the even men let the odd men pass first, or go around behind them to get to the odd women) 2: The odd men pull the even women back so they end up in the even men s positions, and the even men do the same with the odd women 3&4: Set and turn single, left Chorus 3, Part B 1: The odd men take their partners by both hands and push them back from their positions, the even men doing the same, making room for the odd men to pass first as previously 2: The men pull their partners back so that everyone is in their starting places 3&4: Set and turn single, right 75

76 Limited Participation dances As mentioned above, this dance involves the top and bottom couples switching partners and then switching them back in each chorus. The essential action of this dance, in combination with the fact that those couples need to travel the length of the line, means that there truly isn t much of any reason to have more than three or four couples in the line. Perhaps it could be considered a counterpoint to those dances (Boatman, Greenwood) where the middle couple does all of the exciting work? An Old Man is a Bed Full of Bones for a line of as many couples as will. Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr. Music: The repeat structure is 18xA, where each part of the verse and chorus is one repeat of the music. Food of Love by Hesperus. This version only has 13 repeats, so it is not suitable. New New Nothing by Shulamit Kleinerman this also lacks enough repeats Part 1 Verse 1, Part A (one repeat) 1&2: Forward a double and back, face your partner 3&4: Set and turn single, left Verse 1, Part B (one repeat) 1&2: Forward a double and back, face your partner 3&4: Set and turn single, right Chorus 1, Part A (one repeat) 1: Man 1 leads his partner down between the set a double 2: Couple 1 fall back a double 3: Man 1 leads his partner down between the set a double, all the way to the end 4: Man 1 turns his partner and puts her into the last woman's place, taking the last woman into the middle of the set Chorus 1, Part B (one repeat) 1: Man 1 leads his new partner up a double 2: Man 1 and his partner fall back a double 3: Man 1 leads his new partner back to place 4: Man 1 turns his new partner and puts her in woman 1's place Chorus 1, Part C (one repeat) 1: Last man leads woman 1 up a double between the set 2: Last man and woman 1 fall back a double 3: Last man leads woman 1 up a double to the very top 4: Last man turns woman 1 all the way around and puts her in her proper place, taking woman 3 Chorus 1, Part D (one repeat) 1: Last man leads his partner down the set 2: Last man and his partner fall back a double 3: Last man leads his partner down the set to the bottom 4: Last man turns his partner all the way around and puts her in her proper place Part 2 Verse 2, Part A 1&2: Side left with your partner (double forward to line up right shoulders, double back) 3&4: Set and turn single, left Verse 2, Part B 76

77 1&2: Side right with your partner (double forward to line up left shoulders, double back) 3&4: Set and turn single, right Chorus 2, Parts A through D 1-16: As Chorus 1, but cross both hands in the middle as the couples move about Part 3 Verse 3, Part A 1&2: Arm left with your partner (take right arms and walk two doubles around to the left) 3&4: Set and turn single, left Verse 3, Part B 1&2: Arm right with your partner (take left arms and walk two doubles around to the right) 3&4: Set and turn single, right Chorus 3, Parts A through D 1-16: As Chorus 1, but let the woman turn under your arm as you lead them back and forth, and (if willing) add a kiss at the end of each double 77

78 Dance-with progressive dances The five dances in this category are surprisingly diverse. Pepper s Black and A Soldier s Life have three progressive figures, while Chirping of the Nightingale and Mill-field each have only one, and Rose is White, Rose is Red has a verse-chorus structure. Some of the progressive figures involve the active couple(s) moving around the circle, while some are more like the active grouping moves around the circle until it hits everyone, though no one is really moving out of their places, or at least, not very far. And, of course, A Soldier s Life is in a line, while the others are all in a circle. Various people (myself included) have tried to make these types of dances more accessible by reworking them to be for a small number of couples who are all involved in the figures. I ve changed my position on that over the years it would seem to me to be better to simply do the dance with a small number of couples and thus do the original, rather than restructure the dance, at times out of all recognition, for the sake of not boring the dancers. Chirping of the Nightingale for a circle of as many couples as will. Reconstructed and reshaped by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr. Music: Chirping of the Nightingale Mr Playford s Dancing Master by the Lauten Company this doesn t actually have enough repeats, but it is a source to splice into the correct number of repeats This dance has a single dance with progressive figure that consists of the active couple(s) moving around the circle to their right dancing with each other person in the circle in turn. The intro figure interrupts the very first of these figures, which is often the case. The Introduction (to the verse music) Part A 1&2: Take hands around the circle and do two doubles (or 8 slips) to the left Part B 1&2: Go two doubles (or 8 slips) back to the right Main part of the figure (to the chorus music) Couple 1 is the active couple 1: Couple 1 does a double toward the man on their right 2: Man 1 drops woman 1 s hand and takes the other man s hand, and they do a double toward woman 1 while she does a double back from them 3: Man 1 drops the other man s hand, and the other man and woman 1 takes hands, they double toward man 1 as he doubles back from them 4: Woman 1 drops the other man s hand, and all three turn single Secondary part of the figure Verse music, Part A 1&2: The three take hands around and do two doubles (or 8 slips) to the left Verse music, Part B 1&2: They go two doubles (or 8 slips) back to the right End of the figure Chorus music 1-4: Couple 1 and the man on their right do the leading and turn single bit as before 78

79 The actual figure begins differently from the above Here is the full figure, using the next person danced with as an example Beginning of the figure Verse music, Part A 1: Couple 1 does a double toward the first woman on their right 2: Couple 1 does a double back Verse music, Part B 1&2: Couple 1 does a double toward the first woman on their right and a double back Main part of the figure Chorus music 1: Couple 1 does a double toward the woman on their right 2: Man 1 drops woman 1 s hand and takes the other woman s hand, and they do a double toward woman 1 while she does a double back from them 3: Man 1 drops the woman s hand, and she and woman 1 take hands, they double toward man 1 while he doubles back from them 4: The women drop hands, and all three turn single Secondary part of the figure Verse music, Part A 1&2: The three take hands around and do two doubles (or 8 slips) to the left Verse music, Part B 1&2: They do two doubles (or 8 slips) back to the right End of the figure Chorus music 1-4: Couple 1 and the woman on their right do the leading and turn single bit as before Repeat: Couple 1 continues around the circle doing the figure with each person in succession until they have danced with every other person in the circle. Couple 2 can begin the figure once they have someone to dance with, and the other couples follow in turn. 79

80 Verse/Chorus progressive dances This dance has two interesting features: it has peeping (one of three dances in the entire 1st edition), and it uses the somewhat disputed figure of going back to back with your partner and then turning faces again. Having gone over all of the 1st edition dances, it seems to me that this is a distinct set of moves in and of itself and not an incredibly awkward way of asking the couple to circle each other do-si-do style. I have two concrete reasons to assert this (in addition to the feeling I have): the usage of both back to back and faces again separately from each other to indicate simply turning around (take a look at Fine Companion, Faine I Would, Nonesuch, Once I Loved a Maiden Fair, Scotch Cap, Tom Tinker, among others), and the one place they are both used in proximity, separated by another instruction see Lady Lie Near Me. Petticoat Wag for a line of as many as will. Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr. Music: There are several standard formulas that can be used to determine how many repeats of the music a progressive figure requires the exact formula depends on how the changing happens. This dance uses the standard formula of (n-1)x3 (where n = the number of couples in the dance) for each of the progressive choruses, but because the music consists of an A part and a B part, the actual construction of the music is slightly more complex than it would have been had the music been a single, short phrase. Each of the three parts of this dance requires playing the A music twice, and the B music the number of times the above formula requires. For 3 couples in the line, the music would need to be (AA Bx6)x3, 4 couples = (AA Bx9)x3, and 5 couples = (AA Bx12)x3, etc. Country Capers by the New York Renaissance Band there are enough repeats of the A music, but not of the B music. Part 1 Verse 1, Part A 1: Lead up a double 2: Fall back a double, face your partner 3: Turn your back on your partner (moving to the left) 4: Face your partner again (moving to the right) Verse 1, Part B 1&2: Lead up a double, fall back a double, face your partner 3&4: Turn your back to your partner (left), face your partner again (right) The first progressing figure 1: Man 1 cross over to stand behind woman 2 in a double 2: Woman 1 cross over to stand behind man 2 in a double 3: Couple 1 peeps around couple 2 twice (beat 1 and 3 the music cues you) 4: Couple 1 crosses into couple 2 s position and the correct side of the set in a double (couple 2 slips up) R: Do this figure until you come back to your places, sitting out at the top and bottom and coming back in as the opposite type. When you return to your starting place, part 2 can begin. Part 2 Verse 2, Part A 80

81 1&2: Side left with your partner (double forward to line up right shoulders, double back) 3&4: Turn your back to your partner (left), face your partner again (right) Verse 2, Part B 1&2: Side right with your partner (double forward to line up left shoulders, double back) 3&4: Turn your back to your partner (left), face your partner again (right) The second progressing figure 1&2: Couple 1 crosses over to the opposite side of the set in two doubles, going between couple 2 to end up in their position, couple 2 moving up out of the way 3&4: Couple 1 switches with each other in two doubles R: Do this figure until you come back to your places, sitting out at the top and bottom and coming back in as the opposite type. When you return to your starting place, part 3 can begin. Part 3 Verse 3, Part A 1&2: Arm left with your partner (take right arms and walk around two doubles to the left) 3&4: Turn your back to your partner (left), face your partner again (right) Verse 3, Part A 1&2: Arm right with your partner (take left arms and walk around two doubles to the right) 3&4: Turn your back to your partner (left), face your partner again (right) The third progressing figure 1: Man 1 and man 2 take both hands and change places 2: Woman 1 and woman 2 take both hands and change places, face your partner 3&4: Set and turn single, left R: Do this figure until you come back to your places, sitting out at the top and bottom and coming back in as the opposite type. When you return to your starting place, the dance is finished. 81

82 Primarily progressive dances This dance is fairly representative of the type, with an introductory figure and three progressive figures. Comparing those figures to those in other dances, however, shows that this is probably at the far end of the developmental spectrum when whomever was creating them was getting tired of simple switching and was experimenting with some rather interesting patterns. The dance uses the standard (n-1)x3 formula to determine how many repeats are required for each of the progressive figures, plus one more repeat for the intro figure. This means that for 3 couples, 19 repeats are required, 4 couples takes 28 repeats, and 5 couples takes 37 repeats. The Punks Delight (the New Way) for a line of as many couples as will. Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr, with much help from the dancers of the Shire of Hartshorndale, led by Duchess Diana. Music: The English Tradition, by the City Waites as usual, not enough repeats Intro figure: 1&2: Lead up 3&4: Lead up 5&6: Set and 7&8: Set and a double, fall back a double a double, fall back a double turn single, left turn single, right First figure: 1: Man 1 and woman 1 switch places and face down to couple 2 2: Men take both hands, women take both hands, man 1 turns man 2 halfway around to the left so that man 2 is in the center of the set, and woman 1 does the same with woman 2, turning right 3: Turn them the opposite direction back to place 4: Couple 1 goes between couple 2 and into their place (couple 2 slips up into couple 1 s place) 5&6: Take hands around and circle all the way around to (inverted) place 7&8: Arm left with your partner (couple 1 needs to turn 1 ½ times to return to the proper sides of the set) R: Do this figure until you come back to your places, sitting out at the top and bottom and coming back in as the opposite type. If there are live musicians, then as soon as couples 1 and 2 are back to their places, the second figure can begin, else everyone needs to be in place before that happens. Second figure: 1&2: Man 1 takes two doubles to cross the set, walking around where woman 1 would be, to end up standing behind woman 2 facing down the line at the same time, woman 1 takes two doubles to circle most of the way around woman 2, going between couple 2, to end up standing behind woman 2 facing up the line, or, more precisely, her partner (sort of like this: :--, where the colon is couple 1, and the two dashes are couple 2) 3&4: Couple 1 is going to move into the same position behind man 2 using two doubles, with man 1 going between couple 2 and standing behind man 2 facing up the line, and woman 1 goes up to her normal position, walks around where man 1 should be, and ends up behind man 2 facing down the line and face to face with her partner: --: 5&6: Couple 1 and man 2 take right hands across and walk all the way 82

83 7&8: R: around and then some, so that couple 1 is between couple 2 and in position for Couple 1 and woman 2 take right hands across and go not quite all the way around so that couple 1 ends up in couple 2 s place, progressing down the line. Note that the transition between these two right-hands-across is not smooth, and takes some fudging and early breaking to realign for the second one. Everyone needs to be quick about the transition, or there won t be enough time to complete the figure. Do this figure until you come back to your places, sitting out at the top and bottom and coming back in as the opposite type. If there are live musicians, then as soon as couples 1 and 2 are back to their places, the third figure can begin, else everyone needs to be in place before that happens. Third figure: 1: Man 1 does a double across the set to end up passing his partner (by right shoulder) and ending up behind her, with man 2 following, walking up to man 1 s place and then a little forward, finishing well before he reaches woman 1 2: Man 1 continues his motion, looping to come back between woman 1 and woman 2, man 2 following by the end of this double, the man 1 is on one side of the women ( in front ) and man 2 is on the other side ( behind ) 3: Woman 1 and woman 2 take inside hands and join the parade, remaining between the two men as all four do a further double forward Note: This is all one continuous motion, procession like, and should be treated as such without forgetting to keep time with the music 4: Everyone turns to face the other direction and go that way a double, man 2 leading 5&6: Men cast off to their right, circling around their partner (possibly a "gypsy" - maintain eye contact), women following, so that the men end up on the women's side, women on the men's side, but couple 1 is still above couple 2 the progression has not yet happened. Note: This ends up being sort of a swirling motion, looping around a few times until people end up where they need to end up it can be very stylish and elegant if done well. 7: Man 1 and man 2 switch places by right hands as woman 1 and woman 2 do the same this is the progression 8: Both couples switch places by left hands, returning everyone to the correct side of the set R: Do this figure until you come back to your places, sitting out at the top and bottom and coming back in as the opposite type. When you get back to your place, the dance is finished. 83

84 Origins of the Playford Dances A Compendium Showing the Timeline of Renaissance and Baroque Dance Researched by: Lady Jane Milford / mka: Nicole Salomone Part 1: Origins of Playford Dances All in a Garden Green (1651) Music referred to as far back as: A Handfull of Pleasant Delites Cuckolds All a Row (1651) Dance referred to as far back as: late 15th C The Cukwolds Dance Cushion Dance (1686) Dance referred to as far back as: circa A Woman Killed with Kindness Dargason (1651) Dance referred to as far back as: Isle of Gulls Music referred to as far back as: circa A lute manuscript at Cambridge University MS Dd.2.II Greensleeves (1686) Dance referred to as far back as: Have with you Saffron-Walden Music referred to as far back as: 1580, when it was registered at the London Stationers Company Half Hannikin (1651) Dance referred to as far back as: 1622 Hearts Ease (1651) Music traced referred to as far back as: Romeo and Juliet Kemps Jig (1651) Dance referred to as far back as: 1580 Parson s Farewell (1651) Music referred to as far back as: 1612 Pepper s Black (1651) Dance referred to as far back as: Have with you Saffron-Walden Put Thy Smock a Monday (1670) Dance referred to as far back as: circa A Woman Killed with Kindness Row Well Ye Marriners (1651) Music referred to as far back as: 1584 A Handfull of Pleasant Delites 84

85 Sellenger s Round (1657) Dance referred to as far back as: 1548 at St. Legders Palace in Ireland. Music referred to as far back as: 1575 in an unnamed manuscript in the private collection of Michael d Andrea Shaking of the Sheets (1670) Dance referred to as far back as: The School of Abuse Trenchmore (1653) Dance referred to as far back as: A Dialogue, both pleasant and pityfull... Part 2 Undocumented English Country Dances Several dances have been found in literary references that were not recorded in the books published by Playford. They are: All the Flowers of the Broom The Hey Irish Hay John, Come Kiss Me Now Lusty Gallant Peggy Ramsey Rogero Trip and Go Part 3 - Other Undocumented Dances Located in English Sources English Country Dances are not the only dances found in English sources. This is a short list of dances, from countries other than England, which I have found within English sources. The following dances illustrate this: Hey de Guise (French) Quarter Branle (French) Unknown Branle 1 (French) Unknown Branle 2 (French) Unnamed Basse Dance (Burgundian) See website for updates: 85

86 The Dancing Rector of Tortworth and Other Curious Tales from the Archives Presented by Emily Winerock Abstract: Although several books and articles have discussed English antidance treatises, and other works have considered pro-dance literature and the role of dance in Shakespeare plays and court masques, there has been very little analysis of the hundreds of references to dancing found in unpublished materials such as ecclesiastical and civic court records, treasurers accounts, and letters and petitions. This absence of scholarship is particularly surprising since the Records of Early English Drama (REED) collections have made these records readily available. The REED volumes publish excerpts from British county archives that refer to dance, theatre, music, and recreations. Records date from the Middle Ages to 1642, and volumes include detailed indexes, scholarly introductions, Latin translations, and Latin and English glossaries. This presentation will draw on excerpts from REED collections as well as my own research in English archives. I will examine archival records describing dance instruction, naughty dancing, and pro- and antidance clergymen in order to provide evidence of the variety of contexts in which men and women danced in early modern England, and the range of opinions they held about what such dancing meant. Sample Records: The following examples give a taste of the types of records I will be discussing in the presentation. An episcopal visitation to New College, Oxford, in 1566 resulted in the charge that:...the aforesaid Bartholomew Bolnye, contrary to the form of the statutes of the said college, is accustomed to fighting, and that, for the sake of dancing, almost every day he betakes himself from dinner into the town and to suspect places... Likewise that the said Christopher Diggles and William Browne in a similar way commonly frequent the town and the aforesaid suspect places for sake of dancing.2 2 John R. Elliott, Jr. & Alan Nelson (University); Alexandra Johnston & Diana Wyatt (City) eds., Records of Early English Drama: Oxford (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004), p

87 The journal of Justin Pagitt, a student at the Middle Temple of the Inns of Court, contains interesting notes to self in an entry from 1633: De arte Saltandi [The Art of Dancing] I. ffollow yr dauncing hard till you have gott a habit of dauncing neately 2. Care not to daunce loftily, as to carry yr body sweetly & smoothly away with a graceful comportment 3. In some places hanging steps are very gracefull & whill give you much ease & time to breath 4. Write the marks for the stepps in every daunce under the notes of the tune, as the words are in songs.3 Emily Winerock PhD Candidate, Department of History, University of Toronto winerock@alumni.princeton.edu website: 3 Peter Walls, Music in the English Courtly Masque (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), p

88 Some Dances from the Gresley Manuscript Reconstructions by Emma Dansmeyla and Martin Bildner Martin and I have been working on reconstructing Dances from the Gresley Manuscript for about 10 years. Our ultimate aim is to have something danceable for all 26 choreographies. Martin has been writing music where none exists. In 1995, David Follows made an important re-discovery of an English dance manuscript in the County Record Office in Matlock. Now known as the Gresley Dances (after the Gresley family of Drakelow who currently own the manuscript), this collection, apparently written down by a John Banys, includes references to 92 dances, steps to 26 dances, and the music of 13 dances, including 8 dances to which both the steps and music are given. Dating somewhere around 1500, these are the earliest English dance choreographies currently known. Stylistically the dances seem to fall somewhere between the early Italian Balli and the later English Inns of Court dances. It has immeasurably increased what is known about early English dancing, but what is frustrating for dancers is that, because there are so few matches between dance and music, only 10% of the dances mentioned are possibly danceable. Even then, inconsistencies, unknown terminology and having no other contemporary English choreographies to compare with, makes reconstruction a real challenge. We have been attempting to enlarge the scope of danceable choreographies by composing our own tunes in a similar style to those found in the manuscript. In a few cases we have adapted unclaimed dance tunes from the manuscript and in one case, Hawthorne, we have reconstructed it to a tune from another repertoire. Here we are presenting 8 dances, 5 with invented music, one with a musical match in the manuscript (Temperans), one with an adapted unmatched tune from the manuscript (Petygay/La Duches) and Hawthorne. The Steps There are a great many steps that are unique to the Gresley dances and many others that hint at being different than the way they are danced elsewhere. The interpretations used here were derived through entomological examinations (word origins) in combination with extensive experimentation, but are by no means certain. singles, synglis -- While this is easily seen as a single, no where in Gresley does a solitary single appear. It is only used in groups of 3, 6 and 9. We have therefore interpreted thre synglis as a traditional double. As a doubles only appears twice in Gresley (and with odd usage), this does not create a conflict of usage. stop, step, stope, -- sometimes the double seems to be punctuated or ornamented with a stop, step or tret. for example in Rawty Then thre singlis with a stope, and thre retrettes with a stop, this I have taken to be a stamped close on the double. It is also interesting to note that this ornamentation seems to appear mainly in the trace part of the dance. trett/retrett -- Meaning to walk or to step in Middle English4, it is similar to the German 4 (MED) treden (v.) (alternate sp. tret) 1(a) To go by foot, walk; also in fig. context; also, climb [quot. c1390]; 2 (a) To set a foot (on sth.), step; (b) to 88

89 verb tritten meaning to step or a modern English word with the same root tread. This seems to be the replacement for a single. Retrett then becomes a retreat or a single back. These two terms are often used in Gresley in the combination of trett, retrett and torne which is used like a set and turn. note: Retrett is also used as a direction (similar to the modern English retreat) and can mean simply retreat an unspecified amount; for example in Lebens Then last man 3 forth and torne, whill the first retrett. Here the retrett is assumed to be three singles (or a double) because there are three forward in the same time. two doblis, two dubles -- these are rare, only found in two dances (Bugil and Temperans) and always in groups of two, perhaps it means a fast double as it is used right after the more common three singles in one of the two instances. rakkys, rak, rakes, reke, rek -- The Rak is an unknown step. From the Middle English definition of to run or to rush 5, we have interpreted a rake as a quick gallop or slip step, usually somewhat flanking, similar to interpretations of the Italian piva of the same period. It seems musically to take the same time as a single step. This is one of the more ambiguous steps (there are many middle English meanings for rak and none of them clearly a dance step). flourdelice, flowrdelice -- This is another unknown step. While clearly a variation on a fleurde-lys and connected to flouren meaning to flourish, this can be interpreted in a variety of ways. While others have interpreted this a floor figure, the number of variations used in Gresley suggests something closer to the fioretto from the late 16th century Italian traditions or the fleuret as described in Arbeau. Here, Arbeau s flueret of three kicks is used. It not only adds a flourish corresponding to the three petals of the heraldic fleurdelis, but kicks do not otherwise appear in any Gresley dance. brawle, brayll, brawlyth, brawll -- Interprated as in Arbeau (and contemporary basse dance) as a single step (or weight shift) sideways to the left usually followed by a return step sideways to the right. lepe, -- a jump on the spot meve, mevyng, move -- a rise as in a 15th c. movemento horne pepy -- Unique to Hawthorne, this interpretation uses the later period horn pipe for its inspiration. The syncopated, lurching steps are interpreted as a combination of steps and hops. step on (sth.); ~ a pase, do a dance step; ~ hire sho amis, of a woman: be unchaste 5 (MED) rake(n.) (a) A path, track, pass;., on a ~,?at a run,?on a straight course; (b) a certain pass or thrust in fencing; raken (v. 2) (alternate rak) (a) To go, proceed; ~ from, depart from (sb.), leave; gon ~, go, walk; comen rakinge, come, appear; come marching; (b) to hasten, move quickly, rush; -- also refl.; ~ on, attack (sb.); ppl. rakinge as adj., of spears: thrusting, piercing; (c) to wander, roam;?also, wander in the mind [1st quot.]. 89

90 Dances The first 5 dances are intended for the Easy Gresleys class: Ly bens Distonys, Rawty, Petigay, Tamrett, and Hawthorne The second 3 are for the Troublesome Tribus Triangles class Bugil, Egil, Temperans Ly bens Distonys6 (dance 15 ) ( also: Lebens disinens and Lubens discuneus) This was the first Gresly dance that I worked on with my good friend Robyn Whystler (T Shawn Johnson), who is an early music scholar and thus was first to notice the publications by Jennifer Nevil and David Fallows in the Early music Journals and bring it to our attention in Ealdormere (the Guelph/Toronto area). His premise, as a musician, was to trust the music and squeeze the choreography. This means that the reconstruction of the first 3 forth and torne, whill the second retrett 3 bake. Then come togeder and ethir torne into oders plas. is achieved in only one stain of the music while the alternate reconstruction that has been going around (Cait Webb) doubles the middle strain of music and thus altering it to fit the choreography instead (there are good grounds to assume that the middle strain is supposed to be doubled). I However, continue to propagate this version as I still believe that it is a possible reconstruction and it is a reasonably popular fun and easy dance (which is rare and therefore I don t want to change it). 6 possible interpretations of the name: life dissonant or the good dissonance or Life s destiny? 90

91 #15 Ly bens distonys de Duobus* From the Gresley Dances c. 1500** Reconstruction by Shawn Johnson Original After the end of the trace, Music Section Bar A 1-4 Reconstruction Image Both make 2 singles and then a double forward the first 3 forth and B torne, whill the second retrett 3 bake. 5-8 Man A doubles forward and turns to face (in no time) while Man B doubles back. Then come togeder and ethir torne into oders plas Man A doubles forward flanking slightly to Man B's original position, while Man B doubles forward flanking to Man A's original position. Man B turns to face forward in no time. Then last man 3 forth B and torne, whill the first retrett. 5-8 Man B doubles forward and turns to face(in no time) while Man A doubles back. Then come togeder in such wys as they ded afore and ethir end in ther own place Both double forward flanking to return to their original positions. Man A turns to face forward in no time. Then trett and retrett and torne. C Both single forward, single back, and turn with a double. This reconstruction ignores the "2" in the sidenotes which suggests a repeat in the music, but which isn't clearly marked in the music itself. Note: the Fallows transcription of the music contains an error in that 5 notes were left out of the B section (bars 9-10). *This dance appears with three titles. It is refered to as Lubens discuneus in the index, Lebens disinens de 2 in the dance steps, and as Ly bens distonys in the music. **redacted from transcription by David Fallows in "The Gresley Dance Collection, c.1500". RMA Research Chronicle #29,

92 #24 Rawty de duobus* From the Gresley Dances c. 1500** Reconstruction by Emma Dansmeyla and Martin Bildner Original Music Section Bar a dubull Trett, retrett togedder.a Then thre singlis with a stope, and thre retrettes with a stop; both to gedder in the A sam wis agayn. Then trett and retrett B and depart the first forthryght. A flourdelice and come togedder 1-2 Reconstruction Image All single forward (L), single back (R ) 3-6 All double forward (L/R/L) with a stomp, and double back (R/L/R) with a stomp 1-2 All single forward (L), single back (R 3-6 ). All double forward (L/R/L) with a stomp, and double back (R/L/R) with a stomp Man A singles forward (L), singles back (R ) and doubles forward (L/R/L) Man A makes a half turn to face in no time. Both make 3 kicks. All double forward to meet. and athir rak contrary C to other agay Both Gallop apart to the left with a double. (A slight flanking back looks great in a group) A flourdelice and cum togedder Both make 3 kicks and double forward to meet. *in the index as Roty loly ioy **redacted from transcription by David Fallows in "The Gresley Dance Collection, c.1500". RMA Research Chronicle #29,1996. reconstructed December 2008 by Richard Schweitzer and Sarah Scroggie 92

93 #11 Petygay de tribus From the Gresley Dances c. 1500* Reconstruction by Emma Dansmeyla Original Music Section Bar Reconstruction A 1-4 All make 4 fast doubles forward. Note: the dance can be done either in single file or 3 abreast) B 5-7 Man A makes 3 slow singles forward. Man B makes 3 singles after. Man C makes 3 singles after the first 2. Then doble trace agayn.c (A2) fast doubles forward Then tourne all at onys. D All turn singly with 3 slow singles. doble trace After the end of the trace, every man 3 singlis after oder. Image The unknown music, subtitled "La Duches", has been interpreted here with an added repeat to match these steps. This results in a very fast double trace and very slow "singlis" and "tourne" sections. The return to the opening "trace" theme has been slightly modified to help the dancers regain the beat after the change in meter. The interpretation of "3 singlis" as 3 singles instead of one double is at odds with our usual interpretation, but the timing of La Duches does not allow time for the 4th beat "close" at the end of a double. *redacted from transcription by David Fallows in "The Gresley Dance Collection, c.1500". RMA Research Chronicle #29,1996. reconstructed February 2002 by Sarah Scroggie, revised March

94 #12 Tamrett de duobus From the Gresley Dances c. 1500* Reconstruction by Lynette of Ben Dunfirth, Aelswitha of Caldrithig, and Martin Bildner Original Music Section Bar A Reconstruction After the end of the trace; trett and retret and 3 forth togeder Then trett and retrett and 3 bake. Then ethir torne othir abought. A Single forward, single back, double forward Av Single forward, single back, double back Take partner's hands and turn with 2 doubles Then brayl ethir contrary to oder 2 tymes C Facing each other, bransles left and right. Repeat and retrett 3 othir fro oder. C Double back away from each other. Then come togeder. C Double forward to meet. whith trace B Image Forward 2 doubles This Gresley composition and dance reconstruction was created during an hour long class on writing music for Renaissance dances at a dance event in Kingston on October 4, Reconstruction by Andrea Collis, Karla Nissle, and Richard Schweitzer. *redacted from transcription by David Fallows in "The Gresley Dance Collection, c.1500". RMA Research Chronicle #29,

95 #21 Hawthorne de duobus From the Gresley Dances c. 1500* Reconstructed to the tune of Dargason by Emma Dansmeyla and Martin Bildner Original Music Section Bar A Reconstruction A Man A doubles forward while Man B doubles back. Man A then backs up 3 singles into Man B's place while Man B goes 3 forward to Man A's place.** The 2de thre singlis and A thre retrettes; the first eqt the same tym. 1-8 repeat the last figure with Man B going forward and Man A backing up. The first trett and retrett A and torne; then the second the same Then face to face the A first make a flouredelice and thre retrettes; the 2nd the same. Then at onis a A flowerdelice and cum togedder Man A steps forward a single, back a single and turns with a double. Man B then repeats the figure (while Man A watches). Turn face to face in no time. Man A kicks left/right/left and doubles back. Man B repeats (while Man A watches). 1-4 Both kick 3 times (left/right/left) and double forward (meeting). Then the horne(horne) pepy togedder. 5-8 Joining right hands, step left, hop, step right, hop, step left, hop, step right, hop Then at onys a long trett, A retrette and torne. 1-8 Reset facing forward in no time. Both make a slow single forward, and slow single back (2 bars each). To finish, both turn separately with 2 doubles Thre synglis and thre rakkys and a stop and torne. Then the first 3 synglis and thre retrettes; the 2de the same tyme. All double forward, gallops (right, left, right), turn with a double Image three stop and Hawthorne is one of the dances found in the Gresley manuscript for which there is no music. However, there are references that link the Ballad of the Hawthorne Tree to the tune of Dargason. The music here is taken from Playford (1651). While it is a completely different dance than the one given by Playford, the Gresley steps work well to this music, and the music does seem to date from before 1600: "In Ritson's Ancient Songs, class 4 (from the reign of Edward VI. to Elizabeth) is " A merry ballad of the Hawthorn tree," to be sung to the tunc of Donkin Dargeson. This curiosity is copied from a miscellaneous collection in the Cotton Library (Vespasian A circa 1440), and Ritson remarks, "This tune, whatever it was, appears to have been in use till after the Restoration." I have found several copies of the tune; one is in the Public Library, Cambridge, among Dowland's manuscripts." A Collection Of Ancient Songs, Ballads, And Dance Tunes, Illustrative Of The National Music Of England by W. CHAPPELL. *redacted from transcription by David Fallows in "The Gresley Dance Collection, c.1500". RMA Research Chronicle #29,1996. ** A literal interpretation of the text suggests both double forward and back together, but why would Banys then spell out what each did separately. The alternating forward and back is a move that appears in "Ly bens", and switching places in a "dos-sidos" is just more interesting. reconstructed March 2007 by Richard Schweitzer and Sarah Scroggie Music After instructions for Temperans 95

96 #25 Temperans de tribus From the Gresley Dances c. 1500* Reconstruction by Emma Dansmeyla and Martin Bildner Original Music Section Bar Reconstruction A 1-4 Single Forward, Single back, double forward with a stamp on the close. Then the first and the medyll togedder retrett while the last goth forth and cum togedder agayn in the same form savyng in the end wher the laste departytt the secund shall the thred the first shall. Then every man togedder A two dubles on the left fott and halfe a torn. 5-6 Man A and Man B flank back to the right with a single while Man C flanks forward to the left with a single. Then Man A and Man B flank forward while Man C flanks backward stepping into Man A's position 1-3 All make 2 fast doubles starting on the left (L/R/L, R/L/R). Finish with a fast half turn to the left using 2 singles.** Then every man the same contrary wyes agayn. 4-6 All make 2 fast doubles starting on the left (L/R/L, R/L/R) Finish with a fast half turn to the left using 2 singles A 1-4 All make a quick single forward and back (1 bar), followed by 3 gallops (left, right, left) Then all togedder a flourdelice. Then the first man throw B while the tothir two change places. 5-6 All make 3 kicks 7-9 Man B and Man C switch places with 2 doubles while A passes between them (and turns to face in no time) Then the first 3 forth with a C torn, the 2d the same, the 3 the same without a torn Man B doubles forward and ends with a half turn. Man C doubles forward and ends with a half turn (using 2 singles). Man A doubles forward Then the first lepe, the second lepe, the last lepe. D Man B leap, Man A leap, Man C leap, and rest (for half a bar). (Note the leaps are in sequence from left to right) Then all torn with a rest in the meddys. E trace All trett and retrett thre singlis with a stop. Then all togedder trett, retrett and thre rakkes. Image All turn with a double. (Note: Three repeats will restore the set to the original order) music no. 10 headed "Temperans: 3" with the subtitle "Ly hartt is an old hors and may no langer drawe etc" *redacted from transcription by David Fallows in "The Gresley Dance Collection, c.1500". RMA Research Chronicle #29,1996. **This is one of only two occurrences of the term "doublis" in the Gresley manuscript (the other being Bugill). This reconstruction interprets the "doublis" as a fast double in contrast to a regular double which seem to be consistantly referred to as "3 singlis". reconstructed February 2009 by Richard Schweitzer and Sarah Scroggie 96

97 97

98 #5 Bugill de tribus From the Gresley Dances c. 1500* Reconstruction by Emma Dansmeyla and Martin Bildner Original Music Section Bar Reconstruction A doubles forward** 5-8 Man A and Man C double forward while Man B doubles back. Turn to face into a triangle. 1-6 Circle clockwise with 3 doubles Then the last man throth whill the oder two conter hym. 7-8 Man A and Man B double forward while Man C doubles forward to pass between them. Turn to face into the triangle. Then all ronde 9 singlis. A 1-6 Circle counterclockwise with 3 doubles Then come all togeder 7-8 All double in to the center Image whith trace After the end of the trace, every man togeder two doblis. Than the first and the last forthright, the medill contrary him and torne face to face mett into a triangle wyse. Then all togeder 9 singlis compas. A 98

99 and depart with a torne B theder thay come from Turn and double out forward with a turn to face at the end Then the medill throth while the first and the last chance places, B 9-10 Man B doubles between the other two while Man A and Man C change places. then mett all togedere. B 9-10 All double in to the center Then every man from C oder retrett 3. Then torne all at onys. D Than al at onys trett ande retrett. Then the medill tourne E the first aboute and leve hym on his left hand whill the last torne in his own place All double back All turn singly with a double step forward and back Man A and Man B take hands and turn into their original places with a double, while Man C turns in place singly with a double. *redacted from transcription by David Fallows in "The Gresley Dance Collection, c.1500". RMA Research Chronicle #29,1996. **Note in this reconstruction no distinction has been make between a doublis (double) and 3 singlis (singles) reconstructed July 2008 by Richard Schweitzer and Sarah Scroggie 99

100 #4 Egle de tribus From the Gresley Dances c. 1500* Reconstruction by Emma Dansmeyla and Martin Bildner Original Music Section Bar Reconstruction A 1-2 In a line, all single forward and back. Then 3 singlis forth 3-4 All double forward. Then the medill torne into the first manys place before hym; the first in to the medils manys place, while the last brawlyth. 5-6 With a double, A and B switch places while C singles left and right. Then trett and retrett ayen and 3 forth In a line, all single forward and back and then doubles forward. Then the first brawll as he standith whill the second and the thred change places both on the right shulder Then B bransles left and right while A and C switch places with a double. This dance 3 tymes and A then every man shal be in his awne place Repeat from the beginning twice more until everyone is in their original positions. After the end of the B trace every man at onys retrett to a triangle A and C turn in and then all retreat with a double. Then the first throth oder two whill thay chance place This is a half hay. A passes between B and C who then switch places a half beat later. Image trace All togedir trett and retrett. C 100

101 Then all beyng in a triangle, the first throgh as he com froo.then oder two chance places; then beyng all in a triangle Then the first a long brawll alone, D the second a flowrdelice D whith 3 retrettes A second half hay returns everyone to place Still in a triangle facing in, A takes 2 very slow bransles left and right B kicks 3 times making a half turn and then doubles backward to end up beside A. Then the last man trett E and retrett and torne C singles forward and back and then turns with a double to join A and B in a line facing the opposite way the dance began.** *redacted from transcription by David Fallows in "The Gresley Dance Collection, c.1500". RMA Research Chronicle #29,1996. **This reconstruction allows for the possible repeating of the dance facing the opposite direction. reconstructed July 2009 by Richard Schweitzer and Sarah Scroggie 101

102 What then is a Doblis?: Analyzing the steps from the Gresley manuscript. I am hoping for this class to be an open discussion of various possible reconstructions of the ambiguous steps and floor patterns found in the 26 choreographies in the Gresley manuscript. This is just an outline given here other resources will be used and passed about in class. Points to consider: Why did Johnes Banys Write these Choreographies down? Problem with men only in descriptions. Are these social dances or performance dances? Inconsistencies in spelling. No other comparable choreographies? -- Which are closest? David Fallows created the formatting, are the sections accurately divided, are the marginal numbers properly referenced, where were guesses made? Has any one here a copy of the original documents? What is the difference between a tret and a single-- does there need to be one What step do you use when only a direction is given? What foot do you normally start on? Are the dances done abreast or in file or a mix? The Steps singles, synglis (34) (always in groups of 3, 6 or 9) stop, step, stope, (10) Tret (28) Retret, retrettes (59) two doblis, two dubles (2) (-- same again = 3) brawle, brayll, brawlyth, brawll (8) rak, rakes, reke, rakkys, rek (17) flourdelice, flowrdelice (14) lepe, (15) meve, mevyng, move (10) horne pepy (1) turn, turne, (64) obeysawnce (3) Directions (and positions?) futhright, furth Retret, bake, bak contrary, conter, contra, contur (18) before, meddist, meddyll behynd, behend outward, outhwartt, outhward out (Eglamour) toward throth, throgh, throw, thruth on the left hand Goo Compas turnyng ayen his face turne face to face half a turne fface to face 102

103 enter with half a turne ethir torne othir abought. at onys, the same tym com togydder, mett togeder come betwenn them Floor Figures Trace 1Esperans Al the 6 singlis with a trett. Then the fyrst man goo compas till he come behend, whil the medyll retrett thre, and the last 3 singlis, Thus daunce 3 tymes, callyng every man as he standdith. 4Egle All togedir trett and retrett. Then 3 singlis forth Then the medill torne into the first manys place before hym; the first in to the medils manys place, while the last brawlyth. Then trett and retrett ayen and 3 forth. Then the first brawll as he standith whill the second and the thred change places both on the right shulder. This dance 3 tymes and then every man shal be in his awne place. 7Pernes on Gre Trace forthright 6 singlis; ather torne other aboute, and forthright 6 singlis agen. duble trace and a hertt in the end Cherwell thy wyne 13 Grene Gynger 19Roye 20Origne 21Hawthorne 23 Damesyn a doble trace with 3 bak in the end a doble trace (and lok at the end bak and al togeder do obbey) NO mention of trace ** All togedder thre singlis with a stope, 3 retrettes and tre forth; and so 2 tymys. Then at the 3rd trace 3 singlis with a stope. 25Temperans All trett and retrett thre singlis with a stop. 26Northumberland Togedder three singlis with a stop; trett and retrett What is three singles with a stop? All togedder thre singlis with a stope ( 23-Damesyn ) Then thre singlis with a stope, and thre retrettes with a stop; (24-Rawty) All trett and retrett thre singlis with a stop. (25-Temperans) Togedder three singlis with a stop; trett and retrett (26-Nothumbeland Al the 6 singlis with a trett. (1-Esperans) thre forth with a step (10-What so ever ye wyll) Thre synglis and thre rakkys and a stop and torne (21-Hawthorne) When is retret a single back and when is it a direction? Separate and come together (for 2) the first 3 forth and torne, whill the second retrett 3 bake. Then come togeder and ethir torne into oders plas. Then last man 3 forth and torne, whill the first retrett. Then come togeder in such wys as they ded afore and ethir end in ther own place. (15-Lebens) After the hend of the trace: tret, retrett, and depart the first futhright, the second contrary hyme, and turne face to face. Then brawle at onys and then com togydder. (2-Talbot) [possible] Then the first man 3 forth and the toder 3 back, and then loke over the shuldyr; the second man the same whill the first man folowith hyme in the same forme with obeysaunce at the last end thus doo thre tymes; (8-Princetore) 103

104 After the end of the trace, the first 3 forth and torne, whill the last retrett. Then the last forth and torne, whill the first retrett; and then both retrett ethir from oder. (14-Sofferance) Then the first 3 synglis and thre retrettes; the 2de the same tyme. The 2de thre singlis and thre retrettes; the first eqt the same tym. (21-Hawthorne) Set and turn variations? Tret, retret and turn (4-Egil, 8-Princetore, 9-Armynn, 10-whatsoever ye will, 15-Lebens, 21-Hawthorne 3x, 22-Newcastll) Rak and turn - After the end of the trace, rak both togeder and torne. (7-pernes on gre) [Then al rak togedere forth. Then bak, rak ayen and all torne togeder. (19-Roye)] a mix? - Then the first turne, retrett and rake, whill the 2nd turne, rake and retrett and the third retret, rak and torne. (6Prenes a gard) flourdelice and turn (16 - Aras) Switch and turn (for 3) Then the first torn the meddyll abowt while the last man torn in his own place. (26 Northumberland) Then the medill tourne the first aboute and leve hym on his left hand whill the last torne in his own place. (5 - Bugil) The first and last chance place whil the medyll tornyth (1-Esperans) Then the medill torne into the first manys place before hym; the first in to the medils manys place, while the last brawlyth. (4-Egil) Half Hey? (for 3) Then the first throth oder two whill thay chance place. Then all beyng in a triangle, the first throgh as he com froo.then oder two chance places; then beyng all in a triangle (4-Egil) Then the medill throth while the first and the last chance places, (5- Bugil) Then the last man thruth with a torne whill the first torne the second abought.(9- Armynn) Then the first man throw while the tothir two change places. (25-temperans) Then the medill man throth whill the first and the last change places and the medill to his place agayne. (6-Prene a gard) Invert triangle (for 3) Then the last man throth whill the oder two conter hym. (5- Bugil) Then the meddyll throw while other two [blank in MS] hym turnyng all face to face. (26-Northumberland) Is this invert or hey? The first and the last forthright, the medil contrary hem and in the end thay chang places whyle the medyll torn toward tham, (23-Damesyn) Another use of throth (for 3) Then the first man throth tham and go behend. (20-Origne) The first and the last forthright, the medil contrary them and the end thay two change places whill the medill torne hym to tham, the first to the last manys place. The last to his place all togedder. And whill the medyll goo throth thame, the first lepe, all togedder lepe, then the last lepe, then the medyll, then torne all at onys. (23-Damesyn) Other instructions callyng every man as he standdith (1-Esperans) bessily Then torn bessily to ther awn place ayen. (16-Aras) and a hertt in the end (13-Grene Gynger) and make a hertt ayen. (13-Grene Gynger) 104

105 Cherwell thy wyne (13-Grene Gynger) eqt - The 2de thre singlis and thre retrettes; the first eqt the same tym. (21-Hawthorne) As he standeth (1-Esperans, 9-Armynn) and then loke over the shuldyr; (8-Princetore) what does out mean in Eglamour? (17-Eglamowr) References and Resources: Essential: Fallows, David, The Gresley Dance Collection, c RMA Research Chronicle #29,1996. The Middle English Dictionary (MED): Last updated 18 December , the Regents of the University of Michigan Mayhew and Skeat, a Concise Dictionary of Middle English from A.D to 1580 pub and online: Secondary: Arbeau, Thoinot Orchesography. Translated by Mary Stewart Evans. With intrduction and notes by Julia Sutton. New York, Dover, Cellio, Monica and Vivian Stephens. Joy and Jealousy: A Manual of 15th-Century Italian Balli. Real Soon Now Press, Pittsburgh PA, 1997 ( Cook, Joe, (Messer Guiseppe Francesco Da Borgia); The Gresley Dance Collection Letter of Dance, Vol. 5 ( Durham, Peter and Janelle Dances from the Inns of Court, London copyright Gray, Norman (Hoskuld Atiasson of Iceland): Notes on the Gresley Dance Collection ( Morrison, Marie, (Fionnabhair inghean Donnchaidh Guthrie) Gresley Manuscript Dances ( Nevile, Jennifer, Dance steps and music in the Gresley manuscript, Historical Dance, 3(6) (1999) [2000], Dance in Early Tudor England: an Italian Connection? Early Music, Vol. 26, no 2, May 1998 Playford, The Dancing Master, 1651 ( Webb, Cait Eschewynge of Ydlenesse Steps for Dancing from the Middle Ages and Renaissance Whatsoever ye wyll Steps for Dancing Dances from the 15th Century Edinburgh, Scotland 2008n( Wilson, David; Performing Gresley Dances: The View from the Floor Historical Dance Vol. 3, no. 6,

106 Vikings Do Too Dance! Norse Dancing Prior to 1650 Dame TSivia bas Tamara v'amberview, OL,OP, (Ealdormere), with notes and co-research by Countess Brynhildr Kormaksdottir, O.L. (Ansteorra) INTRODUCTION and HISTORICAL NOTES I fell into researching Norse period dance in a very odd way. As an undergraduate I specialised in folklore and folk music, which led me to my Laurel specialities <balladry and poetry>. I discovered during these years that it is impossible to research British Isles folk music without turning to the Scandinavian precedents, as the Nordic countries were researching and recording their folk music long before Englishspeaking countries did. As well, I discovered that the early dances done by the Norse were DANCED as well as sung. We have echoes of this in some English dances such as ring-carols. My research in dating period English and Scots ballads led me to both Norse ballads AND Norse dance, and so I found myself working with Countess Brynhildr to document our research. Brynhildr previously authored an article in Tournaments Illuminated (issue 64) entitled "Egil Shakes a Leg", about Norse dancing in period, and is mundanely a professor of Nordic and Germanic languages. Even in Scandinavia, WRITTEN variants of ballads in period are scarce. "...while we possess forty ballad manuscripts of a period prior to 1750 [in Denmark], Sweden has only about ten, the oldest of which is antedated by a number of the Danish. Of the Norse ballads there exist only a few that were written down in early times, and the same is true in a still more limited degree of the Icelandic ballads." (Cox, p. 7) As to the type of dances which accompanied folkmusic in period, we have a quote from "Chronik des Lands Dithmarschen", an account from 1598 by the Paster Koster (also known as Neocorus). One of two styles of dance he describes is "Trymmekendans", from a word which describes a person with nice, affected ways, which includes leaping or hopping. (Cox. p. 11) These sorts of dances are actually described in some Danish ballads, such as Proud Elselille (#220): In the grove a knightly dance they tread, With torches and garlands of roses red.... "Who is yon knight that leads the dance, And louder than all the song he chants?" We are fortunate that many of the existing frescoes in Scandinavia actually show this sort of ring or line dancing. Notable is a fresco painting from approx. 1350, in the church at Orslev on Skjelsdor, which shows a row of dancing men and women, led by a "foredancer". The foredancer directs those taking part with lively and emphatic gestures of his left hand, while in his right he carries a ring or some other object. Not all the dancing was done by moving the feet. There were clearly some animated hand and foot movements, but as well, some dances included refrains where the dancers stood in place or swayed. "In the Icelandic Vikivaki dance the participants stood on the right foot and swayed the upper part of the body to and fro." (Cox, p. 17) Some of the dances are described as having been "stepped", indicating less 106

107 hopping and something more akin to a Pavane. (Cox. p.13) We have utilised the sway or in-place style for "Sigurd Og Dvergemoy" <Sigurd and the Elf-Maiden>, and this can also be used for "Horpa" <The Harp>. Often the leader of the dance would hold something in his or her hand, to indicate they were the head of the line. In Knight Stig's Wedding (#76), we hear that: Gaily the maidens join in the dance, Each with crowns of roses and garlands. Here dances Sir Stig as light as a wand, With a silver cup in his white hand. With tangle dances such as the one taught to "Dansar 'Inn Hlykkjandi Ormr" (Dance of the Twisting Serpent), the beginning or lead dancer will hold a ring, floral wreath, or cup in his/her free hand. Once the serpent is well tangled, the idea is then to UNTANGLE the dancers. Part of the fun is getting the lead dancer to pass the wreath or cup to the END dancer without anyone letting the hands go. The end dancer now becomes the LEAD dancer. This sort of dance is typical of many which are described in the Danish ballads. Many of the dances of Scandinavia and Germany were flirting dances. Countess Brynhildr reconstructed a dance based on Icelandic practices, which we call the "Kissing/Partner Selection Dance Game". This type of dance is at least 300 years old in Iceland, and is clearly of a type which was extremely popular throughout Europe in period. "Beggar-Dances" were of this type, and by 1580 they were outlawed by decree of the Electorate of Saxony! (Cox, p. 18) With a refrain such as "step up beggar, an ye will!" it appears that a kiss was expected by the beggar from the lady. Cox notes that in Denmark this may have been a more boisterous dance than in Germany, where they would not overstep the bounds of propriety. Ring and snake-type dances followed a fairly set pattern. First a leader began the song by stepping out in front of the others at the feast or bonfire, holding a drinking cup in his hand. The leader sang the first verse and the audience repeated it. The leader then sang the second verse, and the audience reprised it. At the end of the second verse another would stand up to start the third verse AND THE DANCE. (It appears the first two verses warned the assemblage to get ready to dance, as it were.) The second singer would dance around the area in a stately manner, holding a cup, hat, or floral wreath, while urging others to join in the steps. Some dances were said to have over 200 participants! Even today, some remnants of this dance style survive in Denmark with the "Schnada-hupfl". This very format of dance is mentioned as late as 1637 at a betrothal in Christiania, where the parish Priest led the dancers with a glass in his hands. In some countries, the lead dancer and singer would wear a bowl or cup on his head! (Cox, p. 27) This makes me wonder if this is the origin of the expression "being in one's cups". In Iceland, the dancer/singers let out a yelp or "yop" at the end of the song and dance. The best place for folklorists and ethnomusicologists to research the Norse styles of dance today, appears to be the Faeroe Islands in Norway. Dancers in the Faeroes still enact the 11th century ballads, with a step resembling the bransle. (Leach, p. 288) "To dance ring instead of line style, the dancers formed a ring with the leader in the centre. The leader sang the verses, after which the ring of dancers sang back the refrain, all the while moving in slow steps either sideways, or forward and backwards... In our time, the only area 107

108 where the ancient dance ballads have retained their authentic Medieval form is on the...faeroe Islands" (Londeen) CHOREOGRAPHY -THE FAROE DANCE STEP: The major dance step unique to the Norse dance ballad is what is called a "Faroe Step". It is "...adopted also in Norway and Finland: a survival from the 11th century. It is a reversal of the bransle step: double left, simple right." (Londeen) NOTE that this makes the dancers move in one direction, rather than the bransle practice of dancing in one place. The pattern is a double and one single, rather than the more familiar pattern of double, single, single. (Venstre: left, Hoyre, right) The actual choreography of the Faroe step is as follows: side step to left bring right foot to meet left side step right lift right foot upwards in front (flexed) side step right lift left foot upwards in front (flexed) (Note that this sequence takes up six and NOT eight beats!) When a venstre or hoyre step is indicated, this merely indicates shifting one's weight from foot to foot, causing a stately sway from side to side. Specific dance instructions will indicate if this is a more lively side-sway (See "Horpa"). Rather than just ending on the single step, the single step was often embellished with a toe-rise. This step is less common, but can be used where there is four-four time and the dancers do NOT wish to move in one direction. (Double left, single right, toe-rise) Many of the dances using this pattern were danced in concentric circles. (Londeen) Another option in Norse dance choreography is a clap and twirl during the refrain. This is less common in the Faeroes, but is common in period dance from Denmark and Sweden. <Londeen> FAEROE HAND-HOLD: The most distinctive characteristic of the ring dances and SOME line dances, is the Faeroe-hand hold. This is documented as far back as the Orslev church fresco, and there is a full copy of this fresco in the Nordisk kultur series (which I was unable to obtain). This hand-hold is still practised in the Faeroes, and is a type of grasp which does not call for the hands to intertwine. My best way of explaining this is as follows: Each dancer holds his/her RIGHT hand in the classical "Thumbs up" position, thumb pointing upwards. Then, place your LEFT forearm and elbow UNDER the right forearm of the dancer next to you. Slide your left-hand fingers up from below your neighbour's wrist, and grasp his or her THUMB gently. This is the hand-hold, and is clearly not intended for FAST dancing. LEAD DANCER (Line dances): 108

109 The lead dancer (furthest left of the line) holds a ring in his/her left hand. This can have bells on it such as a tambourine, or be plain. It should be metal. (The reason for this is unknown, but it shows up frequently in frescoes and written references. Londeen) END DANCER (Line dances): 1950's dance etiquette dictates you do something useless with that loose right hand, such as hold your skirts or hat. In actual fact, it's probably better to just rest it on your hip, or hooked into your belt. THE DANCES: 1) Dansar 'Inn Hlykkjandi Ormr - "Dance of the Twisting Serpent" Choreography copyright Shelley Rabinovitch Music: most English folksongs will work to this. I have included my translation of "Ebbe Skammelsson" as an option, and "Ormen Lange" - The Long Serpent, can also be used, although Ormen Lange cannot be dated with any comfort, further back than the 1800s. The lead dancer leads the dance in a line and leads the singing. The whole line moves in a Faroe Step to the LEFT, utilising the Faroe hand-hold. The leader has a ring, wreath, or cup. The leader starts to reverse the direction of the flow of the dancers, acting as the "head of the serpent". As the dancers gets more sure of themselves, the leader can then start ducking under the hands of other dancers, until the entire line is jammed up in a tangle. At this time, the singers pause while the line endeavours to pass the wreath or cup to the END of the snake. In turn, the singing starts again with the last dancer now taking over as head of the serpent. The Faroe dance step is now REVERSED: double right, leg lift, simple left, leg-lift, until the snake is unwound. An acceptable variant would be to try and grab a kiss from someone of the opposite sex, as they face you during the tangle or untangle. This dance is based on fertility dances from Pagan Scandinavia, where the serpent was a noted symbol of fertility. These dances were always mixed dances. (Leach, p.290) (Music option 1) Ebbe Skammelsson A classic Danish ballad. The English version <Lord Ingran & Chiel Wyatt (Child 66)> dates to the early 1600's. This version is copyright Shelley Rabinovitch, based on translations by R.C. Prior, A. Olrik, and S. Straubharr. Skammel lived in the north, by Ty, being both rich and well-reared Five sons had he, all tall and proud with two of them having grown beards. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. The elder was Ebbé Skammelssøn and Peder was his brother. Sorrowful is the tale I sing, how one did slay the other. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. Ebbé wooed gentle Lucelill and soon he won her hand. Ebbé took his bethrothéd home to live in his mother's land. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. 109

110 Ebbé in search of gold and fame serves at the court of the King. His brother Peder, still at home courts Lucelill with a ring. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. "Lucelill, scorn my off'rings not! My brother cares little for you. Ebbé serves in the King's Own Guard and now has a lady new!" And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. "For Ebbé I'll wait for eight long years and I will accept no other. No one shall win my heart and love, far less Ebbé's very own brother." And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. But up and spake his mother cruel, She spoke these words untrue, "Take my son Peder Skammelssøn for Ebbé loves not you." And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. Fair Lucelil shook her golden locks exclaiming "I love him still! When Ebbé returns from o'er the sea I'll serve him in all he wills." And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. "Then I must tell the naked truth," his mother to her replied: "I would have spared you Lucelill, but Ebbé at harvest died." And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. So work did start on the wedding feast and all did bake and brew, While at the court Ebbé served his King and nothing of these things knew. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. At midnight did Ebbé Skammelssøn awake from an evil sleep, And as he lay trembling in a sweat foreboding to him did creep. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. "I dreamt that in my tower of stone the flames licked tall and wide, While my brother Peder burned within beside my very bride!" And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. That same night did Ebbé Skammelssøn don armour and ride away. So Ebbé came to his father's gate all on the wedding day. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. Outside stood Ebbé's sisters two: each held a cup of gold, And they bade Ebbé Skammelssøn to be neither fierce nor bold. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. So Ebbé was brought into the hall unnoticed by all the rest, And with every toast to Lucelill the sadness welled in his chest. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. 110

111 As evening came, Lucelill did stand to seek out the bridal bed. With torch did Ebbé Skammelssøn as eldest walk at the head. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. Ebbé did stop the bridal train in front of the bower door. "Fair Lucelill, did you forget you were pledged to me before?" And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. "I fear, Ebbé, all I swore before is pledged now unto your brother, But all the days that I will live I'll treat you like a mother." And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. But underneath Ebbé's riding cloak his broadsword there did hide. He drew it and with its flashing blade did murder his brother's bride. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. Ebbé did call to his brother false: "Leave now the mead and the wine. Your bride is calling after you as in the bed she does pine!" And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. Then up spoke Peder Skammelssøn and loudly did he laugh. He could not see his brother's face pale with revenge and wrath. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. "Listen," said Peder Skammelssøn, "And lay your rage aside. If you so desire Lucelill to you I'll yield the bride." And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. But as the groom stood to leave the hall, mad Ebbé did strike again. And greatly the guests did cry out, for Ebbé cleft Peder in twain. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. He dealt his father a fatal blow, his mother false lost a hand. And this is why Ebbé Skammelssøn the outlaw rides over the land. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. And so did Ebbé Skammelssøn jump onto his horse and ride. He haunts the forests of Denmark fair in search of a place to hide. And so it is Ebbé Skammelssøn treads on the wild paths. (x2) (Music Option 2) Ormen Lange (The Long Serpent) A Norwegian translation of a Faeroese song, which is only about 100 years old, about Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway (appr CE) and his famous ship at the sea-battle of Svoldr. REFRAIN in phonetic Norwegian: 111

112 Dan-sen glee-mah ee hall-ih Sah dan-seh me doh ee ring Gla-a ree-ya Noregs men Till Hildar ting. REFRAIN (after each verse): The dance sounds in the hall, We are dancing in a ring. Gladly ride the Norse men Till Hildar rings. (Hildar is a famous bell.) 2) Sigurd Og Dvergemoy - Sigurd and the Elf-Maiden (chorus only) Basic ring-dance style. Lead singer would stand in the middle while the ring rotated around him/her. Faeroe stepping to the left, stopping when the "av heie" is reached. All dancers jump in place four times to the unsung four-count, before resuming the faroe-steps to the left. (Countess Brynhildr notes that these four beats would have historically been marked by the jingling of armrings and necklaces during the jumps, but for the Modern Middle Ages one can count the four by "Mork, mork, mork, mork!".) Words and music are of uncertain origin date. Refrain only: Grah-nya bar gul-leh av high-ya Grah-nya bar gul av high Sigurd svin-geh sver-det ee vri-yeh Sigurd han pah or-men vahn Grah-nya bar gul-leh av high-ya 'Mork Mork Mork Mork' Translation: Grani carried the gold from the heath Grani carried the gold Sigurd swing his sword in wrath Sigurd won victory over the Worm Grani carried the gold from the heath. (Grani, Sigurd's horse, carried the gold from the plain of Gnitaheithr, where Sigurd slew the dragon Fafnir.) 3) Horpa -The Harp As above, but with a specific venstre/hoyre refrain. I suggest (and use) any variant of "The Harp", also known as "Two Sisters", or "Lay the Bent to the Bonny Broom", for this dance. The first three lines are danced with Faeroe Steps. 112

113 The "Fa laa laa" refrain is done as follows: Hop or skip from foot to foot during the last line - Left slow, Right slow, Left slow, Right slow, Left fast, Right fast. Resume Faeroe Step. Also known as the Cruel Sister (Child 10), or the Two Sisters, the Danish version is far more complete than the English one. This version copyright Shelley Rabinovitch. A woman lived on the North Sea shore, Lay the bent to the bonny broom, She had some daughters, three or four, Fa la la la la la la laa dee la. <Venstre/Hoyre> The young one shone bright as the sun, But black as dirt was the elder one. A knight did court them with glove and ring, But he loved the younger above all things. He wooed the elder with brooch and knife But he loved the younger with his life. The elder took her sister's hand, Sayin' "let us walk by the sea strand." The elder followed close behind And anger filled her sullen mind. As on a stone the younger trod The elder thrust her in the flood. "O sister, sister, let me live And thee my best gold ring I'll give." "I'll get thy best gold cup, and more, But thou shalt never come ashore." "Oh sister, sister, let me live, And thee my buckle of gold I'll give." "Thy buckle of gold I'll have and more, But thou shalt never come ashore." "Oh sister, sister, let me live, And thee my true love I shall give." "Thy true love I shall get and more, But thou shalt never come ashore." 113

114 It's first she sank and then she swam, Until she came to a mill-dam. Two minstrels walking up by the dam, Did see the maiden float to land. They took a plait of her hair so long, And with it, was their Harp then strung. They went to a wedding feast that day And with that harp, they made to play. The first string made a doleful sound, "The bride her younger sister drowned!" The second string that e'er they tried Said "In terror sits the dark-haired bride." The third string sang both soft and low "For surely now her tears will flow". The bride stripped off her wedding band And laid it in the minstrel's hand. Ah first she cried and then she sighed, And 'ere that song was done, she died. 4) Kissing/Partner Selection Dance Game Icelandic. At least 300 years old. Translated by Dr. S. Straubharr from several variant versions cited in "Kvaedi og Dansleikir", ed. Jon Samsonarson (Reykjavik: Almenna Bokfelagid, 1964) This is danced as follows: Step left, close together, left, LIFT Step right, close together, right, LIFT The singing alternates between the men and women, who are on opposite sides of the room, facing each other, using the Faeroe hand-hold. The men sing the first verse, the women the second, etc. At the END of the final verse, the men chase the women to find (and GENTLY KISS!) one. MEN: Here comes Hoffin Here comes Alsvinn Here comes all of Hoffin's kinsmen. WOMEN: 114

115 Whose son is Hoffin? Whose son is Alsvinn? Whose sons are all of Hoffin's kinsmen? MEN: A yeoman's son is Hoffin A yeoman's son is Alsvinn Yeomen's sons are all of Hoffin's kinsmen. WOMEN: Ride away, Hoffin Ride away, Alsvinn Ride away, all of Hoffin's kinsmen! MEN: A lord's son is Hoffin A lord's son is Alsvinn Lord's sons are all of Hoffin's kinsmen. WOMEN: Ride away, Hoffin Ride away, Alsvinn Ride away, all of Hoffin's kinsmen! MEN: A king's son is Hoffin A king's son is Alsvinn King's sons are all of Hoffin's kinsmen! WOMEN: Take us now, Hoffin Take us now, Alsvinn Take us now, all of Hoffin's kinsmen!! 5) Norse Leaping-Hare Dance Choreography copyright Shelley Rabinovitch Another line dance, but here the dancers face in the same direction in one line, rather than inwards towards each other. The leader holds a cup or wreath. As one cannot execute the Faeroe hand-hold in this position, dancers place their right hands on their shoulders, palm upwards, and their left hands on top of the right hand, palm down, of the person in front of them. Again, the final person in the line can link his/her hand in the belt or on his/her hip. This is danced with a late period step called the Schottische, rather than the Faeroe step. It is danced as follows, in a forwards motion: 115

116 Left forward, right forward, left forward, HOP on left foot Right forward, left forward, right forward, HOP on right foot Left forward, right forward, left forward, HOP on left foot Jump four times in place on both feet, as with the "Sigurd Og Dvergemoy" dance. Continue to end of dance. SOURCES: Cox, Edward Godfrey (translator). "The Medieval Popular Ballad", Tr. from the Danish of Johannes C.H.R. Steenstrup. 1914, NY, Ginn and Company. Leach, Maria, ed. "Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary of Folklife, Mythology, and Legend". 1972, NY, Funk and Wagnall's. Londeen, Marjorie. "Swedish Folkmusic -- Medieval Ballads, Part 1". Broadcast Feb. 26, 1977 on CJRT-FM, Toronto, Ontario <Canada>, from Radio Sweden. Straubharr, Sandra, Ph.D (Countess Brynhildr Kormaksdottir, O.L.), personal correspondence, Straubharr, Sandra, Ph.D (Countess Brynhildr Kormaksdottir, O.L.), "Danzleikar, or Egil Shakes a Leg", Tournaments Illuminated #64, p

117 I-Talians for the English Taught by: Lady Jane Milford, OM STEPS: Bounce - Rise on toes and flatten feet Double - 3 steps alternating feet; closing on the 4th step. Piva- Step with one foot, bring other toe underneath front heel, and step with front foot again. Can be done with left or right foot leading, and is often done alternating front feet. Reverance - Bow or curtsy, respectively Single - Step with one foot and brining the second foot to meet it. Takes 2 beats to complete. Amoroso Source: Guglielmo Ebreo s De Pratica seu Arte Tripudii (1471) (Couples dancing individually) Verse 1: 8 pivas Verse 2: Man leaves his partner with 2 steps, a piva, and 3 steps Lady catches up with 2 steps, a piva, and 3 steps Man leaves his partner with 3 pivas and a step Lady catches up with 3 pivas and a step Verse 3: Man leaves his partner with 2 steps, a piva and 3 steps Turns to face Both Reverance to each other Man returns to his partner with 3 pivas and a step Lady leaves her partner with 2 steps, a piva and 3 steps Turns to face Both Reverance to each other Man returns to his partner with 3 pivas and a step Dance repeats, but with the Lady going first 117

118 Anello Source: Domenico da Piacenza s Of the Art of Dancing (1425) (Sets of two couples) 8 step, step, step, hops forward On the 8th front couple turn to face back couple Men little bounce Women little bounce Men trade places in 2 step, step, step, hops Women little bounce Men little bounce Woman trade places in 2 step, step, step, hops Men little bounce Women little bounce Men turn in place Woman little bounce Men little bounce Women turn in place Men do 4 pivas behind partner to other man s place Women do same Men little bounce Women little bounce Men little bounce Women little bounce Couples step to the left and right and reverance. Dance repeats, but women do everything first. 118

119 Belfiore Source: Domenico Da Piacenza s Of the Art of Dancing (1455) (Sets of 3 people, with the odd gender in the middle; Numbered 1-3 starting on the Left) Verse 1: All take 12 pivas Forward Verse 2: Person 1 Double Forward, away from the set Person 2 Double to catch up Person 3 Double to catch up Verse 3: Person 1 bounce (up) Person 2 bounce (up) Person 3 bounce (up) Verse 4: Person 1 Turn Single Person 2 Turn Single Person 3 Turn Single Verse 5: Person 1 do 3 pivas around the back of the set to the end of the line Person 2 do 3 pivas around the back of the set to the end of the line Person 3 do 3 pivas around the back of the set to the end of the line Verse 6: Person 1 & 3 switch places in a Double (Person 1 moves behind of the set; Person 3 moves in front of the set) Then Person 2 hey around the set, starting behind the new Person 3, crossing through the middle and ending in the front of the line, in 4 pivas This will renumber the set, with the 1 s being on the left. Dance Repeats (generally at least 3x) Reverance at the end 119

120 Verçepe By Rosina del Bosco Chiaro/Vivian Stephens, KWDS VII, July 2009 Vercepe is a fifteenth-century Italian dance for three men and two women, choreographed by Domenico da Piacenza, and found in Domenico's and Cornazano's manuscripts, It is a challenging dance, with eight tempo changes, and is one of the few dances done in a line. Verçepe Start: Lined up one behind the other, facing up the hall, four steps apart, Man 1 first, then Woman 1, then Man 2, then Woman 2, then Man 3. Section I (4 bars in 6/8, played thrice) (2nd time) (3rd time) Introduction (no step). \ } 11 Saltarelli, starting Right. / Section II (3.5+3 bars in 6/4, played twice) (8 is half-bar) Man 2 and Man 3 Doppio Left, Doppio Right, each circling counterclockwise halfway around the woman in front of him (Man 2 around Woman 1, Man 3 around Woman 2). Man 2 and Man 3 Contrapasso Left, Contrapasso Left, continuing to circle. On the last beat of Bar 8, step onto the left foot. (Man 2 and Man 3 are a little behind and to the left of the women that they circled, facing toward the women.) 7-8 (Another variation used in class: Contrapasso Left (4 beats), then an open (variation) Contrapasso Left (3 beats) and then a 2 beat pause.) (2nd time) (2nd time) Man 2 and Man 3 Ripresa Right into their original places, moving on a curve. Women Volta del Gioioso. Women circle the men in front of them (Woman 1 around Man 1 and Woman 2 around Man 2), with the same steps as the men used to circle them. Men Volta del Gioioso. Section III (2 bars in 4/4, twice, and a half-bar in 4/4) (Recordings' speeds vary) (2nd time) 14 (the half-bar) Contrapasso Left, three times, and a Mezavolta (Step Left, Step Right, counterclockwise). Each of the Contrapassi and the Mezavolta takes a half bar. (Everyone is facing down the hall, Man 3 in the lead.) Repeat. (Everyone is facing up the hall, Man 1 in the lead.) Man 1 Mezavolta (Step Left, Step Right, counterclockwise). 120

121 Section IIII (4 bars in 6/8) Man 1 and Man 3 exchange places with 4 Saltarelli, starting Left, weaving among the other three. Man 1 goes to the right of Woman 1 (her right side, so he will pass her by the right shoulder), left of Man 2, right of Woman 2, then to the end of the set, as Man 3 goes to the left of Woman 2, then to the right of Man 2, then the right of Woman 1, then to the front. Man 1 ends with a Mezavolta Right. (The five dancers are all facing up the hall, but Man 1 and Man 3 have switched places.) Section V (3 bars in 6/4 and 3 bars in 6/8, played twice) (2nd time) (2nd time) Woman 1 Doppio Right, Doppio Left, Doppio Right, moving clockwise halfway around Man 2 into Woman 2's place, as Woman 2 Doppio Left, Doppio Right, Doppio Left, moving clockwise into Woman 1's place. (The dancers are facing up the hall, Man 3 in the lead, then Woman 2, then Man 2, then Woman 1 and last Man 1.) Man 1 and Man 3 do 3 Saltarelli starting Right, circling clockwise around closest Woman (Man 1 around Woman 1 and Man 3 around Woman 2). (Everyone ends facing up the hall, Man 3 still in the lead.) Woman 1 Doppio Left, Doppio Right, Doppio Left, moving clockwise into her original place, as Woman 2 Doppio Right, Doppio Left, Doppio Right, moving clockwise to her place. (Now the order is Man 3, Woman 1, Man 2, Woman 2, Man 1.) Man 2 does 3 Saltarelli, starting Left, circling Woman 1 counterclockwise. Section VI (2 bars in 4/4, repeated) (2nd time) (2nd time) Men Movimento, then Women Movimento. Men Voltatonda (4 Steps, starting Left, counterclockwise.) Women Movimento, then Men Movimento. Women Voltatonda (4 Steps, starting Left, counterclockwise.) If the dance is repeated, Man 1 is now at the rear and becomes Man 3 and Man 3 becomes Man 1. The other three dancers fill the same roles as before. The Contrapasso Step The contrapasso usually appears in sets of three, all being on one foot, so with no resultant change of weight after the first two, but with a change of weight after the third. Thus the last contrapasso is done differently. I refer to it here as an open contrapasso, while the ones done with no resultant change of weight are closed. For this class the closed contrapasso is done (when starting on the left foot) as follows, using a half-bar in 4/4 time, and 2/3bar in 6/4 time. In 4/4: 1 = Step left, and = Step right, 2 = Step left, and = Step right, under left heel. In 6/4: 1 = Step left, 2 = Step right, 3 = Step left, 4 = Step right, under left heel. (Beat 5 and 6 would then be used for the beginning of the next contrapasso.) The open contrapasso uses only the three steps forward, so is the same as a doppio, except with unusual timing. The step-under can also be done as a step back, changing it from a punctuated feeling to a more emphasized change of direction. For the two variations in bars 7-8 used in class, the one with the closed contrapasso and the extra step is what I usually teach, but the open one is more accurate to the sources, which do not mention an extra weight shift/step. 121

122 Recordings: Alta Danza, Dance Music from 15th-century Italy, Les Haulz et Les Bas (Alta Cappella) - Christophorus (Heidelberg, Germany): CHR Forse Che Si, Forse Che No, Ferrara Ensemble. Fonti Musicali fmd 182. Mesura et Arte del Danzare - Balli Italiani del Quattrocento, Accademia Viscontea i Musicanti. Ducale CDL 002 To Celebrate a Prince, Dances of the time of Lorenzo de Medici, Alta. Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society, 1992 Bibliography Smith, A.William. Fifteenth-Century Dance and Music. Stuvyesant, NY: Pendragon Press, 1995 Stephens, Vivian & Monica Cellio. Joy and Jealousy. Pittsburgh, PA, Real Soon Now Press, On the web at (Note that the music for Vercepe is different than all the recordings used in class, having an extra bar in Sections IIII and V.) 122

123 Tesara For Six Rosina del Bosco Chiaro/Vivian Stephens, KWDS VII, July 2009 Tesara is a fifteenth-century Italian dance for ten people choreographed by Domenico da Piacenza, and found only in Domenico's manuscript. The name of the dance is related to the Italian verb to weave, and our English word textile, The dance mostly consists of weaving figures. It is a showy little dance, but not actually that complicated, as there are few steps to learn. One of the hardest parts can be gathering up sets of 10 people to do it. Thus I made this adaptation for six. The original dance is for four couples, preceded and followed by single men (whom I refer to as the shuttles.) In Tesara for Six I used four single dancers instead of couples, but tried to keep the figures otherwise as identical as possible. There are basically 5 parts to the dance. The first is the same in both versions, as everyone merely moves forward together. In the second the dancers switch sides with their opposite, so shuttles with each other, and couples with their partner. As I had singles, I modified this by having those four dancers switch sides of the set depending on if they are odd or even in the line. The third part of the dance (sections III and IIII below) involve the shuttles taking up each of the couples (or singles in this adaptation) in turn. I haven't been fussy about which side of the set things are done on - it partly depends on gender. A set of 2 male shuttles and four female singles might have the shuttles always go up the left as the single goes up the right, then the shuttles do a dramatic full circle right-hand turn with their 2 pive or one saltarello, and then the shuttle goes down the right side of the set (their left). A set with alternating genders might have Shuttle B (a woman) go up the right side with Dancer 4 (a man), then Shuttle A (a man) go down the right side (his left) and up the left side with Dancer 3 (a woman) going up the right. The fourth part has 4 arches formed with the two ribbons of each couple, under which the shuttles move until they have reached the other side. Adapting this part proved the most challenging. In order to create the arch it was necessary to have two people form it, so the singles had to become two 'couples' here. I could have then chosen a simple solution, having the shuttles still move directly down the center of the set, but going under only one ribbon (rather than the two-ribbon arch) at a time. But this would have necessitated the other four dancers rotating around each other rather repetitively. So I instead had the four dancers change who they were coupled with, and had the shuttles take a detour, making a cross-shaped path on their trip up or down the set. The fifth part of the dance involves a convoluted hey. The original is not entirely clear, and I chose a reconstruction for the 10-person version where all of the moving dancers are rotating around a circle, the entire set not changing its location. Another possible interpretation is that the set moves forward, everyone except the front shuttle moving forward as they hey. I have followed this pattern in Tesara For Six. 123

124 Steps Only brief reconstructions of the steps needed for the dance are given. (Note that other reconstructions are possible.) Piva Saltarello Meza Ripresa Doppio Mezavolta Movimento Timing given for 6 beats in 6/8 time, for a piva on the left foot: 1 = Step forward on left. 2 = None. 3 = Step on right, beside (or under) left foot. 4 = Step forward on left. 5 = None. 6 = None. Timing given for 6 beats in 6/8 time, for a piva on the left foot: 1 = Step forward on left. 2 = None. 3 = Step forward on right. 4 = Step forward on left. 5 = None. 6 = Hop on left. (End on left foot) (A half ripresa.) Step sideways, put other toes under first heel. Three steps forward and a pause Here a one-beat pivot half-turn added to the end of another step. The foot given is the foot on which the pivot takes place. Rise on toes, then return to flat position, with weight equally on both feet. Tesara for Six This is for 6 dancers, called Dancer 1, Dancer 2, Dancer 3, Dancer 4 (all four of them having a strip of cloth, or ribbon), Shuttle A and Shuttle B. Start: In single file, A in front, then 1, 2, 3, 4, and last B, facing up the hall. Section I (3 bars in 6/8 time, played three times) 1 bar of Introduction and 8 Saltarelli, starting Left. Section II (11 bars in faster 6/8 time, played twice) Dancers 1-4 separate with half-bar Meza Ripresa, Odds (Dancers 1 + 3) Left, Evens (2 + 4) Right, then Shuttle A ends the bar with a Mezavolta Right. Shuttles A and B do 4 Pive passing right shoulders, ending in each other's places Dancers 1-4 change sides, doing 4 Meza Riprese (each taking a half-bar), Odds going Right as Evens go Left. Dancers 1-4 each do a Movimento, one after the other, then they do the Movimenti in reverse order, Dancer 4, 3, 2, then 1. Repeat the section (Dancers 1-4 separate (even further), Shuttles switch, Dancers 1-4 switch, Movimenti.) End the section with everyone in a single file again. Section III (3 bars in 6/8 x 4, then 5 bars of 6/8, all of this played twice) Shuttle B grabs an end of Dancer 4's ribbon, and they go to the top, forming an arch with the ribbon that moves over Dancers 1-3, using step-step-step-close-side-cut (this takes 3 bars in 6/8) 4 times. Shuttles A and B take right hands and switch places with 2 Pive, Shuttle B starting on Left foot, Shuttle A on Right. Shuttle A goes to the bottom down one side with 3 Pive, starting Right, ending with a Mezavolta Right. Repeat, Shuttle A taking Dancer 3 to the top, then Shuttles switch as before. Section IIII (6 bars in 6/8 played twice) Shuttle B takes Dancer 2 to the top with 3 Saltarelli starting Left, A + B switch with Saltarello Right, and A goes to the bottom with 2 Saltarelli. Repeat, Shuttle A takes Dancer 1 to the top, and Shuttles switch, so Shuttle B ends at the bottom. 124

125 Section V (4 bars in 6/8 played 4 times) (Dance to 2 bars of 6/8 as if 1 bar of 4/4) Dancer 1 (who has to turn) and Dancer 2 grab an end of each other's ribbon, and form an arch with them, doing a Doppio going counterclockwise about 1/4 circle, so their arch is across the set. Dancer 3 and 4 are doing the same thing. Shuttle A goes under 1+2's arch, Shuttle B under 3+4's arch, with a Doppio. Dancers 1-4 drop each other's ribbons, and form new arches, up and down the set, switching places with a Doppio, Dancer 1 with 3, and Dancer 2 with 4. Shuttle A passes under Dancer 1+3's arch (so goes outside the set), with a Doppio, ending with a Mezavolta. Shuttle B is doing the same thing under Dancers 2+4's arch. Dancers 1+3 switch with each other with a Doppio, as Dancers 2+4 do also. Shuttle A passes under Dancer 1+3's arch (so back into the set), with a Doppio, ending with a 1/4 turn to face down the set. Shuttle B is doing the same thing under Dancers 2+4's arch, and turning up. Dancers 1-4 drop each other's ribbons, and form their original arches, switching places with a Doppio, Dancer 1 with 2, and Dancer 3 with 4. Shuttle A goes under 3+4's arch, Shuttle B under 1+2's arch, with a Doppio, ending with a Mezavolta. Section VI (5 bars of 6/8) Shuttles A and B do 4 Pive, starting Left, passing right shoulders, going under the arches back to their places, ending with a Mezavolta Right. Dancers 1-4 then drop the other person's ribbon, and everyone forms a single file again, facing up the hall, except Shuttle A who faces down. Section VII (4 bars in 6/8 played 4 times) Shuttles A, Shuttle B, + the last of Dancer 1-4 (Dancer 4 this time) do 4 Saltarelli, starting Left, each starting to their own left. Dancer 4 and the Shuttle at the top will be weaving around the stationary 3 people, to change places, while the Shuttle starting at the bottom goes up the outside of the set to get to the top (above where the other Shuttle used to be, as Dancer 4 is also moving up.) Repeat (this time with Dancer 3 instead of Dancer 4) Repeat (this time with Dancer 2) Repeat (this time with Dancer 1) Section VIII (6 bars of 6/8) Do Movimenti, as in Section II All face somewhere and reverence. Recordings: Forse Che Si, Forse Che No, Ferrara Ensemble. Fonti Musicali fmd 182. Has an extra bar of intro (aside from the one bar built in to the music.) To Celebrate a Prince, Dances of the time of Lorenzo de Medici, Alta. Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society, 1992 Has a half-bar extra introduction. Works with this reconstruction, but dance repeats, so the set can turn around to face down the hall and have Shuttle B lead the second time. Bibliography Domenico da Piacenza. De Arte Saltandi & Choreas Ducendi. c. 1450, Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, f. Ital Smith, A.William. Fifteenth-Century Dance and Music. Stuvyesant, NY: Pendragon Press, 1995 Stephens, Vivian & Monica Cellio. Joy and Jealousy. Pittsburgh, PA, Real Soon Now Press, Has a reconstruction of the original Tesara (for 10 people), which can be found on the web at: 125

126 Two 15th Century Italian balli Taught by Arglwydd Dafydd Cyhoeddwr (mka John White) Web-site: These are two of the several Italian balli from the mid-1400s for which music did not survive, which is why these are not in the wonderfully useful Joy and Jealousy. Fortunately, just as there are people, both professional and amateur, who study dance, there are people who study music and some of those people have recreated plausible music for these two dances. The first of these dances is Amoroso Isghardo, which appears only in the NyP manuscript, an undated treatise collecting many dances and some of the philosophy of that genre of dance. It is simple, short, sweet, and fun to dance. The second is Bialre di Chastiglia, or Beautiful Castile. This is a more complex balletto from the same manuscript, designed for three people in a triangular formation, which is decidedly uncommon. While Amoroso Isghardo repeats, Bialte di Castiglia (a variant spelling) explicitly does not, since everyone gets to dance the different positions within one iteration of the choreography. 126

127 Amoroso Isghardo a balletto for two Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Music: Una Festivita Della Danza by the Bedford Waites, created for the DHDS Starting position: side by side, holding inside hands Section : Twelve saltarelli, beginning left Section 2 13: 14&15: 16: 17-18: 19: 20-21: Ripresa, left Three sempi, right, left, right, then rest Man goes forward alone one doppio, left and continues for three contrapassi, all starting right Woman catches up one doppio, left and continues for three contrapassi, all starting right Section 3 22&23: 24-27: 28&29: 30: 31: Join hands and together do two riprese, left and right Continue two sempi, left and right, and three doppi, starting left Volta del Gioioso (two sempi, right and left, to turn all the way around, followed by a ripresa right) Two sempi, left and right Two continentie, left and right This music repeats 127

128 Bialre di Chastiglia (Bialte di Castiglia) Beautiful Castile a balletto for three Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Music: Alta Danza by Les Haulz et Les Bas Starting position: End1 (E1) is the person on the left of the line, Middle (M) is the person in the middle, and End2 (E2) is the person on the right of the line. However, the dance does not begin in a line of three, but in a triangle, with E2 standing behind E1, and M off to the right and standing roughly between the two Es. There should be about a yard between E1 and M, and a yard between M and E2. The figure should look roughly like: E1 E2 M Section 1 1: 2: 3: 4: End1 End1 End1 End1 goes forward two sempi, left and right continues a doppio left, mezavolta at the end to face the others and Middle riverentia to each other does a volta with a doppio right 5: 6: 7: 8: Middle Middle Middle Middle goes forward two sempi, left and right continues a doppio left, mezavolta at the end to face End2 and End2 riverentia to each other does a volta with a doppio right 9: 10: 11: 12: End2 goes forward two sempi, left and right End2 continues a doppio left, but doesn t need to turn to face End1 End2 riverentias to End1 and Middle, who riverentia to End1 End2 does a volta with a doppio right, End1 and Middle mezavolta so everyone is facing forward 13: 14: 15: 16: All three do two sempi, left and right Doppio left Doppio right Doppio left, coming together (within a braccia (arm s length) from each other) 17: 18: 19: 20: Riprese francesi (backward) right, separating a little Riprese francesi left Voltatonda with a doppio right Doppio left forward to draw together again 21: 22: Riprese francesi right Triangle shuffle switch places around the triangle as follows: Middle goes forward into End1 s place as End1 goes backward into End2 s place as End2 moves up into Middle s place All three do two sempi, left and right Doppio left 23: 24: Section : Repeat 1-24 with the new order, dancers taking their new positions 128

129 designations Section : Repeat 1-24 with the new order, dancers taking their new positions designations by the end of this section, everyone is back into their original positions and designations Section : 77-80: 81-84: 85-88: 89-92: 93: 94: 95: (The music speeds up to piva tempo here) All three do four pive forward, starting left, mezavolta at the end Do four more pive, starting left (no mezavolta this time) End1 does four meze riprese ( slips ) to the left ( draws thus to the side ) Middle does the same End2 does the same (The music slows back down to bassadanza tempo here) Middle and End1 touch right hands in a riverentia Middle and End2 touch right hands in a riverentia All perform a volta with a doppio right (note this quad is not completed be ready for that) Section : : : : : 116: 117: 118: 119: (The music speeds up) All three do four pive forward, starting left, mezavolta at the end Do four more pive, starting left End1 slips to the left with four meze represe Middle does the same End2 does the same (The music slows down again) End1 does a doppio left, arching toward the left Middle does a doppio left, arching to face the same End2 does a doppio left, arching to face with the other two All three do a doppio right, arching to the right (all facing forward again) 129

130 Belriguardo, old, new, and for three Taught by Arglwydd Dafydd Cyhoeddwr (mka John White) Web-site: Belriguardo was a palace eight miles southeast of Ferrara on the River Po in northern Italy. It was one of several palaces in the region, and both it and Belfiore were at times considered to be great centers of courtly activity to rival Ferrara itself. It was begun in the early 15th century, and pieces of it survived into the 1970s. It was begun oh, wait, this isn t the Known World Architectural Symposium, now is it? Sorry. Belriguardo the dance exists in various forms in ten of the twelve substantive 15th century Italian dance manuscripts, as well as one German manuscript Bellregwerd is amazingly similar to the first version of the dance (the Germans apparently loved the palace as well). Master Domenico s manuscript referenced in AW Smith s books as PnD (Paris, Bibliotheque National, Ital. 972) contains what is probably the first recorded version of the dance he created, as well as the new version for three. PnD is undated, but was probably written somewhere between 1455 and 1462 or so, and subsequent manuscripts often refer to Master Domenico as the dance s creator (though it has also been attributed to Giovanni Ambrosio). The music for this dance exists in four of the period manuscripts, and there are several professional and semi-professional recordings of this tune. All three dances fit this music extremely well, which, as a ballo, they should. Beyond just fitting the music, it is very clear that all three of these dances are essentially variations on each other, using the same sorts of steps, broken up in the same way. As such, it is possible to have all three versions of the dance being done on the floor at the same time - though none of the manuscripts contain all three versions of the dance, both of the new versions coexist with the old/original version in at least one manuscript. Because the music survives, the original version of Belriguardo exists in the wonderful manual Joy and Jealousy. I will be presenting my own reconstruction of that dance below even though it does not differ significantly from the previous reconstruction I m including it here more for completeness than because it has any need to be corrected. My source for manuscript translation is AW Smith s Fifteenth-Century Dance and Music Volume II: Choreographic Descriptions with Concordances of Variants. 130

131 Belriguardo a ballo for one man and one woman (in 9 manuscripts, plus the German one) Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Music: Incantare by Musica Subterranea Sonare et Balare by the Bedford Waits for DHDS my favorite Starting position: Side by side, holding hands Section :12 saltarelli starting left (the manuscripts vary on how many saltarelli start the dance, but the music above has time for 12) Section 2: 13-16:Four doppi starting left (in bassadanza time, so slower than the saltarelli) 17&18:Three contrapassi on the left 19:Two sempi, left and right 20&21:Three contrapassi on the left 22&23:Two riprese, left and right Section 3: 24&25:Two 26&27:Two 28&29:Two 30&31:Two saltarelli largi (large/slow), starting left riprese, left and right slow saltarelli starting left riprese, left and right Section 4: 32&33:Two sempi and a doppio, starting left 34:Ripresa right 35:Two continentie, left and right 36:Riverentia The music repeats the dance. Three of the manuscripts (though not PnD) indicate that the woman goes forward the second time even though there isn t any part of the dance where one or the other dancer does something first. 131

132 Belriguardo nuovo a balletto for two (choreographed by Mister Giovanni Ambrogio) (in only 1 manuscript New York, Public Library, Dance Collection, MGZMB-Res )) Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Music: Incantare by Musica Subterranea Sonare et Balare by the Bedford Waits for DHDS my favorite Starting position: Side by side, holding hands Section :12 saltarelli starting left (the manuscript says 15, but the music says 12) Section 2: 13&14:Man leaves with two doppi starting left and stops 15&16:Woman catches up with two doppi starting left 17&18:Man leaves with three contrapassi on the left, then turns to face the woman (the manuscript says 4 contrapassi, but the music says 3 interestingly enough, the NyP manuscript version of the original dance has it doing 4 contrapassi as well, so perhaps there were different versions of the music. Unfortunately, the NyP manuscript doesn t have music for this dance) 19:Both do two continentie (left and right) 20&21:Woman catches up in three contrapassi on the left (see above) 22&23:The man turns to face with the woman, they take hands, and do two riprese, left and right Section 3: 24&25:They take right hands and circle with two saltarelli starting left 26&27:Two riprese, left and right (still holding hands) 28&29:They switch to left hands and circle with two saltarelli starting left 30&31:Two riprese, left and right (still holding hands), then face forward together Section 4: 32&33:Two sempi and a doppio, starting left 34&35:Voltatonda with two sempi, right and left, then ripresa right 36:Two continentie, left and right (the mezavolta to switch positions) The manuscript is explicit about the dance repeating, so it is fortunate that the music does so. At the very end, the mezavolta instruction I ve added allows the woman to lead the second time through, and this time it actually matters because of the chase sequences in the dance. 132

133 Belriguardo novo performed to the tune of the old is a ballo for three (present in 4 manuscripts, including PnD) Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Music: Incantare by Musica Subterranea Sonare et Balare by the Bedford Waits for DHDS my favorite Starting position: Side by side, holding hands (two of the four manuscripts indicate that the dance should be done by two men and a woman, with the woman in the middle) Section :12 saltarelli starting left (PnD indicates 11, which might work if you waited out the first measure as an extra intro and started the saltarelli on the right as PnD indicates) Section 2: 13&14:End1 (the person on the left of the line) does two doppi, left and right, to end up in frot of the middle as the Middle does two riprese left and right as Ende (the person on the right of the line does two doppi backwards to end up behind the middle all of this to form a column 15&16:All three do 2 doppi forward, left and right 17&18:All do three contrapassi on the left, then mezavolta 19:All do two continentie, left and right 20&21:All do three contrapassi on the left, then mezavolta again 22:Two continentie, left and right 23:Riverentia Section 3: 24:They all do one saltarello largo (wide/slow) (left) 25:End1 does a mezavolta and a second saltarello largo (right) to end up on the left of the Middle, then mezavolta again as the Middle stands as End2 does a second saltarello largo (right) to end up on the right of the Middle all of this to return everyone to their side-by-side positions 26:The Middle does a doppio forward, right (according to PnD, the Middle starts to flee starting in the middle of the previous measure) 27:The Ends catch up to the Middle with a doppio, right 28:Everyone does one saltarello (left) forward, and the Middle stops 29:The Ends switch places with a second saltarello right End1 goes in front of the Middle, End2 goes behind the middle 30:All do two continentie, left and right 31:All do a doppio left Section 4: 32:All do a 33:The Ends left) going 34:The Ends doppio right form a column with the Middle in one doppio, End2 (on the forward, End1 going backward, the Middle standing still return to place with a doppio right if the dance repeats, 133

134 this means that they retrace their steps and finish reversed, otherwise, they end up switching places so they are where they began the dance 35:All do two continentie, left and right 36:Riverentia PnD indicates that the end dancers have switched positions, reiterating that if the dance repeats, the other man goes forward (i.e. is on the left, i.e. leads). My presumption above about where the final line-column-line formation ends up depending on whether the dance repeats or not is an amalgamation of this comment, and the references to return to their places (does that mean where they came from, or where they started the dance?). 134

135 Two 15th Century Italian basse Taught by Arglwydd Dafydd Cyhoeddwr (mka John White) Web-site: There are two distinct general forms of dances from the 15th century in Italy balli, where the music changes tempo along with the dance, and the bassadanza, where the music is of a single, steady rhythm and may or may not bear any relation to the steps and figures of the dance. Unlike the balli, bassadanza did not have music specifically written for them, but rather various tenor lines of the correct length were improvised around to provide accompaniment to them. Fortunately, like the balli for which music did not survive, we owe modern musicians who have studied various period styles much when it comes to being able to actually dance these reconstructions. Alesandresca is the first 15th century Italian dance I ever reconstructed upon being introduced to the translations of AW Smith. I ve made a single alteration to that original reconstruction after working on several others and realizing what conventions tend to prevail in the manuscripts. It s a lovely dance containing many elements familiar from other dances of the genre, and I am quite fortunate that the music I had fit the basic translation so well that I was spurred into a flurry of further effort in reconstruction. Corona, on the other hand, was not quite so easy to reconstruct. I ve undertaken the task twice, working from scratch both times after realizing that my first attempt had some serious mistakes in it. This is not an easy dance to do or to reconstruct, as it takes some liberties with the normal conventions of the form. While it might be possible that these liberties are mistakes in reconstruction, I think that the result fits together rather well, and there is a note at the end of one of the manuscript descriptions indicating that the dance is a very challenging bassadanza, not for people who scribble on paper, appropriately the crown of the others (AW Smith s translation of the Rvat manuscript). 135

136 Alesandresca a bassadanza for two by Guglielmo Ebreo (present in 8 period manuscripts) Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr (with pointers from Conandil) Music: Forse che si, forse che no by the Ferrara Ensemble The introduction is a little involved, but it is clear when the dance should begin Starting position: man in front of the woman, leading Section 1 1: Two sempi, left and right 2: doppio, left 3&4: Voltatonda with a sempio on the right and a doppio on the left (which starts in the middle of the 3rd measure and ends in the middle of the 4th), then using the rest of measure 4 to mezavolta to reverse positions so that the woman is leading 5&6:Riprese left and right 7:Two continentie, left and right 8-14:Repeat all of the above, with the mezavolta in the middle returning the man to the leading position Section 2 15&16:Shift to go almost right shoulder to right shoulder and circle with two sempi, left and right, and a doppio left 17&18:Reverse directions and circle left shoulder to left shoulder (not quite touching) with two sempi, right and left, and a doppio right 19&20:Take right hands and circle with two sempi and a doppio, starting left 21&22:Take left hands and circle with two sempi and a doppio, starting right Section 3 23:Riverentia to each other 24:Do a sempio backwards with the left, and mezavolta to face away from each other 25:Ripresa left 26:Voltatonda with two sempi, right and left 27:Ripresa right (basically a Volta del Gioioso, though the manuscript does not call it that) Section 4: 28&29:Take two doppi, left and right, away from each other, then mezavolta to face again 30&31:Two riprese, left and right 32:Riverentia Section 5: 33:Man scosso (movimento), woman responds 34&35:Approach each other with two saltarelli, left and right (slow bassadanza time) 136

137 36:Voltatonda in two sempi, right and left 37:Ripresa right (another Volta del Gioioso without a name) 38:Riverentia, touching right hands, and at the end the woman performs a mezavolta so that she s on the left of the pair, and so in the lead 39&40:Two riprese left and right 41:Riverentia The dance repeats with this music, and by the manuscript, the second time through the woman leads 137

138 Corona a bassadanza for some number of people in a file (from 2 period manuscripts) Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Music: Sonare et Balare by the Bedford Waits for DHDS. This reconstruction no longer quite works with this music, as it has 5 measures more music than I believe are required. Starting position: The word fila is used for position, which means one behind the other or column, so the dancers should be lined up one behind the other. Note that due to the complete lack of any interaction between partners, the reference in the Rvat mms to it being perform{ed} like La Mignotta, and the notes in La Mignotta of may people being able to do the dance at once, this may well be a for as many people as will dance. Section 1 1: Two sempi, left and right, cambiamento left (hop/shift onto the left foot so that the right foot is ready to step next) 2-5:Two contrapassi, both starting right (1 1/3 measures, 8 beats) One doppio left, then cambiamento right (hop/sift to right foot) (6 beats beginning of measure 4) One doppio, left (6 beats beginning of measure 5) One sempio right (that completes the tempo, ilel finishes measure 5) (2/3 measure, 4 beats, total 24 beats, or 4 measures total) 6&7:One sempio left to mezavolta (half a measure), then a doppio right, starting with a hop, to mezavolta, making this measure and a half a full voltatonda and then finishing the 7th measure with another mezavolta (1 1/2 turn total) that leaves the left foot free 8&9:Two riprese, left and right, then cambiamento left (hop/shift to left foot) Section :Two contrapassi, both starting right, and a mezavolta (1 1/3 measure, 8 beats) two doubles, left and right, then cambiamento left (hop/sift to left foot) (12 beats, beginning of measure 13) Mezavolta and hop onto the right foot (4 beats, total 24 beats, 4 measures) 14:Voltatonda to the right with a doppio 15:Ripresa left, diagonally, to mezavolta 16:Mezavolta left with a double 17:Ripresa right, diagonally, to mezavolta 18:Two continentie, left and right Section 3: 19:Two riprese, left and right 20:Cambiamento/hop left (hop to the left foot at the beginning), then doppio right 21:Ripresa left, diagonally forward 22:Sempio right with a hop 23:Riprese left, diagonally forward 24:Voltatonda with a double 138

139 25: Riverentia The music repeats the dance, but there are more measures in the recorded source than in my reconstruction. You may want to stock up on Dramamine before trying this dance. (Any direct quotes above are from Fifteenth-Century Dance and Music Volume 2, by AW Smith ) 139

140 Bassadanza to Waltz Music Rosina del Bosco Chiaro/Vivian Stephens, KWDS VII, July 2009 None of the 15th-century Italian bassadanza descriptions come with music, which makes it challenging to find something to dance them to. Music does survive for balli, and when bassadanza sections occur in them, it is in 6/4 time (according to some interpretations). So one solution is to do bassadanze to waltzes, which are readily available, using two bars of 3/4 waltz music for each bar of bassadanza. Bassadanze are not regular. Sometimes sections are repeated, and the entire dance may be done twice, but the individual segments can vary considerably in size. Bassadanza sections of balli normally have music which matches the phrases of the dance. (Occasionally this can be a bit odd, such as in Ingrata, where steps of the dance are repeated to new music, then the same music is repeated for new steps. But it is still discrete phrases of dance to discrete phrases of music.) So, the phrases of bassadanza choreography should presumably match the phrases of its music. (Which makes it rather odd that no music is included in the manuals.) Waltzes, on the other hand, usually have very regular, eight-bar, phrasing, so to do a bassadanza to waltz music, it needs to be modified so that it is in four-bar phrases (for eight bars of waltz music.) The problem with adapting a dance is that removing or adding a step often creates a cascade of problems. Most steps cause a change of weight, so removing or adding only one will often then make the dancers on the wrong foot for the subsequent part of the dance. And if a step added or omitted causes the dancers to move from their position, then they have to make up for that movement elsewhere. An adapter is thus restricted in which steps to change. Two of the best steps to use are the reverenza, or the sequence of two continenze, as both are one-bar in length, with no resultant movement or change of weight, so their addition or omission does not complicate the dance. If the section changed is too long, the dance becomes so modified that it is verging on a completely new version (like the various 'Nuovo' versions of period dances), or a new choreography altogether, which needn't share a name. Thus the suitable dances for this sort of adaptation are only those that already have close to four-bar phrases. The two dances chosen for the class, Alesandresca and Ginevra, were done so for this reason I found that adapting the bassadanze was a very useful exercise, as it underlined the differences between our modern expectations for dance and the fifteenth-century aesthetic. Step descriptions These are only one possible interpretations of the steps needed for the two dances. They are described for the left foot (except the Volta del Gioioso, which always begins on the right). The counts given are for the 6 occurring in one bar of 6/4 time. Continenza Doppio Timing = half bar. 1 = Rise on toes. Timing = one bar In 6: 1 = Step forward on left. 2 = None. 4 = Step forward on left. 5 = None. Mezavolta Passitino 2 = Step slightly to left. 3 = Lower to flat position. 3 = Step forward on right. 6 = None. A half-turn, done in these two dances as a one-beat pivot turn added to the end of another step. This will be indicated by using "ending with". The foot given is the foot on which the pivot takes place. Timing = half bar. A small, unornamented, sempio. Take a small step at the beginning of each half bar. 140

141 Reverenza Timing = one bar. Kneel (needn't be all the way down) on left knee, keeping the upper body straight. Ripresa Timing = one bar. In 6: 1 = Step sideways on left 2 = None 4 = Step sideways again on left 5 = None Sempio Timing = half bar 1 = Step forward on left 2 = None 3 = Put right foot under left heel. 6 = None. 3 = None. Volta del Gioioso Timing = two bars. Always starts on Right foot. (See also Voltacia below) Turn around in a counterclockwise circle, doing a quarter turn with a Sempio Right, another quarter turn with a Sempio Left ending in a Mezavolta Left, and then a Ripresa Right. Voltacia Timing = three bars. Always starts on Left foot. Note: this is a made up term, not a period one. Ripresa Left, do a counterclockwise circle (using Sempio Right, Sempio Left ending in a Mezavolta Left), and Ripresa Right. (The voltacia basically consists of a ripresa left followed by a volta del gioioso. Normally a volta del gioioso is done in a little circle, beginning and ending in the same spot - the two sempi move one to the left, and the ripresa back to the right. The voltacia should also bring one back to the starting place, so move left with the ripresa left, turn on the spot with the two sempi, move right with the ripresa right.) Dance Descriptions In the dance descriptions following, the number of bars refers to the number of bars in 6/4, bassadanza, music. Since they are being done to waltz music, it is really twice the number of 3/4 music. Waltz Alesandresca Alesandresca is a dance by Guglielmo Ebreo, found in a number of sources. This adaptation is based on the version from the Giorgio ms in the NYPL, which has 9 bars that are not found (with the exception of the 1st two in one source) in the other sources. Start: One couple, side by side, holding hands, Woman on the right, facing up the hall. Section 1 (8 bars) Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left, Volta del Gioioso ending with Mezavolta Right, Ripresa Left, Ripresa Right, Continenza Left, Continenza Right, Reverenza Left. Section 2 (8 bars) Repeat, going the other way, with the woman on the left to start Section 3 (8 bars) 9-10 "Gypsy" = Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left, circling each other with right shoulders close together Sempio Right, Sempio Left, Doppio Right, circling the other way, 141

142 13-14 Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left, circling with right hands, Sempio Right, Sempio Left, Doppio Right, circling with left hands. Man is now facing down the hall, Woman up. Section 4 (8 bars) Passitino Left, Passitino Right backward, and end with a Mezavolta Right, Now (approximately) back to back, Man facing up the hall and Woman down Voltacia (Try to remember that you have a partner during the Voltacia. They may be off behind you to the right, but you can always glance in their direction.) Doppio Left, Doppio Right, ending with a Mezavolta Right, Ripresa Left, Ripresa Right. 17 Section 5 (8 bars) Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left, Volta del Gioioso, 29 Reverenza Right, touching Right hands, Man ending with a Mezavolta Right, Now side by side, facing up the hall, Woman on the left Ripresa Left, Ripresa Right, 32 Reverenza Left. Repeat the dance, Man and Woman exchanging roles. Recordings For the class I used Nancy's Waltz/Dark Island from Waltzing for the Grange, (this particular piece being played by Rodney Miller), Friends of the Guiding Star Grange. There is a two-note intro. The tune changes when the repeat of the dance begins. There is another, extra, repeat of the music when the dance is finished. Forse Che Si, Forse Che No, Ferrara Ensemble. Fonti Musicali fmd 182. Has a piece of music called Alesandresca that fits my reconstruction of the original dance (not the waltz version.) For a reconstruction that matches this music, see my webpage, at Reconstruction/Adaptation Notes Bars 3-4: The original has a voltatonda done with a sempio and a doppio, and then a mezavolta on the right (jumping onto the right?) I have replaced this with the more familiar volta del gioioso, found here in two of the sources. Bar 8: A Reverenza was added here to fill out the phrase. Bars 9-16: I have the dancers not take hands for the first two circling figures, (bars 9-12), while they do for the second, in order to vary things. The NYPL ms doesn't say to do so for the first, but does for the other three. Most of the sources only have the first two, one ms having a third, only, which is likely an error. That source also has them touching or nearly touching shoulders for the circlings, so I used that. Section 4: The original starts and ends with reverenze, both here omitted. As well, after the initial reverenza, the dancers do a sempio back (foot unspecified), a mezavolta on the right, and then a voltacia. In Chastelana, another bassadanza by Guglielmo from the same ms, the following, very similar sequence occurs: reverenza right, two passitini back (feet unspecified), mezavolta on the right, voltacia. In each case, with the step reconstructions that I use, an extra weight shift is needed, perhaps at the end of the reverenza. I decided to replace the sempio here with the two passitini from Chastelana. 142

143 Ginevra Weasley Ginevra is a dance by Guglielmo Ebreo, found in six sources. This adaptation is sufficiently different from the originals that I felt it warranted a distinguishing name. A period solution might have been to call it Ginevra Nuova, though perhaps only appropriate if the exact same music could be used for both. Instead I named it Ginevra Weasley, in honour of the quidditch player of that name. I have not included notes on the exact adaptation, as they are many and also because I was not basing it on any one original source. In general I tried to follow the same sequence, but had to drop a number of steps, most often reverenze, or sequences of two continenze, though also a voltacia. I also moved a doppio in the first section, to make the phrasing more even, which resulted in the dancers moving more in one direction than the other. Since that section is then repeated going the other way, it equals out in the end, anyhow. Start: One couple, side by side, holding hands, Woman on the right, facing up the hall. Section 1 (8 bars) Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left, Doppio Right, Reverenza Left, backwards Sempio Left, Sempio Right ending with Mezavolta Right, Voltacia Section 2 (8 bars) Repeat, going the other way, with the woman on the left to start Section 3 (8 bars) 9-10 Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left, circling with right hands, Sempio Right, Sempio Left, Doppio Right, circling with left hands. Man is now facing down the hall, Woman up. 13 Reverenza Left, 14 backwards Sempio Left, Sempio Right ending with Mezavolta Right, Doppio Left, Doppio Right, ending with a Mezavolta Right. Section 4 (8 bars) Ripresa Left, Ripresa Right, Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left, Volta del Gioioso, Woman ending with a Mezavolta Right, Ripresa Left, Ripresa Right. Repeat the dance, Man and Woman exchanging roles, and going down the hall. Recording For the class I used Sylvi from Waltz Time, Larry Unger & Ginny Snowe, Black Socks Press. There is no intro, and it is quite fast. Bibliography Smith, A.William. Fifteenth-Century Dance and Music. Stuvyesant, NY: Pendragon Press, 1995 Stephens, Vivian & Monica Cellio. Joy and Jealousy. Pittsburgh, PA, Real Soon Now Press, 1997 Found on the web at: 143

144 Bransles - Location, Location, Location By Darius the Dancer Arbeau Many bransles take their name from the countries where they are customarily danced. In this class, we'll look at the Bransle of Poitou, the Scottish Bransles, and the Trihory of Brittany. Scottish/Escosse The first 2 dances we will learn are the Scottish Bransles. These two actually constitute a bransle suite, however only the two bransles have been documented in Arbeau, so we tend to dance them as the A part and B part of a single dance. Of the location based bransles, the Scottish bransles are the most similar in style to other bransles we are used to (such as the mixed bransles and the mimed bransles). Part A (often done 2 times consecutively) Double L&R; Single L&R Part B (has 2 portions, played once through or sometimes repeated, then the whole dance repeats) Double L; Single RL; Double R Double L; Single R; Kick LR; Saut & Capriole (quick flutter kick during the jump) The Scottish Bransles are danced in quick duple time (i.e. reasonable speed, not slow, and in a 4/4 type of feel to the beats). NOTE Regarding the Singles and Doubles of this dance: Unlike regular bransles which tend to close at the end of a single or double by lightly bringing ones feet together, this dance specifically puts a Scottish style on these steps. When doing a double left for example, instead of closing by bringing the right foot down beside the left, you finish by raising and crossing the right foot in front of the left shin in a sort of sideways small kick with the heel leading. It is also suggested that you might put a bit of spring into the step before the cross kick. Poitou This next dance is more similar to a Galliard than a bransle. It consists of only kicks, and as you alternate feet you keep progressing to the left throughout the dance (you do not move right whatsoever), although I suggest you practice it the first time by just dancing it in place. The dance is also done in Triple time, so the bars have more of a quick 9 count. This dance is also unusual in that it begins with a kick with your Right foot. There are also 2 versions of this dance listed in Arbeau, so I will show them below in order of difficulty. 144

145 Version 1: (4 slow kicks, 4 fast kicks) 4 slow kicks alternating feet, beginning with the Right foot (each of these kicks takes 3 beats) 4 fast kicks beginning Right foot (each kick takes 1 beat, so they are quick) Pause for 2 beats. Then repeat the whole dance. Version 2: (1 slow kick is replaced by 3 fast kicks, thus making 3 slow and 7 fast) 3 slow kicks alternating feet, beginning with the Right foot (each of these kicks takes 3 beats) 7 fast kicks beginning LEFT foot (each kick takes 1 beat, so they are quick) Pause for 2 beats. Then repeat the whole dance. Trihory of Brittany This final dance is a bit more of a mix of the last two, except for version 2 of this dance which has a bit of a twist to it (literally). It is danced in light duple time, so it feels like 4/4, however if you actually count the beats in Arbeau, there are only 7 in the sequence (but some musicians I've heard will either put an extra pause or extend the note to make it a regular 8 beats). Version 1: Double Left, but on the fourth beat you instead end with a kick with the LEFT foot. So this requires a quick hop and switch of weight to be able to kick the Left foot out (when you should have been moving the right foot to close the double instead). This all takes the first 4 beats. The next part is Double Speed for the remaining 3 beats: Spring to the Left and bring your feet together, shifting your weight to your right foot. This is done in the first beat. (two half notes of music = spring & together) 3 Kicks: Left, Right, Left - This is done in the remaining 2 beats of music, so each kick takes a half beat, and you have an additional brief moment to hold the third kick. Version 1, Summary: (this may be easier to read) Double L, end with kick L; Spring L, feet together, kick LRL Version 2: (with a Twist) Double Left and end with a Kick Left the same as Version 1 above. Double Speed: Spring to the Left and bring your feet together the same as Version 1 above. Instead of the 3 kicks (LRL), you instead hold yourself firmly on the tips of your toes, and bringing your heals together, you point them Right, Left, Right. On the final point of your heels to the Right, you will also raise your Left foot in the air at the same moment (like a little kick). Similarly these points each take half a beat. 145

146 Version 2, Summary: Double L, end with kick L; Spring L, feet together, on toes point heels RLR raising L foot on the last point NOTE Regarding when to perform each version of this dance: I'm finding there is some ambiguity in the wording in Arbeau. When discussing version 2, he explains (translated from the French, referring to the kicks): In place of the three pied en l'air at the end of the trihory, you will hold yourself firmly on the tips of your toes, and, bringing your heels together, turn them both to the right instead of the pied en l'air gauche and to the left instead of the pied en l'air droit. And in place of the last pied en l'air gauche, you will turn your heels to the right raising your left foot in the air at the same moment. To me, this could indicate that you do version 2 only at the very end of the dance, OR potentially that you do version 2 every time through the dance. (i.e. Arbeau may have taught it the other way to start with just to get the students familiar with the dance, while making it appear more similar to other bransles). Personally, I've chosen just to alternate between them as desired. Reference: Orchesography. Edited by Julia Sutton. Translated by Mary Stewart Evans. Longres: Jehan des Preyz, 1589; reprint, New York, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., ISBN:

147 15th to 16th Century BasseDance (the long way 'round) 15th to 16th C Basse Dance (the long way around) Instructor: HL Sara de Bonneville (Sara L. Bonneville) Once upon a time, a dance master assigned his student the task of teaching Arbeau s basse dance, Jouissance vous Donnerai. Oh not that one it s not pretty! she whined. It doesn t feel graceful. The wise dance master replied, Then find a way to teach it so it IS pretty. This, then, is the story of my journey toward a reconstruction of this particular dance that I could live with, and my exploration of various interpretations of Arbeau s instructions. I invite you along that journey. Perhaps we ll find some new answers, or at least new questions. You are free to agree, disagree, or be confused by the conclusions I have drawn. I hope that you enjoy the voyage. HL Sara de Bonneville, instructor Exploring Arbeau s Jouissance vous Donnerai This class explores the Basse Dance Jouissance vous Donnerai, from Thoinot Arbeau s Orchesographie, published in This is one of the most easily accessible period dances, both because Arbeau s book is easily available and widely used, and because the music is so lovely that there are dozens of recordings to be found. Thoinot Arbeau was an elderly cleric who wrote his Orchesography in the Socratic manner (a dialog between student and teacher). Besides the descriptions of dance steps, music and choreographies, his work gives us a wider picture of social customs at that time. Per the preface to the translation by Mary Evans (first published in 1948), Arbeau (Jehan Tabourot) was born in 1519 Dijon. He begins his description of basse dance by stating: [T]he basse dance has been out of date some forty or fifty years, but I foresee that wise and dignified matrons will restore it to fashion as being a type of dance full of virtue and decorum. His description is then of a dance that he is remembering from somewhere around , square in the middle of the 16th century. He gives a description of each of the five steps used in his narration of the dance: Reverance, Branle, Simple(s), Double, and Reprise. Although these step names are similar to those used in sources describing 15th century basse dance (Le manuscrit dit des basses dances, commonly called the Brussels Manuscript, and l Art et instruction de bien danser, printed by M. Toulouze, are earliest references), Arbeau s descriptions are somewhat different. The character of the music as well as the character of the steps described do not match the earlier basse dances. The rhythm and count of 15th C basse dance has a fluid 6/8 meter: ONE, two, three, FOUR, five, six. Arbeau s basse dance, described as played in triple time, builds it s step sequences on and describes his steps as being done in four bars: one-two-three, two-two-three, three-two-three, four-two-three. The character of the dance becomes almost four-square, balanced and even, where the 15th century dances was fluid and syncopated. My problem with Jouissance vous Donnerai is that I had always found it an awkward dance, one that does not relate to the earlier basse dances, nor to the current dances described in Orchesographie. It had never lived up to the beauty promised by its music. So how did we get from the branles, simples, doubles, and reprises (also called demarches) of the 15th century to the branle, simple, double, and reprise as described by Arbeau? My inspiration came from the clothings; I move 147

148 much differently dressed in 16th C garb than when in 15th century dress. The change in costume from the voluminous, flowy houppelands of the end of the 15th century to the more structured clothing of the mid- and later-sixteenth century would produce a vastly different style of movement. I decided to trace the steps as they were described in the French/Burgundian dances and look for similarities in the Italian dances of roughly the same era. Then I looked at how the dance steps changed from the 15th to the 16th century Italian dances, and used these comparisons, to make my case for my particular choices in step reconstruction for Arbeau s Basse Dance. Lets begin with 15th century French basse dance: French/Burgundian Basse Dance PRIMARY SOURCES: Brussels Manuscript, Le manuscrit dit des basses, est s; facsimile transcribed and edited by Ernest Closson, Le Manuscrit Dit Des Basses Danses De La Bibliotheque De Bourgogne, Brussels: 1912; reprinted Geneve: Minkoff, 1976). Toulouze, Michel (pub.), L Art et Instruction de Bien Dancer, c ; Dossier Basses-Dances, Genève: Minkoff, Facsimile transcribed/edited by Richard Rastall, translation by A.E. Lequet, L'art Et Instruction De Bien Dancer, New York: Dance Horizons, Salisbury Manuscript, Fly-leaf on Joh. De Janua, Catholicon (Venice, Io. Hamman, 1497). Copy in the library of the Salisbury cathedral. LATER SOURCES: Moderne, Jacques (publisher), S'ensuyvent Plusiers Basses Dances, Tant Communes Que Incommunes,Comme on Pourra Veoyr Cy Dedans, Lyon: Jacques Moderne, c ; Dossier Basses-Dances, Genève: Minkoff, Arena, Antonius de, Ad Suos Compagniones Studiantes, Avignon: c. 1520; available and in print as "A ses compagnons etudiant"... Antonius Arena, ed. L'Atelier de danse populaire, 4 rue Laterale, Creteil, France (ISBN: ) First to consider are the French or Burgundian basse or low dances (as opposed to haut dances) from sources from the late 15th to very early 16th centuries. I strongly feel that movement style was influenced by the manner of dress (think houppelands, pourpoints, the peculiar burgundian dress, hennins and headdresses, shoes with pointed toes). The clothing was soft thru the body, but with weight to it. You had large things balanced on your head. So I posit a gliding style of movement. Up/down movement is gentle, lateral movement is fluid. In the best recreation of these dances, the dancers looked like they were part of a flowing river. The step reconstructions that I use for this class are those that I learned from my first instructors in this form of dance, and are based on the work of Dr. Ingrid Brainard. Subsequent researchers have re-interpreted those reconstructions and the differences in interpretation of how the steps are done is material for a very interesting separate class (I have been referred to the material by Daniel of Falling Rocks at unfortunately, I cannot access this site). For we non-musical types, there are 3 beats to each measure, more accurately counted as six ( ONE, two, three, FOUR, five, six ). The five basic basse dance steps take one measure for each step (a pair of singles in one measure): (R) (b) (s) (d) (r) Reverence Branle step sideways, shift weight, then back & close. Single single step, done in pairs, two singles = one 3 beat measure. Double three steps, done in one 3 beat measure. Desmarche (or reprise) step back, rock forward, then back again. In tabulations, underlined steps are generally done traveling backwards (e.g.: d would be a double traveling backwards, r is a demarche that moves backwards). Doubles are done with a rising and falling motion (rising as you take the first step, continuing on the balls of the feet with the second, and sinking down flat with the third step), and slightly syncopated. The Desmarche rocks not only forward and back, but up and down; swinging the 148

149 leg around to the back for the first step clears the way of long robes with trains, but the second step should rise up thru the arches of your feet onto both toes (without moving the feet) and lowering the weight onto the front foot, then rising thru your feet again to settle the weight onto the back foot, rather like a gondola riding a gentle sea. There is an elegance and style with which these dances are performed. The five elements of dance mentioned by early Italian dancing masters certainly apply here: Misura (measure matching dance steps to music), Memoria (memory remembering the dances!), Partiere di Terreno (partitioning the ground how you use the dance floor), Aiere (air lightness, lift), and Mayniera (manner adornment, shading). (1) An excellent article that covers the elements of dance can be found at: (1) from De Practica seu Arte Tripudii (On the Practice or Art of Dancing), by Guglielmo Ebreo de Pesaro, as translated and edited by Barbara Sparti Oxford: Oxford University Press, Basse dances for practice: Basse Casulle la Novele per Michel Toulouse, Paris, (46 bars) reconstrution: Dr. Ingrid Brainard; music: La Spagne R b ss ss ss ss ss ddddd rrr b d ss rrr b ddddd rrr b d ss rrr b ddd rrr b R Reverance, branle (left), (2) singles, (5) doubles, (3) demarche back, branle (left); (2) singles, one double, (2) singles, (3) demarche back, branle (left); (2) singles, (5) doubles, (3) demarche back, branle (left); (2) singles, one double, (2) singles, (3) demarche back, branle (left); (2) singles, (3) doubles, (3) demarche, branle (left), Reverence. Basse La Dame per Salisbury Ms., (20 bars) R b Reverance, branle (left) (only on first repeat) ss ddd rrr b (2) singles, (3) doubles, (3) demarche, branle ss d r b (2) singles, one double, one demarche, branle ss ddd r b (2) singles, (3) doubles, one demarche, branle note: using music from Nonesuch tapes, repeat 3 more times from first singles; do NOT repeat first Reverance and branle. Basse La Francois Nouvelle per Brussels Ms., (12 x 2 + R) Reconstruction per that of Dr. Ingrid Brainard R b Reverance, branle (left ss ddd ss d (2) singles, (3) doubles, (2) singles, double back on R ss d d b (2) singles, one double fwd, one double back, branle ss ddd d d d b (2) singles, (3) d fwd, d back, d fwd, d back, branle ss d d b (2) singles, one double fwd, one double back, branle Repeat from the beginning Reverance Note: using music from Dragonscale Consort, there is enough music to go thru the whole dance 2 ½ times at very leisurely 6 counts per measure, or you can go thru the dance 5 times at a quicker 3 counts per measure pace. Very different. Moving on, what were they doing in Italy at roughly the same time? 15th Century Italian Bassadanza 149

150 PRIMARY SOURCES: Guglielmo Ebreo/Giovanni Ambroso, various ms. (c ); Antonio Cornazano, Libro dell arte del danzare, ( ); Domenico da Piacenza, De arte saltandi & choreas ducendi, (c. 1450); Remarkably well documented (when considering the documentation of dance for the rest of the Medieval and Renaissance), Italian dance of the 15th century included a variety of low dances, Bassadanza. You can recognize the analogs of the French basse dances in the similar five steps used in the Italian dances. The basic steps are: Sempio single (S), step forward (two sempii to each measure). Doppio double (D), three steps (one doppii for each measure). Ripresa single or double step to the side (as in ballet pas de bouree ). Ripresa left: (1a) step to left, rising onto toes, (1b) close w/ R, staying up on toes, (2a) step to left again, (2b) lower to flat (weight is on left, R foot is free). Continenza arching step to the side, usually in pairs (two continenze to ea measure). continenze left: rise up on toes, small step to left, lower to flat as right foot closes. Riverenza/Reverenza Reverence, honor, bow or curtsey. Just how these steps are done in comparison with the French and Burgundian basse s of the same general era is much a matter of which reconstruction(s) you choose to use. In general though, they each have an analog in the other repertoire. The sempio and doppio are obviously related to the basse dance single and double. The ripresa seems to serve the same purpose as a demarche, while the continenza functions as the branle. LAURO - Lorenzo di Piero di Cosimo de'medici, using music La Spagna (46 bars) 15th D Italian bassa danza for two, per reconstruction from Dr. Ingrid Brainard, and class as taught by Rosina del Bosco Chiaro - Vivian Stephens KWDS III note: tabulation shows # of measures (either 3 or 6 beats per measure) A B C 1-6 ss dl dr - R(everance); (2) Ripressa L, R; 1-4 ss dl - Ripresa R, Continenza L & R; 1-2 (take R hands) ss dl - palm R as circle to L w/partner; 3-4 (change hands) ss dr - palm L, circle to right; (face up); 5-6 Ripresa L, Ripresa R; D 1-4 ss dl dr dl 5-7 Volta de Gioso, ending w/ Ripresa right; Reverence; Repeat the dance, reversing genders. Note: Several years ago I learned a slightly different reconstruction in a class taught by Rosina del Bosco Chiaro, which uses different music, Lauro (from a recording called Forse Che Si, Forse Che No ). Unfortunately, I have been unable to secure that piece of music, and so am not able to use that reconstruction. I want that music! Now fast-forward to the 16th Century. 16th Century Italian Dance PRIMARY SOURCES: - Caroso, M. Fabrito, Il Ballarino (Venice, 1581); Nobilta di Dame, c 1600; - Negri, Cesare, Le Gratie D Amore. There is a transition in the fashion, technology, social and political philosophies, and economics between the 15th and 16th centuries, so why not dance as well? Due to fashion alone, the body movement in dances must have 150

151 changed immensely. No more weighty trains and huge complicated head dresses and hats! No long pointy-toed slippers, but shoes with blunt toes and higher heels! Movement for 16th C Italian dance is more up-down, since jumping is easier (shorter skirts, no big head-gear), but bending is more difficult (corsets, bumroles and padded doublets). Lateral movement (side-to-side) tends to move the body as a unit, like a chess piece, rather than to sway or bend. The most basic steps for this 16th C Italian dance are: Continenza Step to one side (about 4 inches), closing heel of the other foot to instep of the first, lowering the body a little as you step, rising up ("peacocking") and back flat. Passo Traveling step in one temp; a simple step or pace forward, usually. Ripresa Sideways step in one tempo, rising up as you step to the side, close up on toes with the other foot, and then lower flat ( arching steps). Seguito Ordinario (or Ordinario) Traveling double step, springing up to the ball of the foot on the first step, continuing the second step up on the ball of the foot, and placing the third step flat. Spezzato or Seguito spezzato In two beats, (1) step forward flat; (2-a) rising onto toes, bring second foot behind heel of the first; (2-b) slide first foot fwd just enough to lower the heel, transferring weight fully onto that foot. VILLANELLA 16th C Italian Balletto, Caroso, 1581 based on classes taught by per Mistress Urraca Yriarte de Gamboa (KWDS 2001 ) and Lady Adele Desfontaines (KWDS 2003), as modified by Trahaearn ap Ieun (Peter Durham), Begin holding partners hand. I A 1-8 Riverenza, Continenza left & right; B 1-4 (2) Seguito ordinario left & right (progressing fwd); 5-8 Continenza left, (2) Riprese R; II A Passo left & right, Seguito ordinario L; Passo right & left, Seguito ordinario R; (hold ordinary hands) Continenza L, (2) Riprese R; Riverenza. B (man passes in front of lady) Passo L&R, Ordinario L; (continuing around to her R) Passo R&L, Ordinario R; -- same as II B, above; IV A B (as in (A1) above, lady passing in front of man) -- same as II B, above; V A (progressing, holding ordinary hands) Passo L&R; (casting off, to reverse direction) Ordinario L; (holding improper hands) Passo R&L, (casting off) Ordinario R; -- same as II B, above; (take R hands) Sequito spezzato L&R (changing places); Seguito spezzato L&R (turning over L shoulder); (take L hands) Sequito spezzato L&R (changing places); Seguito spezzato L&R (turning over R shoulder); -- same as II B, above, first taking L hands, then R; B III A B VI A B A final thought before leaving Italy: in many of the Italian dances from this period, there is a common combination of two Riprese that travel in the same direction, followed by two Trabuchetti that alternate feet. Practice some of the common combinations and keep it in mind as we head back to France. 16th Century Basse Dance, per Arbeau s Orchesographie from

152 PRIMARY SOURCE: Thoinot Arbeau, Orchesographie, 1589, reprint of 1948 translation by Mary Stewart Evans, notes and introduction by Julia Sutton, New York: Dover 1967; reprint of 1925 translation by Cyril W. Beaumont, New York: Dance Horizons, 1968 Arbeau lists the steps to his basse dance as a reverence (R), branle (b), simples (ss), double (d), and reprise (r). They are described thus: Reverance occupies four tabor rhythms accompanied by four bars of the tune. As for myself, I hold with my teacher that it should be done with the right foot. In this way one is enabled to turn towards the damsel and throw her a courteous glance. Branle keeping the heels together and turning the body gently to the left for the first bar; then to the right, glancing modestly the while at the spectators, for the second bar; then again to the left for the third, and for the fourth bar, to the right again with a discreetly tender sidelong glance at the damsel. (Two) Simples one step forward with the left foot for the first bar, then bring the right foot up beside the left for the second bar, then you will advance with the right foot for the third bar. And at the fourth bar bring the left foot up beside the right with the heels together. Double In the first bar one must advance a step with the left foot, in the second bar a step with the right foot, while in the third one must advance with the left foot again. And in the fourth bar, the right foot must be placed beside the left with the heels together. Reprise moving the knees gently from side to side, or the feet, or the toes only, as if your feet were trembling. on the first bar with the toes of the right foot, then again the toes of the said right foot on the second bar, then the toes of the left foot on the third bar, and the toes of the said right foot on the fourth bar. The Reverence, simples and doubles are reasonable easy to interpret, based on what Arbeau has written and what is being done in other 16th C dances. I see nothing in his descriptions that would prevent one from doing these three steps in the manner of an Italian dance. For the branle and reprise he is a bit vague as to what you are actually doing. I have chosen to diverge from what I have seen traditionally taught for these two steps. For the branle, since twisting motions are not very elegant when dressed in 16th C clothing (corsets, stiff doublets, etc.), I do not support the twist from side to side version of this step. Instead, what if the branle is to this dance as the continenza is to the 16th C Italian dance? The name branle holds from the older form of the dance, but in effect, it could be done as two graceful continenze. Try doing a continenza-type step to the left in the first two bars of the branle, glancing modestly the while at the spectators, then continenza to the right in the second two bars, with a discreety tender sidelong glance at the damsel. For the reprise, I feel that this represents the 16th C Italian ripressa, ripressa, trab, trab. Do four ripressa-type steps, two to the right, one left, and a final one to the right. In a ripressa, you can be seen to only move the knees, feet, or toes is a gentle lifting arc up and over to the side. In a truly quick ripressa, you are only rising up to the toes and coming down using the strength of your foot (instep) not your leg muscles. Arbeau also describes a Conge (Sutton translates this as leave ), which you must take of the damsel : You bow, still holding her by the hand, and return her to the place from which you started the dance in order to commence the second part or retour of the basse dance. Since in many recording there is no music for the Conge, it is commonly done as another reverence, honoring your partner as if you were to take leave of her. The Retour briefly returns to the steps of the main dance, and is a final postscript or addendum to the dance. This is the end of the basse dance, although Arbeau states that they were commonly followed by a Tourdion (a cinq-pas-type dance, similar to a galliard). 152

153 JOUYSSANCE VOUS DONNERAI Basse Dance per Arbeau for couples (can be done in a processional line) bars R b ss d r- d r- b ss ddd r- d r- b ss d r- b C(onge) (Retour) 20 bars b d r ss ddd r b C(onge) Reverence, Bransle Single left, Single right, Double left, Reprise set (2 reprise left, 1 right, 1 left), Double left, Reprise (as described above), Bransle; Single left, Single right, 3 Doubles (left, right, left), Reprise (as above), Double left, Reprise (as above), Bransle; Single left, Single right, Double left, Reprise (as above), Bransle; Conge (lead the lady to where you began, or if no time, in the music, bestow upon her a Reverance in thanks for the pleasure of the dance).. Retour: Bransle, Double left, Reprise, Single left, Single right, 3 Doubles (left, right, left), Reprise, Bransle, Conge (as above) RESOURCES This is a short listing of basic dance music, intended to help the new dancer get started. Note that there are many more dance and music resources available. MUSIC: SCA & Ren-dance music recording available direct: - Download or purchase CD s from Eric Praetzel ( Includes: The Tape of Dance series, Companions of St. Cecilia series, etc. - CD Courtly Dance of Western Europe, Jouissance, ( (companion music to Complete Anachronist #101, Western Dance ) - CD s (3) from Music Subterranea ( - CD from The Dragon Scale Consort ( - CD In Timely Measure Move, The Queens HaPenny Consort (Calif.) #NQHC001 (Elvyn Blair, 3136 California St, Oakland, CA 94602, elvynblair@yahoo.com) Available in music stores, or from Amazon, Tower, etc. - CD Arbeau s Orchesographie, New York Renaissance Band - CD Mesura et Arte del Danzare Balli Italiani del 400, Accademia Visontea This class has been taught at: KWDS, An Tir, June 2007 In the SCA, the honorable Lady Sara de Bonneville is an aficionado of dance, a student of Master Trahaearn, and a sometime Exchequer and Chronicler. In the modern world, Sara L. Bonneville is school district Budget Manager who spent her college years (long ago!) studying and teaching ballet and jazz. In 2009 she (finally) married a gentleman she met 30+ years ago at that self-same ballet studio. 153

154 Introduction to Sixteenth Century Italian Dance Steps By Mistress Urraca Yriarte de Gamboa The following definitions are paraphrased from the first of the sixteenth century dance treatises, Il Ballarino (Venice, 1581) by Fabritio Caroso. Be aware that other Period treatises define some of these steps differently, and that other dance researchers interpret some of these steps differently. Steps are described starting with the left foot, but can be done with either foot, except for the Riverenza. All of the steps are small. The motion of the body is more up and down than forward. A note on plurals. Italian does not form plurals with "s". Words ending in "a" form plurals with "e". Words ending in "o" form plurals with "i". Thus, one ripresa, but two riprese; one passo, but two passi. Adjectives agree with nouns. Thus, seguito ordinario becomes seguiti ordinarii. Riverenza-- In the first beat, stand with the left foot forward. In the second beat, draw the left foot straight back, keeping both knees straight and shifting the weight to the back foot. In the third beat, lower the body, bending both knees. In the fourth beat, rise, bringing the left foot even with the right. [The lady can simply bend both knees, lowering her body slightly and then rising again.] Mezza Riverenza--(or Riverenza Presta) Draw the left foot back and bend both knees in a small, quick riverenza. This can be done with either foot. [This can be given time as a separate movement, or be used as an ornament on the last beat of a sequence, as in a seguito scorso ending in a mezza riverenza.] Continenza-- Step to the left four inches, then bring the heel of the right foot to touch the middle of the left foot. While stepping sideways, lower the body a little, then rise up, "peacocking" a little in the direction in which you are moving. Ripresa-- Step to the left four inches, rising on the toes of both feet. Then bring the right foot next to the left, lowering both heels. [These are often done with two or more to the same side, rather than alternating.] Trabuchetto-- Make a small sideways jump, moving the left foot to the left four inches and landing on the toes of the left foot. At the same time that left toes touch the floor, bring the right foot beside the left, without touching the right foot to the floor. [Ideally, one remains balanced on just the left toes until one begins the next trabuchetto, jumping back to the right, but in slower dances one can end with both feet on the ground.] Puntata-- In the first beat, step forward with the left foot, placing it flat on the ground four or five inches distant in width from the right. In the middle of the second beat, bring the right foot beside the left, lowering the body as the right foot is brought forward and then rising and lowering both heels. [This is essentially the SCA pavan simple.] Passo-- Normal walking step, with the toes straight ahead and the knees straight. One ends with one's weight on the leading foot, not bringing the trailing foot forward to close. Passi presti are faster steps. Seguito ordinario-- Three steps, so that one pauses for the last beat without bringing the trailing foot forward to close. [In faster dances the first two steps are taken on the toes, with only the last step flat.] Seguito spezzato--step forward with the left foot, placing it flat on the ground. Bring the right foot close to the heel of the left, rising on both toes. Lower the left heel, leaving the right heel raised. Seguito semidoppio: Step forward flat on the left foot, then on the right foot, then do a Spezzato. [The end result is three walking steps and a short rise at the end.] 154

155 Seguito scorso-- Eight small, tiptoe steps, very quickly with the knees and body straight. [The lady should look like she's on wheels.] Fioretto-- Cut under the right heel with the left toe, standing on the toes of both feet. Kick the right foot forward, lowering the left heel as you scoot the left foot forward slightly. Quick fioretti can just become a series of kicks. [A fioretto left ends with the right foot raised.] Cadenza-- Lifting the left foot forward, jump up, pulling the left foot behind, and land with both feet on the floor, right foot in front and left foot behind. Sometimes just a jump to close a phrase. Sequences of Steps There are a number of sequences of steps that almost seem like step units in their own right. THE Sequence : Extremely common in Il Ballarino is the combination of two riprese in the same direction, followed by two trabuchetti. (In Northshield and the Midrealm this is sometimes referred to as THE Sequence.) Ritornello : The above passage, and others, can end with a spezzato turning in place, followed by a cadenza. The cadenza in this case simply becomes a jump to finish the full turn. A slower version of this is a seguito ordinario turning in place, followed by a cadenza. Pavan Sequence : Passo, passo, seguito ordinario. Actually, this is twice as fast as a true pavan sequence, but it is very common passage that shows the origin of balletti in pavane/galliard dance pairs. A livelier version is spezzato, spezzato, seguito semidoppio. Passo, passo, cadenza: used at the end of a passage, it feels like a seguito ordinario or semidoppio equivalent. Spezzato-half reverance : A spezzato flanking, followed by a mezza riveranza, usually done both to the right and left. S-curl : A very common figure in which dancers trade places with a half-circle in one direction (with or without taking hands) and then circle in place in the opposite direction, e.g., take right hands and half-circle clockwise, then release hands and circle counter-clockwise. Usually done with spezzati. Other Terms Fiancheggiati (Flanking ): Moving diagonally forwards or backwards. In Saltino: with a hop added to other steps, e.g., a riverenza in saltino ends with a hop. Urraca Yriàrte de Gamboa, OL July

156 Bella Gioiosa, re-translated and re-reconstructed Taught by Arglwydd Dafydd Cyhoeddwr (mka John White) Web-site: This dance was the first I tried to translate myself, and the first 16th century Italian dance I have attempted to reconstruct. Perhaps I dove in at the deep end, but I m happy with my translation and with my reconstruction, even if it is very different in structure (if not in content) than the popular version done in the East. Sources for this dance in the original and translated are widely available. I used a facsimile version on the web (source: - thank you very much) as something to translate the rest is my own feeble attempt at very raw translation, and then smoothing that out into a dance. The first pass of my translation of the source is here: Bella Gioiosa Cascarda in praise of the illustrious lady the lady julia savella orsina this ballo is {done/performed/accomplished} in three, that is two men & one woman, or two women, and one man & these as so they take the hands in a circle, & they perform the riverenza in {small hop?}, as in all cascarde, with four trabuchetti on the left, & let go all hands, as so turning around to the left, & perform two seguiti spezzati {follow-break?}, with two passi gravi (large steps), & the cadenza, beginning each {thing} with left. In round then they perform all together four seguiti spezzati, with two scambiate, the one to the left, & the other to the right: with that next the leader of the ballo, does one seguito spezzato turning to the left, & the cadenza with the right, that is, if doing one man, & two women, the man the leader he is: but if were it one woman, & two men, she is the leader of the dance: so in the end of the cadenza, the next does the same as the leader, he/she has for to answer/respond to that man, or the woman the next this same by hand right, & he/she has for to do with the foot left, with one other seguito spezzato turning to the left, & the cadenza, as with above: the three do the same as {they do? (faranno??)} {done/performed/accomplished} those others: after this the next leader the dance performs two passi presti (fast singles) forward, & the cadenza, beginning with the left, with five seguiti battuti del canario, beginning all with the left: & some not they know/can perform, they do in their own place four trabuchetti: then so as follow with two riprese, two trabuchetti of the left, one seguito spezzato facing/turning of the left, & the cadenza with the right: the same then the next stands by hand the right of him, does the same change, the next {man/person/one} does he is: & the same does the three companion(s). That same performed, they joust together in this manner, that is; each one so as turning with the flank left by inward, do four seguiti spezzati, one forward, one in behind, & two pass through forward, beginning with the left: & the same the next leader, pass through always in half, change place: the same they turn by doing one other turn; 156

157 turning but each one their own place. Afterward in a circle they all together do two seguiti semidoppii (follow half-double) on the left, two riprese, two trabuchetti, one seguito spezzato turning on the left, & the cadenza with the foot right on the opposite: the same they do on the right by opposite. Together they do then on the opposite two fioretti a pie pari, one on the flank left, & the other on the right, with two passi presti in behind, passing with two seguiti spezzati, & change place, beginning with the left: the same they turn by doing one other turn, turning each one their own place. After that same they do the chain(hey), or interweaving, with six seguiti spezzati, & that the next leader the ballo, pass through by middle the companion, turning on the left; then return by passing one other turn on the right: & the same seguiti, & turn they do they others companions: of the end of the same chain each one he/she as for regained their own place, & do two passi presti forward, with the cadenza, beginning each thing/one with the foot left. After they do four trabuchetti, & four sequiti battuti di canario, two riprese, two trabuchetti on the left, one seguito spezzato turning on the left, & the cadenza with the right, finding of the end with they are in a triangle: the next time the end of the cascarda. Okay, it doesn t make a huge amount of sense taken like that, but the bones are there, and that was where I started putting everything together into the dance below. Even with my really awful translation, the format of the dance is clear most especially, the utter lack of a chorus of any kind. I disregarded the comments present with the music to this dance, and instead concentrated on the steps and figures listed above. It quickly became clear that everything is presented in groups of 16, which happens to be the length of the A music, while the one place where the B music fits in well is the individually iterated circling spezzato and a cadenza, four counts that fit the ritourno (refrain) perfectly. If the comments in the music are taken as a guide to the beginning of the dance, then the rest of the given figures work well to a continuous arrangement of the A music until you get to the dangling 4 beats at the end, which just happens to be the same circling spezzato and a cadenza from before. This means that it didn t take re-composing the music to fit this reconstruction, but rather some cutting and splicing to get the existing music in shape to work with the dance below. 157

158 Bella Gioioso Music: a cascarda for a set of three Created by Fabritio Caroso in Il Ballarino Reconstructed by Dafydd Cyhoeddwr Silence is Deadly by the Waits of Southwark (very sprightly!) Incantare by Musica Subterranea (lovely version) Both of the above are structured for the common verse/chorus structure of the dance, and as such can only really be used for reassembly. This reconstruction has a structure of AA BBB Ax11 B. The numbers below are beats. The manuscript goes into who the leader is, indicating that it should be the odd gender out (in many more words) but being silent on the matter of all three being of the same gender. A music A music B A A A 4: Take hands around and riverenza 4: Four trabuchetti starting left, drop hands 8:(Countercircle over your left shoulder with) two sequiti spezzati, two passi, and a cadenza, starting left 8: Facing left in a wheel, go four sequiti spezzati starting left 8: Two scambiate (step, kick, hop) left and right music 3 times 4: Leader does a seguito spezzato left, turning over the left shoulder, then cadenza 4: The person to the leader s right does the same 4: The last person does the same music Solo figure: done by the leader only this time 4: Two passi forward, left and right, and a cadenza 4: Four trabuchetti starting left (this is actually the dumb version the actual figure here is supposed to be 5 seguiti battuti del canario, and as such is almost never done considering the difficulty of squeezing all those stomps into the time allotted) 8: (A side-sequence of) two riprese left, two trabuchetti left and right, a seguito spezzato to turn over your left shoulder, finishing with a cadenza music Solo figure: done by the person to the right of the leader 4: Two passi forward, left and right, and a cadenza 4: Four trabuchetti starting left (this is actually the dumb version the actual figure here is supposed to be 5 seguiti battuti del canario, and as such is almost never done considering the difficulty of squeezing all those stomps into the time allotted) 8: (A side-sequence of) two riprese left, two trabuchetti left and right, a seguito spezzato to turn over your left shoulder, finishing with a cadenza music Solo figure: done by the last person in the set 4: Two passi forward, left and right, and a cadenza 4: Four trabuchetti starting left (this is actually the dumb version the actual figure here is supposed to be 5 seguiti battuti del canario, and as such is almost never done considering the difficulty of squeezing all those stomps into the time allotted) 8: (A side-sequence of) two riprese left, two trabuchetti left and right, a seguito spezzato to turn over your left shoulder, finishing 158

159 A music A music A music with a cadenza The joust (all dance again turn left side in, the other two facing the leader, optionally enhancing the joust nature by miming holding a lance 4: Two seguiti spezzati left and right, one forward, one back 4:Two seguiti spezzati left and right to change sides, leader going between, everyone mezavolta to face again 4:Two seguiti spezzati left and right, one forward, one back 4:Two seguiti spezzati left and right to change sides, leader going between, everyone mezavolta to face again Joust again (person to the right of the leader now leading /passing through) 8:Four seguiti spezzati starting left, one forward, one back, two to change sides 8:Four seguiti spezzati starting left, as before Joust one more time (the last person now leading /passing through) 8:Four seguiti spezzati starting left, one forward, one back, two to change sides 8:Four seguiti spezzati starting left, as before A music A music A music A music All together, the whole set moving in a circle to the left 8:Two seguiti semidoppii (passi, passi, spez) starting left 8:(A side-sequence left of) two riprese left, two trabuchetti left and right, a seguito spezzato to turn over your left shoulder, finishing with a cadenza The set now moves in a circle to the right 8:Two seguiti semidoppii (passi, passi, spez) starting right 8:(A side-sequence right of) two riprese right, two trabuchetti right and left, a seguito spezzato to turn over your right shoulder, finishing with a cadenza 4:Two right 4:Two 4:Two right 4:Two fioretti a pie pari left and right, two passi backwards, left and seguiti spezzati left and right to change places, leader between fioretti a pie pari left and right, two passi backwards, left and seguiti spezzati left and right to change places, leader between 12:Hey with six seguiti spezzati, leader beginning by passing between the other two and then turning left 4: Return to your places with two passi, left and right, and a cadenza A music B music 4: Four trabuchetti starting left 8: Four seguiti battuti del canario (brush, brush, stomp) starting left 4: (Start a side-sequence left by) two riprese left, two trabuchetti left and right 4: (and finish the side-sequence left by) sequito spezzato over the left shoulder and a cadenza 159

160 Introduction to Cascarde by Alina of Foxwood (Elaine Cohen) Cascarda - a fun, lively (triple time) 16th Century Italian dance found in Fabritio Caroso's books, Il Ballarino(1581) and Nobiltá di Dame(1600). Alta Regina and Fiamma d'amore are great dances to introduce cascarde, being among the shortest and least step-intensive, but containing many step sequences found in other cascarde. Both are from Il Ballarino. The Steps Note: These steps have been reconstructed many different ways by different people and even by the same people at different times. If you learned them a different way, don't feel compelled to relearn them my way (which could easily change the next time I teach the dances). It is best to review the original (or the translation) available online ( and decide for yourself how they should be done. The plural form of steps so described in the dances is noted in parentheses. Cadenza jump & land w/lead foot slightly forward Doppio - three passi, ending with feet together (comparable to a double) Passo (Passi) step lightly and carry through do not close (comparable to a single) Puntato step with a rise and close Reverance start L foot forward, bring L foot back, shift weight to back leg w/knee bent, straighten gracefully into standing position Ripresa (Riprese) step sideways over onto the toe & lower to floor, then shift weight to other foot Scambiata (Scambiate) - step sideways with lead foot, undercut, close and jump. Semidoppio 2 passi and a spezzato Spezzato (Spezzati) step on ball of foot, bring toe of other foot even with first heel, put first heel down Trabuchetto (Trabuchetti) small jump sideways onto ball of foot Common Step Sequences Just as in English Country Dance, there are a number of figures and step sequences that appear in many different Cascarde. Riprese and Trauchetti - 2 Riprese followed by 2 Trabuchetti. 3 small movements to one side followed by one small movement in the opposite direction (e.g., Ripresa Left, Ripresa Left, Trabuchetto Left, Trabuchetto Right). This step sequence is essential to master, as it appears with great frequency. Turn Single in Spezzato, Cadenza. Similar to Turn Single in English country. This is a turn in place with a Spezzato (when turning, 3 syncopated steps) followed by a Cadenza (small jump). 2 Passi and a Cadenza - often done forward and/or backward. 160

161 The Dances Note: for ease of quickly reading these sheets as one dances/teaches, I abbreviate left as L and right as R. Alta Regina (for One Couple, facing) I first learned this cascarda at Pennsic in a class taught by Lady Clara Beaumont. My review of the original did not result in any changes from the reconstruction she taught. It is fairly easy to learn, as it has short repetitive verses and a simple repeating chorus. Also, it is fairly "low impact" for a cascarda. The name of the dance may be translated to English as "High Queen." Verse 1: Reverance; Scambiata L; Spezzati L&R to switch places with partner; Turn Single L in Spezzato L, Cadenza R (end facing partner) Chorus: Puntati L forward & R back; Turn Single L in Spezzato L, Cadenza R Verse 2: Spezzati LRLR in a Clockwise wheel (e.g., follow each other around in a circle with a common center midway between you); Facing your partner, Scambiati L&R Repeat Chorus Verse 3 Lord only: Passi forward L&R, Cadenza L; Passi back R&L, Cadenza L Trabuchetti LRLR; Turn Single L in Spez, L, Cadenza R Repeat Chorus Verse 4 Lady's solo: Lady do what Lord did in Verse 3 Repeat Chorus Verse 5 Trabuchetti LRLR; Doppio L to L; Trabuchetti RLRL; Doppio R to R Repeat Chorus Verse 6 Riprese LL, Trabuchetti LR; Doppio L to L Riprese RR, Trabuchetti RL, Doppio R to R Repeat Chorus 161

162 Fiamma d Amore (for One Couple, facing, about 2 yards apart) I first learned this cascarda at Pennsic in a class taught by Master Gregory Blount, using a reconstruction by Lizbeth Ravenshome. My own reconstruction is very similar. This is another cascarda with a simple repeating chorus, and has only 4 rather repetitive versus. The name of the dance may be translated to English as "Flame of Love" and one can imagine all the little hops in the dance as being illustrative of the motions in fire. Verse 1: Approach your partner with Spezzato L, Reverance; Spezzato R, Reverance Spezzati LR to switch places in a clockwise wheel Facing your partner: Trabuchetti LRLR Spezzatii LRLR in a clockwise wheel; Scambiate LR Chorus: Puntato L back, hop; Puntato R back, hop Turn Single L in Spezzato L, Cadenza R Verse 2: Lord only (entire verse): Approach partner with Spezzati LRL, Reverance; Spezzati RLR, Reverance Flank back to the L with Riprese LL, Trabuchetti LR Return to partner with Passi L&R, Cadenza Flank back R with Riprese RR, Trabuchetti RL Return to Partner with Passi R&L, Cadenza Repeat Chorus Verse 3: Lady's solo: Lady does what Lord did in Verse 2 Repeat Chorus Verse 4: In a clockwise wheel, spiraling in, Spezzati LR, Semidoppio L In a counterclockwise wheel, Spezzati R&L Semidoppio R Riprese LL, Trabuchetti LR (all flanking back L) Spezzato L, Reverance (return to partner & touch R hands) Riprese RR, Trabuchetti RL (all flanking back R) Spezzato R, Reverance (return to partner & touch L hands) Repeat Chorus 162

163 Music Sources Alta Regina Recorded version: Unfortunately, I am not certain whether the recorded version I have is still obtainable. Italian Renaissance Dances by Fabritio Caroso Volume 1 "Selva Amorosa", Scaramella. Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society, Cassette tape. (the yellow tape). I don't currently see it listed among their publications, but it might be worth asking them about it. Sheet music. Arrangement by Zachary Williams: Fiamma d'amore Recorded version: Unfortunately, I am not certain whether the recorded version I have is still obtainable. Homage to Amore: 16th Century Dances of Lovve from Fabritio Caroso, Les Verres Casses. Angene Feves, Cassette tape (the pink tape). The contact information I have from years ago is: Angene Feves, 70 Karol Lane, Pleasant Hill, CA Sheet music. Arrangement by Katrina Hunt: roso_fiamma_damore_katrina.pdf 163

164 Cascarde Favorites by Alina of Foxwood (Elaine Cohen) Cascarda - a fun, lively (in triple time) 16th Century Italian dance found in Fabritio Caroso's books, Il Ballarino (1581) and Nobiltá di Dame (1600). This class features Maraviglia d'amore and Gracca Amorosa. Maraviglia d'amore is both an excellent performance piece and a playful social dance. Gracca Amoroso is an incredibly popular cascarda in the Midrealm. Both are from Il Ballarino. The Steps Note: These steps have been reconstructed many different ways by different people and even by the same people at different times. If you learned them a different way, don't feel compelled to relearn them my way (which could easily change the next time I teach the dances). It is best to review the original (or the translation) available online ( and decide for yourself how they should be done. The plural form of steps so described in the dances is noted in parentheses. Cadenza jump & land w/lead foot slightly forward Fioretto a Piedi Pari - swing lead foot a little out to the side and back, kicking the other foot to its side. Honor (Meza Reverenza) - quick (half-time) Reverance - with one leg back, bend knees and straighten. Ordinario - three passi on your toes, ending with feet flat but without a close (comparable to a double) Passo (Passi) step lightly and carry through do not close (comparable to a single) Passo Trangato - Step on leading foot, pull up on that foot and sink back down. Reverance start L foot forward, bring L foot back, shift weight to back leg w/knee bent, straighten gracefully into standing position Ripresa (Riprese) step sideways over onto the toe & lower to floor, then shift weight to other foot Scambiata (Scambiate) - step sideways with lead foot, undercut, close and jump. Spezzato (Spezzati) step on ball of foot, bring toe of other foot even with first heel, put first heel down Trabuchetto (Trabuchetti) small jump sideways onto ball of foot Common Step Sequences Riprese and Trauchetti - 2 Riprese followed by 2 Trabuchetti. 3 small movements to one side followed by one small movement in the opposite direction (e.g., Ripresa Left, Ripresa Left, Trabuchetto Left, Trabuchetto Right). This step sequence is essential to master, as it appears with great frequency. Turn Single in Spezzato, Cadenza. Similar to Turn Single in English country. This is a turn in place with a Spezzato (when turning, 3 syncopated steps) followed by a Cadenza (small jump). The Dances Note: for ease of quickly reading these sheets as one dances/teaches, I abbreviate left as L and right as R. 164

165 Maraviglia d'amore (for One Couple, facing) My local baronial dance group (primarily Kieran Grey) first reconstructed this dance for a performance, and we so enjoyed it that it became a popular request at dance practice. While the dance has only four parts, it can be tricky to remember, as there is no repeating chorus. The name of the dance means "Wonder of Love." I: Opening Honours. Take R hands, Spezzato L to L, Reverance Away from partner: Riprese RR, Trabuchetti RL Take L hands, Spezzato R to R, Reverance Away from partner: Riprese LL, Trabuchetti LR Spez LR clockwise in a wheel; Facing, Trabuchetti LRLR; Scambiate LR Away from partner: Riprese LL, Trabuchetti LR Spiral In: Passi LR, Cadenza Away from partner: Riprese RR, Trabuchetti RL Spiral In: Passi RL, Cadenza II: Lord s Solo. Lord only: Spezzati LR flanking back; Trabuchetti LRLR Spez LR turning L; Passi LR forward, Cadenza Both Partners: Trabuchetti LRLR; Spezatto L to L, Reverance R Trabuchetti RLRL; Spezatto R to R, Reverance L Passi LR backward; Passo Trangato L forward; Spezzati RL turning R Passi RL backward; Passo Trangato R forward; Spezzati LR turning L III: Lady s Solo. Same as Lord s solo in II, but with the Lady dancing the Lord only part. IV: Grand Finish. Passi LR, Spezzato L (to L); Passi RL, Spezzato R (to R) Facing partner: Fioretti a piedi pari LR; Passi LR back Spezzati LR to switch places, slapping R hands as you pass your partner Facing partner: Fioretti a piedi pari RL; Passi RL back Spezzati RL to switch places, slapping L hands as you pass your partner Trabuchetti LRLR; Turn Single L with Spezzato L, Cadenza Trabuchetti RLRL; Turn Single R with Spezzato R, Cadenza Reverance 165

166 Gracca Amorosa (for One Couple, facing) I first learned this dance years ago when I traveled with a fellow local dance fanatic to a regional dance practice five hours away. Taught by Urraca Yriarte de Gamboa, it was the first cascarda I'd seen. We loved it, and brought it home. Couldn't remember all of the dance step names (I had written scam for scambiate in my notes, and all I could come up with for it was scampi.) It has become one of the most popular dances in our region. The name can be translated as "Love's Prattle" or chatter. Verse 1: Reverance; Circle clockwise with Spezzati LR to trade places Curl counterclockwise with Spezatti LR to face; Trabuchetti LRLR Spezzato sideways L & honor; Spezzato sideways R & honor Chorus: Spezzato L back from partner; Spezzato R back from partner Riprese LLL & Trabuchetto L to return to partner Spezzato R back from partner; Spezzato L back from partner Ripres RRR & Trabucheto R to return to partner Verse 2: Circle clockwise with Spezzati LRLR to place; Trabuchetti LRLR Curl counterclockwise with Spez LR to face; Scambiate LR Repeat Chorus Verse 3: Lord approaches Partner with Spezzati LR flanking forward Lord Trabuchetti LRLR in front of partner Lord curl to place with Spezzati LR; Lord Trabuchetti LRLR facing partner Lord Passo L & honor; Lord Passo R & honor Repeat Chorus Verse 4: Lady does what Lord did in Verse 3 Repeat Chorus Verse 5: Ordinario L; Riprese RR, Trabuchetto RL Ordinario R; Riprese LL, Trabuchetto LR Passo L forward & honor, touching R hands Passo R & honor, touching L hands Repeat Chorus 166

167 Music Sources Maraviglia d'amore Recorded versions: Unfortunately, I am not certain whether either of the two recorded versions I use is still obtainable. Italian Renaissance Dances by Fabritio Caroso Volume 1 "Selva Amorosa", Scaramella. Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society, Cassette tape (the yellow tape). I don't currently see it listed among their publications, but it might be worth asking them about it. Homage to Amore: 16th Century Dances of Lovve from Fabritio Caroso, Les Verres Casses. Angene Feves, Cassette tape (the pink tape). The contact information I have from years ago is: Angene Feves, 70 Karol Lane, Pleasant Hill, CA Sheet music. Arrangement in the Pennsic pile, by Master Octavio. But do not repeat the A part - just go to the second ending. Gracca Amorosa Recorded versions: Cornucopia, Musica Subterranea, Can be ordered at Homage to Amore: 16th Century Dances of Lovve from Fabritio Caroso, Les Verres Casses. Angene Feves, Cassette tape (the pink tape). The contact information I have from years ago is: Angene Feves, 70 Karol Lane, Pleasant Hill, CA Sheet music. Arrangement by Steve Hendricks: 167

168 Furioso all Italiana from Fabritio Caroso s Nobilta di Dame (~1600 CE). Reconstruction by Master Geoffrey Mathias. (Courtly Dance of the Renaissance translated by Julia Sutton, page ) Three couples line facing across. The center (lead) couple is improper. Rev, L - Cont, R - Cont. The center couple, starting on the left foot, change places L - Semi-Doppio (up, flat, spetz), quick rev, R - Semi-Doppio, L - Semi-Doppio, R - Trab, L - Trab The end couples do likewise starting on the Right foot R - Semi-Doppio (up, flat, spetz), quick rev, L - Semi-Doppio, R - Semi-Doppio, L - Trab, R Trab The top couple faces down the line, other couples face up for a 2/3 hay. L - Semi-Doppio R - Semi-Doppio L - Semi-Doppio R - Semi-Doppio The set will have progressed one place, in three repeats of the music. Repeat the place changing and hay with the new center couple who start on the left foot. Repeat again with the third couple in the center. At the end of the third repeat, all couples should be in their original order, in their partner s places. Music changes to fast triple time Rev, L ord, R ord into the center of the set, forming a circle Grand right and left chain, starting with a left semi-doppio. 6 semi-doppios around the circle returning to original place. To slow section of music Rev, L ord, R ord into the center of the set, forming a circle To fast music again Take hands in a circle L Rep, Rep, Trab, R Trab, L - Semi-Doppio (up, flat, spetz), R Rep, Rep, Trab, L Trab, R - Semi-Doppio (up, flat, spetz), Drop hands L - Semi-Doppio, R - Semi-Doppio, L - Sapphic step (leap-cut-trab), R - Sapphic step, L - Semi-Doppio Take hands in a circle R Rep, Rep, Trab, L Trab, R - Semi-Doppio (up, flat, spetz), L Rep, Rep, Trab, R Trab, L - Semi-Doppio (up, flat, spetz), Drop hands R - Semi-Doppio, L - Semi-Doppio, R - Sapphic step (leap-cut-trab), L - Sapphic step R - Semi-Doppio To slow section of music L - Spetz (puntato) mezzo-rev, R - Spetz (puntato) mezzo-rev To fast music again L - Spetz, R - Spetz, L - Sapphic step (leap-cut-trab), R - Sapphic step. Puntato, Puntato Take your partner by the hand, Rev 168

169 Page 255 [29] Furioso all Italiana [Furioso in Italian Style] Balletto Dedicated to the Most Illustrious and Excellent Lady Camilla Piccolomini Conti, Duchess of Carpeneto (Fig. IX) To begin with, three gentlemen stand in a line at one end of the hall, with an equal number of ladies at the other end; or two ladies and one gentleman [stand] at one end, and two gentlemen and one lady at the other end (as many be seen in the figure). The all make a long Reverence together opposite each other, with two breve continences. After this the gentleman and lady who are in the middle lead the dance, doing two half-double sequences forward, at the end of which you bend your knees a little in the manner of a half-reverence, without touching right hands. Then change places, the lady doing two more scurrying sequences; now before she takes her place in the middle she acknowledges the other person on her right, and while taking her place she acknowledges the person on her left. The gentleman does one half-double sequence forward, and two minum steps, and acknowledging the ladies, places himself in the middle, doing two falling jumps (he does the sequences with his left foot, and begins the steps and the falling jumps with his right); the others follow with the same [movements] together. Then, having arrived [again] in line, do a hay (or chain) this way: the gentlemen do four sequences as above, [either] slowly or scurryingly, beginning by turning to the right, and the ladies [turning] to the left, and so on. Then at the end of this section, the lady who was at the left will have arrived in the middle, while on the other hand the gentleman who was at the right will have arrived in the middle. Now by moving this way at each repetition of the music, everyone arrives at his own place [again], which would not happen if everyone began this hay or chain) by turning to the left, as was formerly done in this dance. It is also to be noted that each of the people in the middle must take his own turn, as the first ones did, changing places. Thus, at the end of all three repetitions [of the music], each one will have returned to his own place. The Sciolta of this Piece When everyone has had a turn, and the leaders of the dance are in the middle again, all make a long Reverence together, and do two sequences forward, bending your knees a little at the end in the manner of a half Reverence. Note that if this dance is done by two ladies, with one gentleman in the middle and two gentlemen and a lady, they should do it thus, and then do the chain, as I described in the dance called Contrapasso Nuovo. Now the gentleman touch hands with the ladies each time (now the right, now the left), always changing ladies; the ladies so the same to the other side. And if you do the dance this way it is better, and more perfect in theory than if done by three (or six) gentleman at one end of the hall, and as many ladies, who do the long Reverence and two breve continences in these playings, and after that begin the hay (or chain) in line without following any rule, so that at the end, the leading man, when turning to make the chain, give his right hand (which he had just dropped with the third lady) to the lady following him-and this is terribly wrong. [Long description of how to do it wrongly omitted.] When the Piece Changes All make a long Reverence together (both gentlemen and ladies), and do two breve sequences forward, bending your knees little in the manner of a half Reverence. The Sciolta of this Piece At the end of the two sequences, take hands in a circle in the usual courteous manner, and moving to the left, do two reprises, two falling jumps, and a half-double sequence, beginning with the left foot; 169

170 repeat to the right to the other side. after this drop hands, doing two half-double sequences flankingly, two Sapphic steps, and another half-double sequence forward, beginning with left. This done, take hands again in a circle, and do everything to the other side. Now similarly dropping hands, do the two sequences, Sapphic steps, and another sequence as above. Another Change of the Piece [Long description of how to do it wrongly omitted.] let me say that with the left foot, which you have in back, do one stopped broken sequence to the left, and a half Reverence with the right; repeat to the other side. Now if done this way the dance will be absolutely correct. Repeat the Sciolta Anew In the last playing, everyone does two broken sequences together, with two Sapphic steps flankingly forward. Finally, do two semibreve stopped steps. The in the same courteous manner as at the beginning, each gentleman takes his lady gently by the customary hand, and in this way, and by making a breve Reverence in four triple beats, bring this graceful dance to an end. 170

171 Composing Music for Dancing by Martin Bildner (mka Richard Schweitzer) Let s be honest; writing a good piece of music is hard! It might be fine if your name is J.S. Bach to churn out weekly masterpieces, but for us ordinary mortals composing even one memorable piece will probably be a dream. Fortunately, you don t need a great piece of music to have fun dancing. Let s face it; most of the Inns of Court and Playford dances really aren t that interesting. If you don t believe me, just watch the faces of the musicians the next time you request Picking up Sticks. All that a dancer wants is a steady beat, a regular rhythm, and a few distinct phrases that will help them remember what steps they are supposed to be doing. You can dance Black Nag just as easily to the Irish folksong Star of the County Down as the Beatles All My Loving or Let it Be (the latter is a little slow, but good for beginners as there is time enough to do the final hay twice in case they mess up). Creating music that sounds right for the period is a little challenging, but once you know what your outline looks like, writing period dance music is simply a matter of filling in the blanks. Just like everything else on this Earth, music is made from a combination of a number of elements. The Elements of Music that are used in music education include: Melody, Harmony, Meter, Rhythm, Form, Dynamics, Tempo and Timbre (Instrumentation). By examining other dances that you wish to emulate through these elements, it is possible to build up a template that you can then use to create new music. Fortunately, many of the elements are defined well enough that they don t really require much thought. Period instruments always make things sound period (just look at the medieval quintet Rondellus who do covers of heavy metal Black Sabbath songs -- with latin vocals), and Meter, Form, Tempo and even Rhythm are basically set by the dance steps. Playford s English country music, for example, generally is in 4/4 time, has 2 sections with 8 bar phrases Harmony is tougher, but if Playford didn t write harmonies, why should you. That really just leaves the Melody. A Melody is, simply put, a series of notes that the brain sees as a single unit. It can be described by its range (the distance between the highest to lowest notes), shape (what the line looks like if you play connect the dots with the notes), and how it moves. The last is particularly important to pay attention to. A melody can move by small steps (eg. G,F,E,F,G) or by leaps (eg. G,E,C,E,G,C), but if the leaps get too large or numerous the brain will stop seeing them as connected. The Superman theme song includes two jumps of a 7th, but most composers avoid anything larger than a 5th (and not too many of those either). Given this, most melodies end up with a shape that resembles a gentle wave. There are exceptions, like Joy to the World which has huge linear descending lines, but generally, melodies will start with shallow waves, build to a high point and then taper to the end, which not surprisingly mimics other elements of the musical phrasing. To create dance music in a particular style therefore, one needs to look at the other dances in the style you re trying to mimic and look for trends. The dances of Caroso, for example, generally have 171

172 medium ranges of an octave (C to C with a tonic of F) with exceptions such as Ballo del Fiore which has a narrow range of only a 5th (F to C ). The movement is generally stepwise with shallow waves, but these range from the short choppy waves of Nuova Regina to the long swells of Passo e Mezzo. The first rule to remember is there are exceptions to every rule. Every dance collection out there has a dance that doesn t quite fit with the others. So, if you want a song that sounds like it s from the Inns of Court, don t spend time looking at the bouncy rhythms of Turkelone when the other nine dances are smooth and flowing. Some collections/styles are also much easier to get a sense of then others. In the end, it all comes down to does it feel right. The trick is to figure out how to manipulate the Elements of Music to get that sense. THE TEMPLATE -- A Gresley Example One of the easier collections to mimic is the Gresley manuscript. With 13 scores, it is a large enough collection to see patterns, but not too large that it s overwhelming. It is also a very consistent collection. In creating your template, I recommend that you deal with the Elements in the following order: Meter, Form, Rhythm and then Melody. This will give you something danceable. Leave Tempo to the dancers, and Dynamics and Harmony to the musicians. Meter With 2 exceptions, the Gresley pieces are all in 6/8 time. As those two are also odd in other respects, it is best to ignore them. Form While not as predictable as Playford (with 3 verses of progression, siding, arming in an 8 bar phrase and a B section in between each), the Gresley dances do have patterns. There is always an opening trace of 4 or 8 bars (with a couple 6 bar examples to throw things off). About half the time, this phrase is repeated. After that, the sections are generally shorter, but there isn t much in the way of a predictable pattern. Rhythm Rhythm is one of the strongest unifying links in Gresley. Half start with the same pattern (¼,⅛,¼,⅛,¼,⅛,¼,⅛)(ta-ti-ta-ti, ta-ti-ta-ti) and almost as many end with the same pattern (¼,⅛,⅛,¼,¾) (ta-ti-ti-ta, too). In between, well over half have a slower section of dotted quarter notes. If you re working from one of the music-less dances, let the steps help to determine what sort of rhythm should accompany the movement. Use quick rhythms for quick steps and slow rhythms for slow steps (yah, I know -- it s not really rocket science). Make sure you pay attention to the shape of the dance. Most dances work in 4 bar phrases. Think of it as a musical sentence. If you listen to someone speak, a sentence will build towards the middle and then slow down at the end. Your rhythm should do the same. These sentences are then strung together into paragraphs or movements. At the end of these there should be a more dramatic slow down with a finished feel. In music, these are called cadences. 172

173 Melody In Gresley, the melodies tend to have a range of an octave. There are exceptions naturally, Eglamour only ever extends a 5th, while Talbott covers a 12 note span. However, within the octave, the ranges tend to a much smaller 5th with the higher notes kept for highlighting one section (usually the second). Gresley melodies are mostly split between the keys of C and F. They usually both start and finish on the tonic (same note as the key) although several of the pieces start on the 5th. The starting notes of the internal sections vary more, but they still tend to return to the tonic at the end. The progression of the melodies are mostly stepwise, but liberal use is made of jumps of 3rds and 5ths. There is also a general tendency to arrive at the final notes of phrases by coming down a step. In the end, it is tougher to explain how to create a new Gresley melody than to actually do it. With the key notes pre-selected, a limited palatte of notes to choose from, and standard rhythms that are indicated by the dance steps most of the time, writing a tune that fits the genre is mostly a mathematical exercise. 173

174 White Mensural Time Signatures By Crispin Sexi, AS 40 The Basics White mensural notation was used in Europe for the latter half of the 15thC and all of the 16thC for written music. White refers to the fact that most of the note heads are not filled in, while mensural refers to the fixed values of the notes in relation to each other. This notation is described by several period music theorists, including Tinctorus in the 15thC and Morely and Bathe in the 16thC. It is very close to modern notation, with the most notable differences being the diamond and oblong note heads, the rare use of barlines and the use of scary ligatures to sometimes combine groups of notes. The note lengths used in White Mensural Notation are as follows: Maxima (large): Long (longa): Breve (briefe): Semibreve (semibreife): Minim (minima): Crotchet (semiminima): Quaver: Semiquaver: Mensuration A less obvious, but important difference between modern and Renaissance mensuration is that each Renaissance note length may be equal in duration to either three (perfect) or two (imperfect) of the next smallest note: Perfect greater moode: = Imperfect greater moode: = Perfect lesser moode: = Imperfect lesser moode: = Perfect time: = Imperfect time: = Major (more) prolation: = Minor (less) prolation: = Crotchets and smaller notes are always divided by two. The mensuration was indicated by the Renaissance version of a time signature, which specified the applicable combination of greater moode, lesser moode, time and prolation, as in the following examples: 174

175 The circle indicates perfect greater moode, the 2 is for imperfect lesser moode, the three is for perfect time, and the dot in the circle is for major prolation. The broken circle is for imperfect greater moode, the 3 is for perfect lesser moode, the 2 is for imperfect time, and minor prolation is indicated by the missing dot. Note that the full circle represents the Trinity, a perfect whole made up of three parts. The C therefore is imperfect, and indicates only two parts to a whole. The combination of O/C, two numbers and a dot gives for 16 different mensurations. These were usually abbreviated, leaving off one or both numbers. When one number was left off, the O (or C) specified perfect (or imperfect) for both the greater and lesser moode. When both numbers were omitted, the O (or C) indicated the time as well as the greater and lesser moode. = = Sometimes, where abbreviated time signatures are used, the mensural ratio of the large to the long to the breve is indicated by the use of rests, and sometimes those ratios are assumed to be imperfect unless otherwise indicated, making for much confusion both then and now. Here are the more common time signatures, including the note divisions: : = : =, =, =, =, =, =, = : =, =, =, = : =, =, =, = : =, =, =, = : =, =, =, = Music theorists encouraged composers to alter their mensuration as often as seemed fit. This could be done within the space of a few notes. Different voices could also have different time signatures at the same time. Tempo In addition to these time signatures, various methods are used to indicate tempo, including slashed time signatures ( and ) known as diminution, which mean to play the piece twice as fast. A change in tempo within a piece may be indicated by one number above another number ( ). This means that the number of breves represented by the top number will now take as long to play as the number of breves at the bottom used to take. Troublesome Situations Even allowing for changing the time signature as often as the composer likes, tricky situations still arise. To get out of trouble, the following devices could be used: a dot following a note extends it by the next shortest note; a dot above a note ( prick of division ) can be used to indicate the previous note is extended, so that this note starts on a new beat; and the large, long and breve could all be drawn with black note heads to indicate they were worth two of the next smallest note, even in triple time. 175

176 The Four Misure of Dance The common time measures (being the number of counts per dance step) in Italian dance are Bassadanza, Quadernaria, Salterello and Piva. Joy and Jealousy assigns these the modern time signatures as follows: Bassadanza: Quadernaria: Salterello: Piva: or or sometimes Domenico felt that the difference of time between the four misure was 6:5:4:3. Commonly we use a ratio of 6:4:3:2 in order that all the note lengths keep the same duration while using the above time signatures, without need for a tempo change. Meanwhile, the dances transcribed in Joy and Jealousy show a variety of white mensural time signatures for the four misure. Looking at the original for Belregua, Fia Guielmina, Jupiter, Tesara, Sobria and Marcantia we get the following possibilities: - Bassadanza:, - Quadernaria:, - Salterello(?):, - Piva:,, Note that C is used in three different dance times; clearly the choice of moode, time, prolation and diminution is not straight-forward. Nor does the time signature necessarily change with a change of misure. Belfiore, for instance, combines quadernaria and piva in the same piece without any change of time signature in the original music. Fia Guielmina has sections of bassadanza in C and in C-dot. Why the variety? Unlike modern music, the time signatures used in white mensural notation do not dictate how many beats per measure. Rather they indicate the relationship between types of written note; how many semibreves per breve, how many minims per semibreve, and so on. The selection of a time signature is about the most elegant way to write the rhythm of the music without needing to resort too often to devices like dotted notes or pricks of division. A tenor line for bassadanza (in six) will show a preference for perfect time or prolation, whilst quadernaria (in four) will prefer imperfect time and prolation. One final factor was that the acidity of the black ink was bad for the paper, and therefore using lots of black notes damaged the manuscript. In Conclusion It must be noted that while Bathe's book agrees with the above definitions, Morley states that O on its own indicates imperfect greater and lesser moode. This might be a mistake in Morely's table showing the mensurations, since he otherwise confirms all other meanings above. It is also possible that composers and musicians alike were in disagreement over exactly which sign meant what. In the mid 15thC, Tinctorus had the O or C always represent the time, and greater and 176

177 lesser moode were indicated by use of a set of two or three Longa rests before the time signature. There are other interpretations and symbols used in time signatures, and in 1614, Ravenscroft published a book with the intention of sorting out the mess, once again having the O or C always be the time, but adding small numbers (33, 23 or 32) below it to show the greater and lesser moode. Where these two numbers are missing the musician is to assume the greater and lesser moode were imperfect. While this new method adds to the set of possible interpretations, it would appear that several composers at least from England were happy with Ravenscroft s proposal. I leave you with the words of John Dowland, from the introduction to Ravenscroft s book: Figurate Musicke doth in each Degree Require it Notes, of severall Quantity; By Perfect, or Imperfect Measure chang d: And that of More, or Lesse, whose Markes were rang d By Number, Circle, and Poynt: but various use Of unskild Composers did induce Confusion, which made muddy and obscure, What first Invention fram d most cleere, and pure. These, (worthy Ravenscroft) are restrain d by Thee To one fixt Forme: and that approv d by Me. Bibliography Bathe, William, A Briefe Introduction to the Skill of Song, c.1587, Boethius Press Limited, Kilkenny, Ireland, Morely, Thomas, A Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practicall Musicke, Peter Short, London, 1597 Ravenscroft, Thomas, A Brief Discovrse Of the true (but neglected) vse of Charact ring the Degrees by their Perfection, Inperfection, and Diminution in Measurable Musicke, against the Common Practise and Customs of these Times, London, Thomas Adams, Stephens, Vivian & Cellio, Monica, Joy and Jealousy, Real Soon Now Press, Pittsburgh, PA, Transcribing and Reading White Mensural Notation Accessed 19/6/2005 Mensuration - an introduction Accessed 19/6/

178 Counterpointing By Numbers By Crispin Sexi, AS 39 (This article assumes familiarity with reading music, an understanding of the basic triad chord containing the 1st, 3rd and 5th (eg CEG), and with the modes or at least the major and minor keys.) The rules of 16thC composition are many and varied, and they take a lot of study to get right. Or you could take note of Thomas Campion's short, but cunning treatise on the subject. According to Campion: The bass part is fundamental, all other parts stem from it. Pick a mode/key and time signature, and write a bass part that starts on the tonic, moves by leap (3rd, 4th, 5th) more than by step, and ends by leaping from the dominant to a full bar on the tonic. Avoid melodic repetition and keep the range of the line to a 9th or less. It is generally best to use minums and crotchets, and make the piece an even number of bars long. Next: Select the starting note for the soprano, alto and tenor with respect to the starting note of the bass: Sop 8 Alt 5 Ten 3 3 or or 3 8 (Note: 8 = octave, 5 = perfect fifth, 3 = major or minor 3rd, and these numbers include the same interval an octave further apart). Now for each part in turn consider the following chart and rules for determining every note thereafter: Check by what interval the bass part moves. If the bass moves by more than a 4th, transpose the interval by an 8ve. (Eg a rising 5th is treated as a falling 4th, Descending 8ve as a unison, and so on.) If the bass rises, look on the bottom row of the table. If it falls look on the top row. Look in the given row to find the last interval that your part has with the bass. Now look in the row below or above that number and you will find the next interval your part should have relative to the bass. Examples: 1) The soprano has an 8ve above the bass and the bass rises by a 3rd. Your next soprano note will be a 5th above the bass. 2) The tenor has a note a 3rd above the bass and the bass rises by a 5th (which you must treat as a falling 4th). Your next tenor note will be a 5th above the bass. 178

179 Further Rules: Special case 1: If the bass stays on the same note, the other parts can do the same OR they can all rise to the next note of the chord OR they can all fall to the next lower note of the chord. Special case 2: When you have a 3rd of a chord and the next note of that part is a step above, make the first interval a major 3rd. Special case 3: If the table says your next note is a 5th relative to the bass, but it would be a diminished or augmented 5th due to the mode or the previous note is an accidental (due to #2 above), make the 5th into a 6th instead. Special case 4: The last two chords (the dominant and tonic) should be major, regardless of the mode. The Dominant chord should also be major as often as sounds nice. For ionian (major), this is inherent in the key. For aeolian (minor), dorian and myxolydian just use accidentals (ignore phrygian, we won't go there today). And lastly; to finish off the piece you may smooth out the parts by inserting passing notes here and there as you may find pleasing. Bibliography: Campion, Thomas, (Simpson, C (Ed)) The Art of Descant, or Composing Music in Parts, William Godbid, London, With special thanks to Master Godfrey (Jeff Lee) for telling me all about this. 179

180 Die Baßmethode By Crispin Sexi, AS 43 The bass part is fundamental in Renaissance music. All higher parts are based upon it, moving with it and reacting to it. There are several period authors who have left us instructions on how to compose the higher parts, but I have yet to find a good method given for devising the bass. Here detailed is a method of my own invention. It is not foolproof, but can provide quite usable bass parts. Determine the number of notes For a choral song, the number of notes corresponds to the number of syllables the bass will sing. For instance, if the lyrics are Oh woe is me, though I love it cannot be your bass part will need 11 notes. For instrumental music, pick a number of notes that fits the expected length of the final piece. An 8 bar piece of music could comfortably fit 16 or so notes in the bass part. Pick a mode 16thC music was composed in one of five modes, similar to the major and minor keys of today. The mode you choose will affect the sound and emotion of the piece.1 Dorian: happy Phrygian: imploring Myxolydian: angry Aeolian: sad Ionian: delightful Each mode uses a scale made of a different sequence of tones and semitones in the natural notes. The cadence notes and accidentals commonly used in each mode are also different. Mode Tonic Dom Cadences2 Accidentals2 Dor D A D, A, F Bb, C# Phr E A E, A, G G#, C#, F# Myx G D G, D, C Bb, F# Aeo A E A, D, C G#, Bb Ion C G C, G, A Bb, F# Decide the range The maximum range of notes for bass singers and instruments is from F below the lowest line of the bass stave to D above middle-c. A smaller range is preferable, in order to cater to a wider selection of singers and instruments. It is normal to stay within the bounds of the bass stave and not employ any notes requiring ledger lines. Many period bass parts do not have a range of more than a 9th. 180

181 Write the start and end notes The first note of the bass part is the tonic of your chosen mode. The last note is also the tonic. The second-last note is the dominant. There you go - three notes of the bass part are already written! It was also common to start a piece with the bass part moving back and forth between the tonic and dominant in order to really establish the mode, so you may do so as well, before moving on to the next step. Die Methode Now roll a six-sided die to determine each remaining note of the bass part. 1 Repeat the same note or leap by an octave. 2 Move by a 2nd. 3 Move by a 3rd. 4 Move by a 4th. 5 Move by a 5th. 6 Go to the tonic or dominant, whichever was used least recently. Rules: 1) If a larger interval follows a smaller one, it may go downwards or change direction. 2) If a smaller interval follows a larger one, it may go upwards or change direction. 3) If a 2nd follow a 2nd, or a 3rd follows a 3rd, you may choose to go up or down. 4) Any other interval twice in a row must change direction. 5) If the note would be forced outside the range of the bass part (this can happen due to rule #1), ignore the roll and try again. An Example Say the Dorian mode has been selected. The first note is D. We roll the die and get 6. We were already on the tonic, so we move up a 5th to the dominant A. The next die roll is 2, so we can move by a second. This interval is smaller than the previous 5th, so we can choose to move either up to B or down to G. Let s pick up to B. The next roll might be 4, giving us a 4th. Since the last interval was a 2nd going up, we must change direction and go down to F. Continue on in this fashion until every note is written. Fixing it up a little Due to the random nature of this method, it is likely that the bass part you have just written will not sound completely satisfactory. Too many repetitions of the same intervals or the same notes in a row 181

182 are not very pleasing to the ear, so if this happens, such as in the following example, throw it away and start again. At the end of each section of music or phrase of lyrics, check that the last note is one of the cadence notes for the mode. If it is not, change it, but make sure the movement to and from the new cadence note still adheres to rules 1 to 5. The following example having me, sung on the note E would be no good for Dorian mode, but fine for Phrygian. Also check that the third-last note moves to the second-last note while still following the rules, and if it does not, roll the die again to find a new third-last note that does. Up until now, all notes in the bass part are natural. Most usually, a bass part will only make use of natural notes, however where an accidental is allowed for the mode, the sharps can be used in ascending phrases and the flats can be used in descending phrases. Accidentals should also be used to prevent any leaps of a diminished 5th or augmented 4th, otherwise known as tritones. In our first example, the B can be flattened, preventing the downward leap of a tritone from B to F. Finally, set the rhythm To complete your bass part, you will need to choose a time signature, either 3:4 or 4:4 and assign each note a length. If you have lyrics to work with, give longer syllables longer notes and shorter syllables shorter notes. Put stressed syllables on the first beat of the bar. Make sure the final note takes up a whole bar. Example in 4:4 time: Example in 3:4 time: Notes: 1) Extrapolated from the properties of the eight medieval modes in Agricola, p Dij. The five Renaissance modes are 182

183 discussed in Jepesson, though he does not mention temperaments assigned to them by any Renaissance theorists. 2) The more commonly used cadence notes are listed first. The more common accidentals are also listed first (Jeppesen p71-82). Bibliography Agricola, Martin, (tr. Trowell, John) The Rudiments of Music, Boethius Press, Aberystwyth, Wales, Jeppesen, Knud, Counterpoint, The Polyphonic Vocal Style of the Sixteenth Century, Dover Publications, New York,

184 Ravenscroft's Rounds, Catches, and Cannons Class presented by Jadwiga Krzyżanowska 184

185 Practice mp3's for the following rounds are available on The SCA Medieval and Renaissance Music Homepage in the Thomas Ravenscroft section at: in addition to the facsimile itself. 185

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189 Survey of European Dance Sources Peter and Janelle Durham (Trahaearn ap Ieuan and Jane Lynn of Fenmere) Burgundian Basses Danses There daunseth to gether a man and a woman, holding eche other by the hande or the arme the meving of the man wolde be more vehement, of the woman more delicate, and with lasse advauncing of the body, signifienge the courage and strenthe that ought to be in a man, and the pleasant sobreness that shulde be in a woman. -The Boke Named the Governour, 1531 About the Sources There is a broad array of information surviving on the repertoire of dances commonly known as Burgundian basse dances. Interestingly, the majority of the period sources appear to be derived from an original text which has been lost. The Brussels manuscript may be copied directly from the prototype, the Toulouze may be a direct copy, but researchers suspect there is one generation between it and the original. Moderne is based on Toulouze, and the Coplande translation is from either Brussels or the original. It is possible to make observations about the evolution of basse dance by examining the details of these generations of text, and several modern researchers have attempted to do just that. The manuscripts typically begin with a treatise (virtually identical throughout most sources) which discusses the theory and performance of basse dances. This is followed by a number of dances, which were tabulated as a tenor line, with abbreviations for the steps running on the line below the music, detailing the choreography. Music Music for these dances survives only in tenor lines, written in undifferentiated rhythmic values. Musicians were expected to improvise counter-tenor lines above the tenor. In outdoor settings, a sackbut might have played tenor notes while two shawms improvised counter melodies; a drum may have provided percussion. At intimate gatherings, ensembles might have included instruments such as flute, lute, viol, recorder or rebec. Or a solo wind player might have improvised a line of notes which refer back to the tenor. Specific choreographies are often associated with multiple tenor lines, and it has been theorized that any set of steps can be danced to any basse music of the right length. In the Brussels and Toulouze manuscripts, dances are composed of steps; in later sources, they are steps (common basse having 20) plus a standardized 12 step retour or moitié. Steps Almost the entire basse dance repertoire is based on combinations of only 4 steps. Each step takes the same amount of time, referred to as a breve, believed to have a duration of 3-4 seconds. 189

190 Singles (ss). the first step is done with the left foot raising the body and making the single step forward, and the second step is done with the right foot and one must raise the body and step a little forward. Singles were always done in pairs; the pair evenly dividing the three beats of the breve. Thus, a pair of singles counts as one step. Doubles (d). The first double step is done with the left foot; one must raise one s body and go three steps forward lightly, the first with the left foot, the second with the right foot, and the third with the left. There were almost always an odd number (1, 3, or 5). The first double began on the left, the second on the right, and so on. Desmarche (r). The second desmarche must be made with the left foot, lifting the body and turning it a little towards the lady; and following, bringing the right foot near the left foot raising the body similarly. Desmarches were done one at a time, or in clusters of three, always beginning on the right foot. In later sources, a desmarche was called a reprise. Branle (b). The branle must start with the left foot and end with the right foot, and is called a branle because one makes it swaying with one foot towards the other. Colophon from Toulouze, 1488 A courtly couple dance. Note musicians with flute and drum, the footwear and masks on the male dancers, and the inattentive spectators. Burgundy and France Philippe le Bon dies after a 48-year reign in which Burgundy has become the richest state in Europe. Charles the Bold becomes Duke of Burgundy, begins 10 year war with France. In 1482, Burgundy is absorbed into France Marriage of Marie of Burgundy, daughter of Charles the Bold, to Maximillian of Austria. Social Context Basse dance is believed to have been an extremely graceful dance, with the tempo adjusted so steps could be light and unhurried. The treatise on basse emphasizes that one walks peacefully, without great exertion, and as gracefully as possible. Basse implies a dance that is low to the ground, and these choreographies do not include any hops or jumps. As evidenced by the origin and ownership of various texts, Burgundian basses appear to have been known in France, England, Spain, and Italy. Purpose of the manuscripts: [The texts were] not intended to be read by performing musicians - dance musicians of the late fifteenth century surely played from memory Rather, this volume was designed as an aid to a noble student of the basse danse, who needed to commit to memory a repertory of complex choreographies. 190

191 Sample Dance: Alenchon The top illustration shows a page from the Brussels manuscript; the lower dance is Alenchon. The lower illustration shows Toulouze s version of the same dance. In the Brussels example, the steps of the dance are notated as R b ss d r ss d d d ss r r r b ss d ss r r r b ss d d d ss r r r b c. These steps were arranged into choreographies based on a structure of mesures. There is a general rule in basse dances that one always makes a desmarche first of all then one must do a branle, and next, two single steps, then the double steps [1, 3, or 5], and then two single steps if the measure of the basse dance requires it, and then the desmarches [1 or 3], and then the branle. Each specific arrangement had a term to describe it. The number of doubles determined whether it was petite, moierne or grande. It was called imperfect, perfect, or tres parfaites depending on whether the second set of singles was included. Primary Sources Paris, Biblio. nationale, f. fr c (Nancy ms.) Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, MS Approx (Brussels manuscript.) Transcription and translation by Kronenfeld and Gill in Letter of Dance 14, July 92. Facsimile at Library of Congress. Linked from S ensuit l art et instruction de bien dancer. (Toulouze) Published in Paris, c by Michel Toulouze. Facsimile: Cervera, Archivo Histórico, Ms. c Facsimile: Antonius Arena, Ad suos compagnones, Facs: Coplande. Maner of dauncynge of bace daunces. Bodleian Library, Douce B Brussels translated into English. Moderne. S ensuyvent plusieurs basse dances, tant communes que incommunes. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Coll. Rothschild, vi bis-66, No. 19. c Facsimile: Editions Minkoff Facsimile: (also a link to translation there) Salisbury, Transcription: Arbeau, Describes basse dance, says it is out of date. Secondary Sources Crane, Frederick. Materials for the Study of the Fifteenth Century Basse Dance. (Institute of Medieval Music, 1968.) Heartz, Daniel. The Basse Dance: Its Evolution circa 1450 to Annales Musicologiques 6, Jackman, James L. Fifteenth Century Basse Dances. Books for Libraries, Transcriptions of Brussels and Toulouze with dance descriptions from each source collated for easy comparison. 191

192 Kronenfeld, Nathan. A Reconstruction of the Brussels Manuscript. Letter of Dance 16, June Recordings 15th c dances from Burgundy and Italy. Guildhall Waits. From 4 dances Music from the time of Richard III. York Waits, From amazon.com 3 dances Sonare e Ballare. Bedford Waits. DHDS, dances. The Tape of Dance, Volume 2. Dani Zweig and Monica Cellio, LOD2, Includes 9 basses arranged by Mustapha al-muhaddith; synthesizer by Delbert von Strassburg. 192

193 Domenico and Students I will now present those balli and bassedanze which are beyond the mundane, made for elegant halls, and only to be danced by very proper ladies not by those of the lower classes. -Cornazano About the Sources Italian bassedanze and balli of the 15th century appear in the works of three Italian dancemasters. Domenico da Piacenza ( ) is credited as the first dance choreographer to establish an Italian school of the dance, and his students Cornazano and Guglielmo describe themselves as his devoted disciples and fervent imitators. De arte saltandi et choreas ducendi, from 1455, was written by anonymous scribes or students of Domenico. It includes 23 dances and their music as well as a theoretical treatise. Antonio Cornazano ( ) was an Italian poet and courtier, who presented his Libro dell arte del danzare to the daughter of the Duke of Milan in A copy from 1465 survives. It contains a treatise and 11 of Domenico s dances. Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro / Giovanni Ambrosio ( ) was a dance master, choreographer, composer, and theorist. His De practica seu arte tripudii survives in seven known versions, plus three existing fragments, dating from at least 1463 to It includes a theoretical introduction on the elements of dance and other topics. This is followed by the practice, which includes choreographies of approximately 31 dances: 14 bassedanze, and 17 balli. Music The sources describe 4 kinds of misura or measures. Bassadanza. a slow measure in 6. Quadernaria. A slow measure in 4. Saltarello. A fast measure in 2, similar to modern 3/2 or 6/4. Piva. The fastest measure, similar to our 6/4. The bassedanze is a general term for four different kinds of dance, differing in tempo and steps. A bassedanze is danced to only one of these misura in any given dance. A ballo typically includes sections composed in a number of different measures. Contemporary sources indicate that appropriate instrumentation would be either two or three shawms and a slide trumpet for dance festivals, or the harp, lute, and flute for quieter settings. The one-handed pipe and tabor are not seen in pictures, but are mentioned in literary documents. Style Guglielmo says the following 6 elements must be minutely and perfectly grasped, for if one of these is lacking in any way, the art [of the dance] would not be truly perfect. Misura. Measure is the ability to keep time to the music, so steps will be in perfect accord with the aforesaid tempo. Memoria. It is necessary... to have a perfect memory... to recall all those elements that need to be remembered while adapting to unexpected changes in the music. Partire di Terreno. In narrow rooms, it is advisable to use one s wits to measure and partition the ground... Aiere. An act of airy presence and a rising movement... Domenico uses the metaphor of a gondola riding calm water, the waves rising slowly and lowering themselves quickly. Mayniera. Manner is an adornment or shading of the movement of the body to match the movement of the feet. 193

194 Movimento corporeo. Dance must be measured, mindful, airy, well-partitioned, and gracious... far easier to the shapely, the nimble, and those well-endowed with grace... Painted miniature from Guglielmo s 1463 treatise. Shows appropriate clothing and musical accompaniment. The unusual handhold is a subject of academic debate: it is unknown whether hands were joined in this manner for dancing, or merely for the sake of the artist s caprice. Northern Italy Sforzas rule Milan, making their court a rival to the Medici s, attracting scholars and exiles Florence s Cosimo de Medici dies at 75 while listening to one of Plato s dialogues. Lorenzo heads Florentine state from Donatello s art and Alberti s architecture symbolize era. Social Context Period descriptions of a festival in Florence in April of 1459 reveal several things about the place of dancing in 15th century Italian society. This festival was held outdoors in the Mercato nuovo, where raised platforms were set for the musicians, and for those who did not dance because of age or weight. This festival was attended by sixty youths dressed up for the beautiful dance, [forty of whom] wore clothing decorated with brocade and by nearly 150 ladies all coiffured and very ornately dressed. After a fanfare of twenty trombetti had announced the arrival of important rulers and great champions, the pifferi and trombone players began to play a saltarello artistically and artfully constructed. Then every squire chose his wife or a maiden and began dancing... they danced a great bit to the saltarello, then to various dances as requested by this person or that they performed Lauro Lioncello Belriguardo Two young women who were blessed with beautiful faces... went over to invite the gentle count [he] took his place between them and danced without making a mistake. men and women stood and bowed every time the three dancers passed by... [then] they escorted him back to his place. In addition to social dancing, there is also a mention of a dance competition in Guglielmo s autobiography: A very great festival was held and I was pressured to dance. Prizes were given to me and to the woman who danced with me... a beautiful handkerchief of silk... and a purse. Theatrical dances, moresche, appear in contemporary sources: One in 1474 was a morality in praise of Chastity (but with Cleopatra leading various lascivious women of antiquity ) culminated in a bassadanza performed around Chastity by six queens, followed by 12 nymphs who danced in a ring around them. These were danced by dance-masters, by professional dancers, or by courtiers themselves. 194

195 Sample Dance: Mercantia The dance Mercantia appears in Domenico, Cornazano, and most of the Ebreo manuscripts. Cornazanno says Mercantia is a dance appropriate to the name, because one lone woman dances with three men and gives attention to all of them, as if she were a merchant of lovers. First do eleven tempi all four together, & the woman goes with one man, & the other two together: the woman should be with the couple in front & they stop. Next the men at the back should separate with six riprese sideways, the one going to the left hand and the other to the right. Next the woman does a half turn to the left hand. The man her parner goes forward with three doppii starting on the left foot, and the woman comes to remain with the other two men in a triangle. And next the man that is to the right departs with two sempii and one doppio starting on the left foot, & comes to touch the hand of the woman, and then turns to the right hand with two sempii & a doppio, starting on the right, and returns to his place, where he was. Next his partner that is to the left hand does the same. And note that the woman should do a volta tonda to turn, when the first man comes to touch her hand. And she should do this same to the second man. Next the top man should do a half turn to the right side. & then the menat the bottom take hands and do two singles & a double with the right foot in front, & change their places. Next that man which is at the top departs with two tempi of saltarello beginning with the left and finishing on the right. And he goes next to the woman. And then the woman turns toward the man, and the man touches her hand with a reverence on the left. And next the same man goes to the left hand of the woman. & he comes to take the man that is on the right hand with two singles and a double beginning on the right. And he who was on the left hand comes to take the woman with these same steps, and he remains with the woman. Left is part of the music and text for Mercantia from Cornazano. Right is the music, from the Guglielmo Ebreo ms. in Paris. The translation by Trahaearn is based on text from this latter source. Primary Sources Domenico. Facimile: Smith, A. William. Fifteenth Century Dance and Music: Twelve Transcribed Italian Treatises and Collections in the Tradition of Domenico da Piacenza. Pendragon Press, Includes introductory information, transcriptions and translations of multiple manuscripts, concordances, etc. Sparti, Barbara. De practica seu arte tripudii. On the Practice or Art of Dancing. Oxford: Clarendon Press, Introduction, transcription, and translation of 1463 Guglielmo. Sources Kinkeldey, Otto. A Jewish Dancing Master of the Renaissance. Dance Horizons, 1966, reprint from Stephens & Cellio. Joy and Jealousy: A Manual of 15th century Italian Balli. Self-published, Download at: Manual, including step reconstructions, dance reconstructions, and musical arrangements. Wilson, D.R. The Steps Used in Court Dancing in 15th century Italy. Self-published,

196 Recordings Mesura et Arte del Danzare. Balli Italiani del Quattrocento. Academia Viscontea I Muicanti. Ducale CDL 002, Available from itunes. Forse Che Si Forse Che No. Ferrarra Ensemble. Fonti musicali fmd 182, Out of print To celebrate a prince. Alta. Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society, See also: all recordings under Burgundian Basse section. 196

197 John Banys s Notebook About the Source It is a slightly embarrassing story, wrote David Fallows in his introduction to the first transcription of the dances from John Banys notebook. In 1984 a colleague sent him copies of 13 dance melodies from a notebook found in the Derbyshire Record Office, but believing it to be Elizabethan, he filed and forgot them. In 1995, when passing them on to another colleague, he realized the music was much earlier, from about Two days later, he visited the office, and discovered that the notebook also contained 26 detailed choreographies, and a list of 91 dance titles. He realized the historical significance of the find, and quickly published the contents. Fallows described the source as a tiny pocket book, 12½ x 9 cm (4¼ x 3¾ inches). The volume consists of an outer cover plus three gatherings of, respectively, 11, 6, and 6 bifolia. Most leaves are of paper (now covered by transparent repairing paper and strengthened by Japanese tissue, making it almost impossible to see any watermarks); but parchment is used for the cover as well as for the outer and inner bifolia of each gathering plus the sixth bifolium of the first 11-bifolium gathering. In addition to the dance information, the volume also contains treatises in Latin on chiromancy (palm reading) and physiognomy (judgment of character from facial features), as well as a collection of Latin prayers. The attribution of the work to John Banys comes from the name appearing twice in the volume: at the end of the second gathering, and inside the back cover. The name is written in the same hand and with the same ink as the rest of the text. Fallows was not able to find references to Banys in historical documents, but notes in the back cover make reference to a Mr. Rauff Shyrley of Stanton. The Shirleys were a well-known family in southern Derbyshire, and a Ralph Shirley headed the family around the time of the volume (he married in 1496, died in 1517, but lived in Shirley rather than Stanton). Steps The 26 dances described in the notebook share a common style and step vocabulary. The casualness of the descriptions implies that Banys was familiar with a set of practices and steps common to the repertoire. Unfortunately, Banys does not record these, so we are forced to read between the lines to determine what some of the terms may mean. In some cases, there are obvious parallels to contemporary continental steps. The brawle sounds like the basse danse branle, and the torne echoes the Italian volta. Other steps, however, do not have obvious counterparts. The step flowrdilice sounds like fleur-de-lis, but what does the dancer do to accomplish this? The instruction is given sometimes to multiple dancers, and at other times to a single dancer. Similarly, the rak step requires some interpretation and research. Another open question is the nature of the opening sequence of the dances. Most of them are notated with trace, trace, or doble trace after the title, and many descriptions begin with After the end of the trace. Three dances have descriptions of steps before After the end of the trace, but there is no obvious pattern by which to extend the different sets of steps to the other dances. Music Like many dance sources, the notebook contains only melody lines for the music. Nevile in her 1999 paper explores the structure of the music. She finds no pattern to the repeat schemes used, or to the lengths of musical phrases. She concludes that the music and dances are tightly coupled. The tunes do not follow the structure of the basses danses, with a single note length throughout, but rather vary their rhythms. Mensuration changes for some of the dances, which opens the question of whether the different sections would have been performed differently. 197

198 John Banys signature from page 69 of the notebook. At right, 16th century brass monument of an unknown Tudor couple from St. Peter's Church in Brown Candover, Hampshire. England Henry VII is King of England. He restores a strong central government, promotes trade, and avoids foreign wars Black lead pencils, composed of graphite mixed with clay, are introduced. Social Context Little definite is known about the state of dance in England during the early Tudor years. Jennifer Nevile presented some information in her 1998 paper. Citing Streitberger, she says that accounts of the Revels Office collected during this time contain references to mores daunces, several baas dances in 1501, and a pabana in The revels subsumed a variety of forms, including the pageant, the mummery, the morris, the tourney, barriers, the disguising, the play, and the mask. They depended upon variety, and variety in the disguising depended on elaborate costuming and intricate dancing. In 1494, the Twelfth Night celebration included a disguising of 12 gentlemen and 12 ladies. The ladies were described as dancing very demurely, with no violent gestures or movements to disturb their limbs, whereas the gentlemen progressed down the hall leaping and dancing, and after unmasking continued for an hour, performing lepys Ganbawbys & turningys above the ground which made that theyr spangyls of goold & othyr of theyr Garnyisshys ffly ffrom theym Ryght habundantly. Nevile observes that lepes in the dances in the notebook only occur in dances which are specifically for men. In 1999, Nevile explores the names of the dances. Many are names of English families who would have been well known in the late fifteenth century. She suggests that Kendall could refer to John Kendall, secretary to Richard III [ ] who was killed fighting for Richard at Bosworth field. She also notes that Talbot was the family name of the Earls of Shrewsbury, and Mowbray the family name of the Dukes of Norfolk. The later Italian sources regularly dedicate dances to the nobility of the time, and it may be that this practice was also followed in England. Sample Dance: Esperans Esperans is the first dance described in the manuscript, and one of the few dances with accompanying music. The illustration below is the first page of the description of Esperans, taken from the CD-ROM facsimile issued by the Derbyshire County Council. The text of the dance follows; the transcription is from David Fallows article in the RMA Research Chronicle. Esperans de tribus: Trace. All the 6 singlis with a trett. Then the fyrst man goo compas till he come behend, whil the medyll retrett thre, and the last 3 singlis, and the medil 3 singlis, levyng the last on the 198

199 left hand, and the last 3 retrettes. Thus the medill endyth before the last in the meddist and the ferst behynd. Thus daunce 3 tymes, calling every man as he standdith. After the end of the trace, the ferst 3 furth outward turnying ayen his face. Then the last contur hym, and the medill to the fyrste; and then the first to his place. Then the last to the medyll and the medyll to the last mans place. The first and last chance place whil the medyll tornyth. Al at onys retrett 3 bake. Bak al at ons. Then the first turne whill the last turne in (in) his own place. Then al togeder thre furth. Above, the music for Esperans and Bayonn from John Banys s notebook At left, the instructions for Esperans Primary Source Matlock, Derbyshire Record Office D77 box 38 (Gresley). Facsimile: Derbyshire County Council and Document Control Services. John Banys Medieval Dance Notebook. CD-ROM facsimile. Additional Sources Fallows, David. The Gresley Dance Collection. In Royal Musicological Association Research Chronicle, 29, Neville, Jennifer. Dance Steps and Music in the Gresley Manuscript. In Historical Dance, 3.6, Webb, Cait. Eschewynge of Ydleness: Steps for Dancing. Manual with reconstructions. Wilson, David. Performing Gresley Dances: the View from the Floor. In Historical Dance, 3.6, Recordings Eschewynge of Ydleness. Misericordia and Gaita. Available from A Consort of Dances, Dragon Scale Consort. Music for one dance (Ly Bens) 199

200 Arbeau s Orchesography For dancing is practised to reveal whether lovers are in good health and sound of limb, after which they are permitted to kiss their mistresses in order that they may touch and savour one another, thus to ascertain if they are shapely or emit an unpleasant odour as of bad meat. Therefore, from this standpoint, quite apart from the many other advantages to be obtained from dancing, it becomes an essential in a well-ordered society. -Arbeau About the Source Orchesography is presented in the form of a dialogue between a dance master and a law student who desires to learn more of the noble art of dance, for a knowledge of dance render[s] one s company welcome to all. This dialogue provides a wealth of information about the place of dance in 16th century society, as well as providing invaluable details on the dances themselves. The tabulation for each dance includes a basic melody line running vertically along the page, with the steps written next to it, carefully aligned with the notes. Thus it is clear how long each step takes to perform, and which part of the music each step lines up with. Another valuable aspect of Arbeau s work is that drawings of dancers executing each step accompany the textual descriptions of those steps, helping to ensure accurate reconstructions, and each dance is carefully described and tabulated. Music Arbeau provides a basic tune for each type of dance, which often can be found in a four-part setting in other period sources, including those published by Attaignant, Susato, Moderne, and Phalèse. The pavan, Arbeau s basse dance, and the majority of the branles are in duple time. The galliard, tordion, and lavolta are danced in triple time, with a characteristic ¾ (or 6/4) rhythm with a strong accent on the fourth beat, which emphasizes the pattern of the dance steps. Dance music could be played by a single musician, playing both tabor (drum) and flute; however, Arbeau states that there is no workman so humble that he does not wish to have hautboys and sackbuts at his wedding. Pavans and basses could be played on violins, spinets, flutes, and hautboys, with the tabor s rhythm providing an immense help in bringing the feet into the correct positions. Dances Within the SCA, Arbeau s work is best known for branles, the pavan, and galliarde. Although the branle as a well-known form of dance remained in vogue for over two hundred years, Arbeau s descriptions are the single best resource we have for learning how these dances were performed. He includes instructions for 23 different branles, giving us a varied and enjoyable repertoire of this form of dance. Branles were done as a line, the ends of which could be joined to form a circle. Arbeau says When you begin a branle, several others join hands with you, as many young men as damsels: and sometimes she who is at the last to arrive at the dance, takes your left hand, & thus makes a round dance. If the branle was danced as a line, the person at the far left end was the leader of the line, and this appears to have been an honored position to hold. Arbeau s pavan is quite simple, being made up of two singles and a double forward and two singles and a double backward, or, if the dancers did not wish to move backwards, the pavan could instead proceed forward, circling the room two or three times. Arbeau discusses the galliarde (and its variants, lavolta and tordions) in detail; these are also discussed in Caroso and Negri. Arbeau also includes brief looks at several dances which are covered in more detail in other sources, including: the Alman, the Coranto, Canaries, Basse Dance, and Morris Dance. His treatise ends with an in-depth discussion of Bouffons or Buffens, a sword dance with costumed dancers, meant to be performed as part of a masque. 200

201 The position of partners took in relation to each other is shown in Arbeau, both through illustrations and text, as the lady on the gentleman s right, her left hand resting palm down upon his right hand. Their arms are relaxed at their sides, with hands held at waist level. France 1589 These illustrations from Arbeau show the reverence and a capriole, or moving of the feet in the air during a large jump. Capriol also happens to be the name of the student in the dialogue. In addition to showing us the right foot and body positions, the illustrations show what costume is appropriate. At left, Portrait of a Lady. French, painted This painting shows some additional detail for costume of this period Catherine de Médicis dies at age 69. She was the daughter of Lorenzo de Médicis. She was queen consort of Henry II, then later regent for her son Charles IX Henri of Navarre becomes King of France, beginning the House of Bourbon, after Henri III is murdered by a Dominican monk at St. Cloud outside Paris. Social Context Arbeau perceived dance as a pleasant and profitable art which confers and preserves health; proper to youth, agreeable to the old and suitable to all provided fitness of time and place are observed. He implies that people of all ages and all social classes participated. We can infer that the dances he described were suitable to his own social class, the educated upper middle class. He states the pavan is employed by kings, princes, and great noblemen, while the Haut Barrois is danced by lackeys and serving wenches, and sometimes by young men and damsels of gentle birth in a masquerade. He recommends dance for young girls and discusses the influence of wise and dignified matrons on the fashion in dance. Arbeau says that Musicians are all accustomed to beginning the dances at a feast with a certain Suite of branles, which are performed by various groups: the elderly solemnly dance the double and single branles; the young married dance the gay branle; and the youngest of all lightly dance the Burgundy branle. When dancing at a feast was begun with a suite of branles, it appears that all the guests joined in. Mersenne writes, in describing his Suite: There are six kinds [of branles] which are danced now-adays at the opening of a Ball, one after the other, by as many persons as wish; for the entire company, joining hands, perform with one accord a continual branle... Sample Dance: Double Branle Arbeau s description of this dance is very detailed, as this is the first branle covered in Orchesography. Since you already know how to dance the pavan and the basse dance it will be easy for you to dance branles in the same duple time, and you should understand that the branle is danced by moving sideways and not forward. To begin with, in what is called the double branle you will perform one 201

202 double to the left and then one double to the right; you are well aware that a double consists of three steps and a pieds joints. To perform these sideways, you will assume a proper bearing after the révérence of salutation, and, while keeping the right foot firmly in position, throw your left foot out to the side which will make a pieds largis for the first bar. Then for the second bar, keep the left foot firmly in position, bringing the right foot near to the left which will make a pieds largis that is almost a pieds joints. For the third bar, keep the right foot firm and throw the left foot out to the side which will make a pieds largis, and for the fourth bar keep the left foot firm and bring the right foot close to it which will make a pieds joints. These four steps, made in four bars or tabor rhythms, we shall call a double à gauche, and you will do the same in the opposite direction for a double à droit. Namely, while keeping the left foot firmly in position you will throw the right foot out to the side, which will make a pieds largis for the fifth bar. Then for the sixth bar keep the right foot firm and bring the left foot near to the right, which will make a pieds largis that is almost a pieds joints. For the seventh bar, while keeping the left foot fast, you will throw the right foot out to the side, which will make a pieds largis. Finally, for the eighth bar, you will keep the right foot fast and bring the left foot close to it, which will make a pieds joints, and these last four steps we call double à droite. And thus, in these eight steps and bars the double branle will be accomplished as you will see in the tabulation, and you will repeat from the beginning making a double à gauche and then a double à droite. This tabulation, from the Fonta reprint, shows the alignment of steps with the music. For many dances in Arbeau, the tabulation is the main reference for the dance. In the case of this dance, Mary Stuart Evans translation above shows the patience of Arbeau s description. Primary Source Arbeau, Thoinot. Orchesographie. Lengres, Facsimile at Library of Congress website, linked from Facsimile of 1888 Fonte reprint, Forni, Translation by Mary Stewart Evans with notes by Julia Sutton: Dover, Recordings New York Renaissance Band. Orchesographie. (aka Washerwomen, War, and Pease) Arabesque Recordings, Z6514, Broadside Band. Danses Populaires Françaises & Anglaises. Harmonia Mundi, HMC , Very pretty, very danceable to, but some dances are a little slow. Several dances from Arbeau appear on the cross-genre recordings listed at the end of this article. 202

203 Caroso, Negri, and contemporaries [Knowledge of dancing] is so essential to one of good breeding, that when it is lacking it is considered a fault worthy of reproof. As a result of dance many other praiseworthy and honourable qualities may be acquired, for through physical exercise one keeps fit and becomes agile and dexterous; one also learns proper deportment... required by etiquette and ceremony. In sum, dance conjoins grace, beauty, and decorum in the eyes of the beholder. -Caroso About the Sources Fabritio Caroso and Cesare Negri were dancemasters to the courts of Italian nobility in the last half of the 16th century. Caroso s volumes include Il Ballarino, published in Venice in 1581, and Nobiltà di Dame, published in Venice in 1600, reprinted in 1605, and under a different title in Negri s work, Le Gratie d Amore, was published in Milan in 1602, and re-issued under a different title in 1602 and A manuscript translation into Spanish was done in These books have ornate title pages, several colophons showing initial positions for the dances, and decorative capitals throughout. They each contain a treatise on steps, style, and etiquette, followed by choreographies of dances with accompanying music. They include detailed instructions regarding the behavior of and toward princes and princesses. While Caroso and Negri s works are the most widely available and most studied sources from this category of dance, other sources survive. The earliest known source, according to Barbara Sparti, is a letter dated 1559 containing a description of La caccia (Compasso, 5). The earliest known book is Lutio Compasso s Ballo della Gagliarda, printed in This book contains 165 galliard variations, of increasing complexity, the first being Li cinque tempi firmi. In 1600, Livio Lupi da Caravaggio s Libro di Mutanze di Gagliarda, Passo e Mezzo, Canario, é Passeggi was published, with a second, slightly increased, edition in The 300 pages of the second edition include step descriptions, instructions and music for Alta Carretta and Leggiadra Pargoletta, as well as the hundreds of mutanze, or variations, promised in its title. Recently made available is a facsimile of a manuscript by Ercole Santucci Perugino, titled Mastro da Ballo and dated to 1614, which is described in the introduction by Sparti as clearly following the Caroso-Negri style, with very detailed choreographic descriptions, but also some new variations in both steps and mutanze that may anticipate the later French baroque dance style (Santucci, 91). Music The music is notated in Italian lute tablature, which shows the sequence of strings and frets played. Some dances are also accompanied by a separate melody in mensural notation. Rooley (Early Music, 1974) states the music has only a simple tune (e.g. an 8 bar strain), intended to be repeated endlessly, and the barest harmonic framework for support. This suggests the player of the melody instrument (e.g. cittern or lute) improvised constantly changing divisions. 203

204 The opening position for Contentezza d Amore, in Nobiltà di Dame. Caroso advises gentlemen: Be careful never to dance without your cape, because this looks most unsightly... when a gentleman wears a sword while dancing these lively dances, he should hold it with his left hand, so that it will not wave around wildly... [when doffing the hat for a reverence] turn the inside of your bonnet toward the thigh. He also includes advice for removing gloves when invited to dance. Ladies are advised on how to wear chopines properly, and how to manage their farthingales. Negri. From Le Gratie D Amore. Dances The choreographies of these dances are quite lengthy, and often verbose, but are essentially a series of step names linked by a number of stock phrases which indicate basic floor patterns, the direction of individual steps, and the presence of courtesy movements. These dances are made up of a large number of steps, which are described in a varying manner throughout the sources: Il Ballarino contains 52 named steps, Nobilta has 67, and Negri s Le Gratie d Amore has two dozen. The emphasis in this period was on the footwork, which was vigorous, complex, skillful and speedy. Dances included familiar types, such as pavans, galliards, and corantos; miming dances; flirtatious balli which were effectively choreographed chases, and mixers in which dancers changed partners throughout the dance. Within all of the prescribed choreograpies, improvisation was highly regarded as skilled ornamentation of the dance. Negri s work includes 70 pages of galliard variations. Italy New Gregorian calendar adopted by Roman Catholic countries throughout Europe Plague and famine strike Italian states Galileo leaves Pisa after challenging the notion that objects fall at a rate proportional to their weight. He tested this by dropping cannonballs off the leaning tower Italy s population is 13 million. Social Context Within these sources, each dance is dedicated to a noble lady, and is preceded by a dedicatory poem extolling her virtues. The honored ladies include the Queen of France, the Queen of Spain, the Duchess of Mantua and so on. It is likely that many of ladies were not personally known by the authors, who may have included their names in order to flatter them (and possibly to gain favor with them in return). However, it is clear that the dancemasters of the time did frequently deal with royalty and were in the employ of young aristocrats training for important court occasions. Caroso includes notes on conduct which shed light on numerous aspects of dance in his society: When a prince or gentleman is invited to dance by a lady, it is improper for anyone else to take his [seat]. It 204

205 is the custom to invite cardinals to parties of importance (that is, for the nobility), and to seat them according to precedence: dukes, princes, marquises, counts, lords, and knights. When inviting a gentleman to dance, it is best for a lady to look directly at her chosen partner so that those sitting near to or behind him will not need to rise, thus avoiding any ensuing scandal. Now as he rises, the gentleman who she has invited should remove his right glove at the same time as she makes a Reverence to him, and and she should pretend to adjust her dress, making it sway. Sample Dance: Contentezza d Amore The name of this dance means the contentment of love. It appears in Il Ballarino, and then in Nobilta di Dame with corrections. Below are the instructions for Contentezza from Nobilta di Dame; the translation by Julia Sutton of the first four sections is presented following. Stand opposite each other holding both hands, as shown in the figure, and make a long Reverence in time to the music, with two breve continences. Then do two reprises, two falling jumps, and one breve sequence to the left; repeat to the other side. At the end, the gentleman drops the lady's right hand, in the usual courteous manner, and both make a Reverence as before, beginning everything with the left foot, and then with the right foot. In the second playing, progress together holding hands (not as before, when the lady progressed first, and the gentleman afterwards, for I say that to dance it thus was quite wrong). You must, then, do two dreve stopped stepps together, with two semibreve steps and one breve sequence, beginning with the left foot; repeat to the other side, both the stopped steps as well as the other movements, beginning with the right foot. After this, turn to face towards each other at the other end of the ballroom, without dropping hands, and do two grave falling jumps, each in one beat, and three quick [falling jumps], in the time of two beats, beginning with the left foot. At the end do two breve continences, one with the left foot and the other with the right. In the third playing, progress by doing the same passage to the other side, beginning with the right foot, and returning to the place where you began the dance. In the fourth playing, take right hands and do two breve sequences, at the end of which drop hands in the usual courteous manner. Then turn to the left, with two more sequences, one going to one end of the ballroom, the other to the other end. This done, opposite each other, do two stopped steps, two more 205

206 sequences flankingly, two grave falling jumps, and one dexterous step, beginning these movements with the left foot. Finally, do two stopped steps, as above. Primary Sources Caroso, Fabritio. Il Ballarino Facsimile: Broude Bros., Facsimile at Library of Congress website, linked from Transcription: Caroso, Fabritio. Nobiltà di Dame Facsimile: Forni, Facsimile at Library of Congress website, linked from Transcription: Book with translation by Julia Sutton, includes modern music. Oxford University Press, Revised paperback edition titled Courtly Dance of the Renaissance from Dover, Compasso, Lutio. Ballo della Gagliarda Facsimile with intro and notes: fa-gisis, Transcription: Lutii, Prospero. Opera Bellissima Nella Quale Si Contegono Multe Partite, Et Passeggidi Gagliarda... Perugia: Transcription: Negri, Cesare. Le Gratie D'Amore Facsimile. Broude Brothers, Translation by Gustavia Yvonne Kendall: University Microfilms International, Santucci. Mastro del Ballo Facsimile with extensive introduction: George Olms, Additional Sources Lehner, Markus. A Manual of 16th c Italian Dance Steps. fa-gisis, Compares descriptions of steps from several primary sources. Wortelboer, Dorothee. Celeste Giglio: Flowers of 16th c dance. Manual. Tactus Music, Recordings The Broadside Band. Il Ballarino, Italian Dances c Hyperion CDA (Companion manual available from Ensemble la Follia. Le gratie d Amore. Dynamic, 1997 Lacrimae Ensemble. Celeste Giglio. Erasmus, Companion to Wortelboer. Available from 206

207 The Old Measures About the Sources The Old Measures are a collection of dances described in several informal sources spanning over a century. The sources that survive to describe the dances are not formal works, but rather notes discovered in the documents of people associated with the inns. These are: 1. the personal notebook of Eliner Gunter; 2. a sheet signed in 1594 by John Willoughbye of Devon; 3. a list of dances in a collection of miscellaneous papers by John Stowe and others; 4. a sheet entitled Practise for Dauncing in a collection by John Ramsay; 5. a Copey of the oulde measures written by a young Elias Ashmole, where he writes Rowland Osborne taught me to dance these measures ; 6. a list of The Measures as they are Danced in the Inner Temple Hall, signed by Butler Buggins, who was Master of Revels of the Inner Temple in ; and 7. a Copy of the old Measures in the Inner Temple, also signed by Buggins, which includes some music. The sources have significant differences in their text, but they do have common structure: six begin with the same seven dances in the same order. Some of the sources are associated with the Inns of Court, four groups of buildings in London where English trial lawyers lived, studied, taught, and held court. In period, young aspiring lawyers came to the Inns to study law from lawyers who resided there. Since the 1400 s, the Inns sponsored revels for various holidays filled with singing, dancing, and other pastimes. In the 1600 s, Sir William Dugdale wrote: Nor were these Exercises of Dancing merely permitted; but thought very necessary (as it seems) and much conducing to the making of gentlemen more fit for their Books at other times. Music Of the seven sources, only one includes music, and that one only gives music for five dances. However, there are several contemporary sources which include settings for almans that can be adapted for use with these dances, and Pugliese-Casazza also includes modern music composed in a period style for one dance which has no extant music available. The sources also do not indicate instrumentation, but Thomas Morley s work from the same period would indicate that a consort of violin, flute or recorder, bass viol, lute, cittern, and bandora would be appropriate (Rooley, 1974). Alman music is typically in moderate imperfect time. Dances Many kinds of dance are described in the manuscripts. All seven sources include the Quadran Pavan and a number of almans. Corantos, galliards, a Spanioletta, and a description of brawles can also be found, though sometimes the descriptions aren t as complete as might be desired. One source describes the cinquepace (galliard) as One, two, three, four, & five, and says that the Spanish Pavan must be learnd by practise & demonstration, being performd with boundes & capers & in the ende honour. None of the sources include any description of the steps to be used. They call for doubles, doubles with hops, singles, slides, and set & turnes, but never detail how these steps are to be executed. Some modern researchers have chosen to use steps from the Italian repertoire of this period, but it is more common to adopt the steps described in Arbeau s Orchesography. Arbeau describes an alman double step composed of three steps (forward or backward) and one grève, or pied en l air without saut. (Evans, 125) A grève is the movement which results when the dancer transfers his weight from one foot to the other while the foot previously on the ground is raised in the air in front of him. (Evans, 87) A pied en l air without saut (jump) is a smaller movement: the foot is only raised slightly off the ground, and moved little, if at all, forward. (Evans, 86) 207

208 Torch bearers lead a couple during a 1612 celebration. Note the arrangement of the spectators around three sides of the room; an official notice in the Middle Temple stated that In the presenting and performance of revels, no gentleman of the House shall make use of the gallery over the screen, or bring down any lady or gentlewoman to see their ordinary Revels, or dance with them in the Hall in the absence of the Bench. This contemporary picture shows two couples dancing, accompanied by a string consort. Note that the gentlemen are wearing capes and swords. One is wearing his hat; the other has removed it, perhaps for a reverence? The woman on the left has a slight train on her dress. London Queen Elizabeth reigns in England Globe Theater opened. Shakepeare s Henry V and Much Ado are written Tobacco becomes a popular extravagance London s population reaches 210,000. Age of Exploration and Colonization: Charter of East Indian Company in 1600; settlement of Bermuda in 1612; founding of Jamestown, Virginia in Social Context Dances were a central point of the many revels held at the Inns of Court. On the First Grand Night of the Gray s Inn Christmas celebration in 1594, his Highness [the Prince of Purpoole] called for the Master of Revels, and willed him to pass the time in dancing: so his gentlemen-pensioners and attendants, very gallantly appointed, in thirty couples, danced the old measures, and then galliards, and other kinds of dances, revelling until it was very late. And again, on the following January 3rd: The Prince having ended his speech, arose from his seat, and took that occasion of revelling; so he made choice of a lady to dance withal; and so likewise did the Lord Ambassador, the Pensioners and Courtiers attending the Prince. The rest of the night was passed in these passtimes. (Nichols, in Cunningham, 5) Similarly, when Bulstrode Whitelocke was Master of Revels of the Middle Temple for Christmas 1628, They began with the old masques [measures]; after that they danced the Brautes and then the master took his seat whilst the revellers flaunted through galliards, corantoes, French and country dances, till it grew very late. (Cunningham, 8) As the quotes above indicate, these dances appear to have been done by large groups of people; apparently in lines of couples. In Arbeau s description of the alman, he says: You can dance it in 208

209 company, because when you have joined hands with a damsel, several others may fall into line behind you, each with his partner. (Evans, 125) Throughout the manuscripts, it is clear that dances were done in a prescribed order. Typically, the first seven dances (called the Old Measures) were: Quadran Pavan, Turkelone, Earl of Essex Measure, Tinternell, The Old Alman, The Queens Alman, and Madam Sosilia. In later manuscripts, Black Alman was added as the eighth dance. By the early 17th century, the Old Measures were followed by Post Revells. Descriptions of some of these are also included in the sources Galliards, Corantoes, and Branles. Although some of the sources also mention country dances, none are described. Sample Dance: The Black Alman This dance appears in all but the earliest of the sources as the eighth old measure; it s also the only alman for which music appears in the primary sources. Along with Madam Sosilia, it s one of the more complex dances from the Inns. 8th. The Black Almaine. Sides 4 doubles round about the house and Close the last Double face to face then part yr hands and go all in a Double back one from the other and meet a Double againe Then go a Double to yr left hand and as much back to your right hand, then all ye women stand still and the men set & turne, then all ye men stand still and the women set and turne, then hold both hands and change places with a Double and slide four french slides to the mans right hand, change places againe wth a Double and slide four french slides to the right hand againe, Then part hands and go back a Double one from another and meet a Double againe. Then all this measure once over and so end. The second all the men stand still and the women begin set and turne and then men last. This music for the Black Alman appears in the Copy of the old Measures with the instructions above, transcribed by Cunningham. Primary Sources 1. Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson Poet Somerset Records Office, DD/WO 55/7, item London, British Library, MS Harleian Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Douce 280. circa Oxford, Bodleain Library, MS Rawlinson D 864. c London, Inner Temple Records, Revels, Foundlings, and Unclassified, Miscellanea, Undated, &c. v London, Royal College of Music, MS circa 1675 Additional Sources Cunningham, James P. Dancing in the Inns of Court. London, Jordan & Sons, Contains background information, quotes, and transcriptions. Durham, Peter & Janelle. Dances from the Inns of Court. Redmond, WA, by the authors, Includes historical background, reconstructions of steps and dances, and a concordance of the sources. Payne, Ian. The Almain in Britain. Ashgate, Sheet music: Wilson, D. R. Dancing in the Inns of Court. In Historical Dance, vol. 2, No.5, A new transcription, which corrects some errors in Cunningham. 209

210 Recording Jouissance. Dances from the Inns of Court. The companion CD for the pamphlet of the same name above. Available from Trahaearn at dance.peterdur.com. 210

211 English Country Dances About the Source John Playford was a music publisher and bookseller living in London in the mid-seventeenth century. In March of 1650 (old style; what we call 1651), Playford published The English Dancing Master. This was a collection of 105 country dance tunes, and basic written directions of the figures to be performed to each tune. Playford himself probably did not write any of the dances, but instead gathered them from a number of contributors. Between 1651 and 1728, Playford and his successors published 23 editions of The Dancing Master. Generally, each page of the text contains one dance. The title is accompanied by a written description of the formation of the dance (circle, square, etc.) and a diagram of the same. This is followed by a line of music for the melody of the dance, and by a textual description of the figures of the dance. The figures are divided into blocks of text which line up with repeats of the music, and this division is made clearer by the use of the following symbols within the dance description: 1 Stands for a straine playd once. 2 Stands for a straine playd twice. 3 Stands for a straine playd thrice. Music The tunes in Playford vary somewhat in style and complexity, due to diverse origins. Some appear to have been popular ballads to which dance steps were later set, some may have had their origin in earlier dances (e.g. Mundesse can be traced back to a basse dance in Susato s Danserye of 1551), and some may have been written specifically for the dance associated with them. Versions of the dance music appear in several contemporary sources, and include settings written for a variety of instruments, including keyboard, lute, cittern, recorders, lyra-viol, and flageolet. Dances Playford s dances were performed by couples in certain set formations, such as: a square for eight, longways for six, and round for as many as will. He calls out the formation at the beginning of the dance description, and includes symbols to further clarify the set. The most typical dances are made up of 3 verses, each followed by a chorus, which may or may not be the same throughout the dance. Some figures are simple, others are complex, as can be seen in the sample dances. In later editions, the popularity of most of the formations faded out to be replaced by almost exclusive use of the Longways for as many as will. Most modern country dancers believe that these dances were meant to be light and lively, with a smooth flow of the steps from one figure to another, with the dancer constantly in motion. Steps It should be noted that Playford s describes very few of the steps that make up the dances. He says only: A Double is four steps forward or back, closing both feet. A Single is two steps, closing both feete. Set and turne single, is a single to one hand, and a single to the other, and turne single. Because of the lack of detail here, modern researchers have searched through other period sources (including Arbeau and Feuillet) for clues to the performance of these steps. See the TI article and other modern sources for information on steps. In general; however, the dance steps are assumed to be fairly basic walking steps, with the main emphasis of the dance on the figures rather than on ornamented footwork. 211

212 The cover from Playford s first edition. Note the angelic musician, and intermixing of men and women who are not dancing. The presence of only one couple seems unusual since all dances in this edition call for multiple couples. London Charles II crowned on January 1. Oliver Cromwell takes Perth in August. A disguised Charles escapes to France October 17. Virginia colony receives influx of Cavalier (Royalist) refugees from England London's population reaches 350,000, and the city contains 7% of the English population. Social Context Country Dances came into vogue at the end of the 16th century, when Queen Elizabeth, an avid dancer, became fond of them. Almost every night she is in the presence, to see the ladies daunce the old and new country dances. However, despite the fact that several references are made to country dance as far back as 1560, even dances with names which later appear in Playford, there is little concrete information about how they were danced. An example is Sellinger s Round, mentioned in 1593, 1600, 1604, and A description first appears in the third edition Playford (1657) as a dance that was either round, or longways for six. In the fourth edition (1670) it appeared again, but it gained a figure, and a formation of round for as many as will. Playford s country dances were probably done in a variety of social settings. They were almost certainly among the dances performed at the Inns of Court: evidence includes both the Lansdowne manuscript, and the fact that Playford himself dedicated the first edition and subsequent editions to the Gentlemen of the Innes of Court. The place of English country then was perhaps not so different from today; several references imply country dances were the wilder and more energetic dances done by young people after the solemn dances were done. In 1626, a French ambassador wrote After supper the king and we were led into another room where there was a magnificent ballet and afterwards we set to and danced countrydances till four in the morning. Sample Dance: Upon a Summer s Day This is the first dance in the first edition of Playford; it is one of the easier ones and makes a good first country dance. Upon a Summers Day Longways for six Leade up all a D. forwards and back, set and turn. S 1 That againe 2 The men take all hands, and the women hands meet all a D. back againe; the first on each side goe under the others armes on their owne side, and meet below 1 Hands againe, and the next Cu. as much 2 Hands againe, and the next Cu. as much 3 212

213 Sides all, set and turne single 1 That againe 2 As before 3 Armes all, set and turne single 1 That againe 2 As before 3 Primary Sources Playford, John. The English Dancing Master. Modern edition edited by Hugh Mellor in London: Dance Books Ltd., Facsimile edition edited by Margaret Dean-Smith. London: Schott & Co., Facsimile: Transcription: British Museum Library MS Sloane th or 18th c. Includes 10 dances, most of which are in 1st edition Playford. British Museum Library MS Lansdowne No c Written by a lawyer at the Inns of Court, describing dances done there. In Cunningham. 4 dances, 3 similar to early Playfords. Additional Sources Keller, Kate Van Winkle, and Genevive Shimer. The Playford Ball. Pennington NJ: A Cappella Books, Keller, Robert. The Dancing Master: Colonial Music, CD-Rom with indexes, images, and figure descriptions of all the dances from all the editions of Playford. Sharp, Cecil J. The Country Dance Book, volumes 1-6. (Part 1 first published in Reprint: H. Styles, 1985). Salomone, Nicole. Origins of the Playford Dances. Collects early references to the dances and tunes found in Playford. Recordings Country Dances. The Broadside Band. Harmonia Mundi, HM The English Dancing Master. Orange and Blue. Available from 213

214 Source Citations for Text and Pictures Domenico and Students Painted miniature of three dancing figures from Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, f. Ital. 973, c. 21v. Six Principle Elements of Dance taken from Sparti s translation, pages Dancers outdoors [uncaptioned] from the engraving The Planet Venus, British Museum. Printed in Sparti. Details of the 1459 festival are quoted from Smith s translations of Florence B.N.C. Magl. VII.1121 and Galeazzo s account written on April 30, 1459 in Milano, Archivio di Stato. The competition detail is also Smith s translation. The description of the moresche is from Cod. Palat. 286 in Florence, as quoted in Sparti, page 55. Burgundian basse danses Step descriptions and general rule for mesures are quoted from the translation by Kronenfeld and Gill. Quote on purpose of basse dance from Gavenda, in his 1988 introduction to Brussels manuscript. A courtly couple dance. From the Freydal of Maximillian I, c Vienna, Nat. Bibl., ms From Heartz. John Banys Notebook Brass image from Trivick, Henry. The Picture Book of Brasses in Gilt. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1971, as reproduced on Tudor dress portfolio of images at Revels Office notes are from Streitberger, W.R, Court Revels, , Toronto, Image of page 54 from the Derbyshire County Council CD-ROM facsimile, p. 57. Transcription of Esperans from Fallows, p. 7. Arbeau s Orchesography Translations of Arbeau, including quotations, from the Mary Stewart Evans translation. Portrait of a Lady, from Microsoft Art Gallery The National Gallery, London. Caroso and Negri All text translations from Sutton. The Old Measures Transcriptions from the Inns of Court manuscripts are from Cunningham. Picture of two couples dancing, from Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS Douce E.2.6.(311). Printed in Early Music, Feb Picture of Morocco and trainer, from John Dando, Maroccus extaticus, or Banks Bay Horse in a Trance, Printed in the Riverside Shakespeare, Picture of torch bearers and couple is a detail from an engraving by J. T. Bry in the British Museum. Quote regarding the gallery is C. T. Martin, Minutes of Parliament in the Middle Temple, , quoted in Cunningham, p. 19. English Country Dances Quote from French ambassador, quoted in Cunningham, page 16. Quote about Queen Elizabeth from It appears in Cunningham, page

215 Helpful Sources which cover multiple genres Publications and Online Resources Durham, Peter and Janelle. Western Dance: Compleat Anachronist #101. Society for Creative Anachronism, Dance manual which includes step reconstructions, and choreographies for representative dances from each genre. (Each reconstruction includes original period text descriptions of the dance, and notes on where to find good recorded music). Elson, David. Del s Dance Book. Available online at For each genre of dance, includes introductory material, step reconstructions, and choreographies for several dances. Also includes links to sheet music, and links to annotated bibliographies, which link to online sources for facsimiles, transcriptions, and translations. Letter of Dance. SCA dance publication. Archives available online: Pung, Ben. Renaissance Dance Database. An index of online resources and recordings. Recordings Companions of St Cecilia Available as MP3 at Courtly Dances of Western Europe Jouissance, Available from dance.peterdur.com. Companion to Durham, above. Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society has a large collection of danceable CD s: Musica Subterranea. Order at Tape of Dance. Accompany Letter of Dance. Download at 215

216 Your Dance Event Needs A Special-Effect Budget Or at least, it could use a few props and some rehearsal time. Theatrical presentations ranging from trivial to extravaganza seem to have been a common feature in period. Here s a brief sketch of some of what they did, how you can do it too, and why you might want to. We ll start with the extravaganza, in late Elizabethan/early Stuart England. As far as I can tell, the most elaborate spectacle that gets attached to dance parties in the time we re interested in, is the early Stuart masque. When I first looked at these, I was thinking theatre, they seemed to be small-scale musicals in verse with allegorical themes and high-social-status performers, often with low comedy interspersed, and this weird little audience-participation dance interlude near the end. But as I looked more intensively, and the looking included helping stage one (The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses) in the Barony of Carolingia in 2007, I came to believe that a masque is something really peculiar by modern standards. (And that in spite of the name, masquers didn t always wear masks, though I could well be wrong about that.) First of all, when people in Elizabethan or Stuart England said they were attending a masque, they meant they were going to a dance party. The stage direction line near the end of the libretto that refers to the masquers taking partners and dancing galliards, corantos, and other things in terms of duration, that s the main activity of the event, not a brief audience participation in the performance. The theatrical spectacle, presented as an ornamental frame for the dancing, has taken over top billing. That theatrical spectacle itself, well, think of it as a music video crossed with the sort of show put on for opening ceremonies of the Olympics crossed with a Las Vegas fantasy wedding. Music video? Like Michael Jackson s Thriller: music and singing and dancing and costumes and scenery and special effects and a thin little storyline to hold it together that s a masque. It s like an Olympics show in that masques are elaborate, expensive shows with symbolic themes appropriate for the occasion, with (usually) one performance only. Masques were composed for things like weddings and Court entertainments, sometimes with political overtones. For example, in 1613, there was a Masque of the Marriage of the Thames and the Rhine, presented on the occasion of the marriage of Princess Elizabeth of England to the Elector Palantine Frederick Pfalz, which I would call an example of the sledgehammer school of allegory. The fantasy wedding thing if you tell a Las Vegas wedding planner that you want a Blue Hawaii wedding, they don t look at you like you ve got three heads, they ask questions like how many hula dancers, is Elvis performing the ceremony or giving the bride away, and do you want him to sing, and then they quote you a price. A masque has two categories of performers. The masquers are the featured performers, and they are persons of rank. In The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses in 1604, the said goddesses were Queen Anne, five countesses, and six other ladies it is pretty easy to imagine Anne, as the new queen of England, telling poet Samuel Daniel I want a masque for me and my new lady friends for January. The masquers dance, they do not speak it looks like the speaking parts were taken by professional actors, and they seem to have been considered supporting roles. 216

217 Anyway, there s a quote from Ben Jonson to the effect that masques were formerly called disguising, and once you have that connection, the history of theatre books point you to plenty of theatricals variously called masque (or mask ), disguising, or mumming, such as those presented in 1501 for the occasion of the marriage of Katharine of Aragon to Prince Arthur of England. Those were pretty elaborate, and they re described in a contemporary source, The Receyt of the Ladie Kateryne. References to this sort of thing, with quite a few variations (not all of them necessarily associated with dance parties), go back through the 15th century and into the late 14th. They re presented usually by amateur performers, who are sometimes citizens the goldsmiths of London presented a mumming written by John Lydgate before the mayor of London, sometime in the 1420s and sometimes nobility or royalty, as in 1512 when the king was one of 12 disguisers who came in to dance with the ladies at Twelfth Night. Sometimes the disguisers dance as part of their presentation, and sometimes they don t. Sometimes the disguisers dance with their audience, and sometimes they don t. Sometimes they present gifts to the most prominent person(s) of the audience, and sometimes they don t. Disguisings presented at court or before the Mayor of London were the fanciest of course, but lesser households also indulged, enough that cities periodically issued edicts against disguisers walking the streets without lights and their faces hidden. The secondary sources that quoted these edicts seem to think they were attempts to prohibit the shows, but I think it was more along the lines of if you disguisers are going to walk the streets in costume, you have to carry lights and not wear your masks, as evidence that you aren t rowdies looking for trouble. Consider Act 1 Scene 4 of Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet, when Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio and some friends are setting up to attend Capulet s party. Romeo says What, shall this speech be spoke for our excuse? Or shall we on without apology?, and Benvolio answers We ll have no Cupid hoodwinked with a scarf, bearing a Tartar s painted bow of lath, and Romeo says he ll carry the light, and isn t up for dancing. It sounds like at that level of society, disguising was pretty elementary, just a Presenter to introduce a few guys in masks and maybe some costumes who present a minimal skit, and this crowd doesn t even want to do that much, they just want to show up at the party with their masks on, and dance with the ladies. Moving over to late 16th-century France, Arbeau points out that laws branding professional actors as infamous do not apply to amateurs performing for their own pleasure, or to entertain at public occasions acting with or without masks, or dancing with beautiful costumes and settings. Orchesography can be thought of as how-to guide to everything a young man needs to know about dancing in order to mix in polite society, and apparently, that includes knowing how to dance the Buffens. Most of Orchesography describes social dancing, and it mentions that some social dances have been adopted after being composed for performances, but Buffens is strictly a performance piece, it s a sword dance for a set of dancers in costume that requires plenty of rehearsal. I think it s a reasonable guess that it would have been performed at dance parties. And then there was the Bal des Ardents, all the way back in 1393, it was a wedding party masquerade for the Queen s lady-in-waiting, and King Charles VI and some of his friends attended, dressed up as wild men. Their costumes featured straw and such-like stuck to their clothes with pitch, which turned out to be a very bad idea, because someone with a torch set them on fire. The King survived because a lady threw the train of her skirt over him. Much the same sort of thing went on in Italy. Barbara Sparti s introductory chapters for On the Practice or Art of Dancing describe balls held at weddings and state occasions in the 1400s that 217

218 featured dance performances in costume. Negri s Le Gratie d Amore of 1602 refers to various dance masters being known for their mattachins inventions, and to his own performances before various dignitaries some of the descriptions imply private displays, or perhaps some other contexts, but I think some must have been part of the entertainment at balls. The simpler forms of these performances are prime candidates for recreation at SCA events, and can be done with pretty minimal resources, though of course you can add elaborations to taste. The stereotypical structure seems to be that you have a herald or other presenter who does all the talking, preferably in verse. He brings in a small group of people, with masks and/or costumes, who dance and/or perform a skit and/or bring gifts. Adapt one of the period pieces (they should be pretty easy to find, using masque, disguising, and mumming as keywords), or get your local poet to write something. For example, your masquers might be travelers from a far country who have heard of the fame of the ladies (or gentlemen) of this court, and have come to beg the favor of being allowed to dance with them. Or the local Baroness might be a special favorite of Venus, who has sent her attendants the Three Graces to convey her blessings by dancing the dance called Venus (which is a bassadanza for three dancers). Or maybe the blessings are in the form of platters of cookies, which after presentation get added to the dessert board. For a Harvest Ball, you could have Bacchus, Ceres, and Minerva presenting wine, wheat, and oil, possibly dancing Petit Vriens as they do so. I ve been told that a disguising of the Judgement of Paris was presented both to Queen Elizabethan and to Queen Anne Boleyn Juno, Minerva, and Venus each laying claim to a golden apple, but this time Paris has a clue and gives the golden apple to the Queen instead. After doing a few of these, depending on interest and resources, you might consider going full-scale for a Court disguising or masque. A masque is a big project, but well within the capabilities of any of the arts-powerhouse baronies you know who you are, and you also know you can probably attract some people to the project with the prospect of one-upping the Carolingians. Certainly there were some things about our production of The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses, that, with hindsight, I think got wrong I d love to see other people try similar projects, and try out different ideas about the material. I ll throw out one piece of advice right now, though make sure your masque includes an anti-masque! The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses doesn t have one, and we added one, and I think it s a really good thing we did, for the same reason that I think most period masques have them. The late-period poets would probably have gone on about the comedy of an antimasque being Artistically Necessary to balance the serious allegory of the masque, but really, then as now, some people really don t get into high-minded secular humanist artsy stuff, and they ll be much happier if they get a farce to laugh at, part way through. King James seems to have been one of them, there are references to him calling for the antimasque being presented a second time, after the end of the show. Besides they did it in period, so we ought to try it, there are a couple of reasons why you might want to do this at your event. Sometimes, you might be looking for a venue for a small-scale dance performance. A small group of people has learned a dance that isn t practical to teach to a larger group, but you d like to share it. A dance event would seem to be a reasonable place to show it off. The trouble is, few dances have enough intrinsic visual appeal to hold the interest of spectators whose interest in dancing is casual and social. Buffens, Canary, and a few of the 15th century Italian dances that supply their own storyline can 218

219 stand alone. Other dances will benefit from having something added to draw attention, so build a disguising around them. Give your audience a reason to look for particular thematic elements as they re watching the dance, and to wonder how you re going to wind it up or what you re going to do with a prop. This can be a much cooler way to start your ball than having the dancemaster call for people to set up for the first dance on the playlist. Consider, instead, having a herald introduce a small party of gentlemen, or ladies, or both, masked and/or exotically dressed. They ve come from the lands of Prester John, pursuing rumors of a place where the people are handsome to look at and gracious to visitors, renowned for their skill in dancing and for baking delicious desserts. Perhaps this is the place? The handsome to look at part certainly fits. The travelers ask permission to join in the dancing and sample the dessert board, to test the other aspects. Permission being granted, they spread out to find partners for the first dance of the evening. After the last dance of the evening, the travelers reassemble to announce that yes, this is the place they were looking for, and now they have to go home, where they will tell all their friends about this wonderful ball. It can make your event memorable, and that will contribute to getting people to come back for the next one. For example, most Pennsic Balls all blur together in my memory, but there was one, some years ago, that featured a series of ladies making their way up to the musicians dais, and each one of us declared she was the Muse Terpsichore, and called for the next dance of the playlist. The audience caught on pretty quickly, and started looking for who was going to be the next one. That sort of thing is fun to do and to watch and aren t we all interested in having a good time? Countess Mara Kolarova / Meredith Courtney, May 2009 References: A Book of Masques in honor of Allardyce Nicoll, Cambridge University Press 1967, reprinted 1970 ISBN The Receyt of the Ladie Kateryne, ed. Gordon Kipling, for the Early English Text Society, Oxford University Press 1990 ISBN The Elizabethan Stage Volume 1, E.K Chambers Oxford University Press 1951 (originally 1923) reprinted 1965 Early English Stages 1300 to 1660 Volume One 1300 to 1576, Glynne Wickham, Columbia University Press 1963 (originally 1959) Orchesography, Thoinot Arbeau, ed. Julia Sutton. Translated by Mary Stewart Evans. Longres: Jehan des Preyz, 1589; Dover Publications, Inc ISBN , On the Practice or Art of Dancing. Guglielmo Ebreo, Ed. and translated by Barbara Sparti Oxford University Press 1993 ISBN Le Gratie d Amore, 1602, Cesare Negri, Translated Gustavia Yvonne Kendall 1985 University Microfilms International 219

220 Further Reading / Recommended Links General Links: (Has links to articles, music, dance reconstructions, original sources online, further reading, illustrations, mailing list, and more!) SCA Renaissance Dance Homepage: SCA Medieval and Renaissance Music Homepage: Dance and Music Online: Eric's SCA Dance & Music Page: (cheap dance CD's and music downloads for dance) Terpsichore at the Tower Dance Manuals: (Compact dance manuals, downloadable as pdf's) Del's Dance Book: (Online dance manual with melody samples) Mailing Lists: Sca-Dance mailing list: Rendance Mailing list: SCA Minstrel mailing list: Other Useful Links: Renaissance Dance Homepage: The Letter of the Dance: Some Other Sources of Dance Music: (pulled from the SCA Renaissance Dance Homepage) Dances from the Inns of the Court: Courtly Dances of Western Europe: Celeste Giglio: Flowers of 16th-century Italian Dance: Dragonscale Consort: Musica Subterranea: Gaïta medieval music:

221 Teacher Biographies Aaron Drummond - Aaron Elkiss Aaron Elkiss is by vocation a software engineer and by avocation a musician and dancer. He has been playing Renaissance dance music for over 5 years and dancing nearly as long. Aaron Drummond is a late 16th century dance musician and occasional dance master from the north of England. Classes: Around London - Hockley in the Hole, Maiden Lane, St. Martin's Praetorius' Terpsichore Musarum Intro to Renaissance Instruments Mistress Alina of Foxwood - Elaine M. Cohen Elaine Cohen is a full-time mother and an extremely part-time estate planning attorney/legal editor. She is also an avid reader of mysteries, science fiction, and fantasy in her rather elusive free time. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with husband Charles, two children, and a one-eyed cat. As an adolescent, after trying ballet, tap, jazz, and several years of Polish dancing, Elaine felt a decided lack of proficiency at performing dance and declared that she hated dance and refused to do it ever again. As an adult, she passionately loves historical and country dancing. The 16th Century Italian Cascarda, with its lively steps and playful figures, is her favorite type of dance. Elaine, known in the SCA as Alina of Foxwood (or, outside of dance, more often as Midair's wife ("Oh, you're Midair's wife!")), edits the Barony of Cynnabar's Terpsichore at the Tower Guide to the Dances. Alina served as Cynnabar's Dance Mistress for 10 years and continues to travel around the Known World dancing and teaching dance, with an emphasis on the sheer joy of social dance. Yay, dancing! Classes: Introduction to Cascarde: Alta Regina & Fiamma d'amore Cascarda Favorites Arglwydd Dafydd Cyhoeddwr - John White I've been in the SCA since 1977, learning and teaching dance, helping out with heraldry once upon a time, and dabbling in other arts such as needlework and stained glass. I've taught classes at Pennsic and several past KWDS events, as well as in Calontir and the East. Classes: Belriguardo, old, new, and for three Two 15th century Italian balli 221

222 Two 15th century Italian basse Bella Gioiosa re-translated and re-reconstructed Three four-couple English Country Dances strictly reconstructed Odd English Country Dances for three couples A survey of "for as many as will" ECDs Catherine Redewell - Robyn Bennett Robyn Patricia Bennett is a programmer with a market research firm. Her hobbies include reading (since she was 2 1/2 years old), writing (one short story sold so far, and several poems published), and the SCA. In the SCA, Catherine is from a late 16th century rural English upper middle class family. She is apprenticed to a Master in music composition, and is easily distracted from her studies by opportunities to dance, help out at events and occasionally fence. Classes: Kingdom Variations Roundtable Master Crispin Sexi, OL - Jaysen Ollerenshaw Crispin hails from 14thC England, where he holds three manor houses. He is a poet, playwright and composer, finding inspiration in his loving wife and two children. Crispin claims authorship of all nonattributable 14thC English music. Classes: Composing a Pricksong White Mensural Time Signatures Lord Daniele di Padola and Lady Roselyne de l'estrangere - Nathan and Sue Kronenfeld Classes: Storytelling through Dance Delbert von Straßburg - David Elson Classes: La Volta 222

223 Darius the Dancer - David Learmonth David Learmonth is a chemical engineer in Ontario, Canada, who somehow found his way into dancing in the SCA. Thus, Darius the Dancer was born. I have continued to study and to teach dance in the SCA for approximately 12 years, and consider myself at an intermediate level in my research. My main goal has always been to bring dance knowledge to the masses, and to introduce it in such a way as to be fun and easy to follow for all who are willing to give it a try. Classes: Bransles - Location, Location, Location Improv Dance Workshop Deonna von Aachen - Beth Gurzler Deonna von Aachen, OL is a long time resident of the kingdom of the East, currently residing in Concordia of the Snows. She is a woodwind specialist mosth known as organizer of the loud band classes at Penssic. She is rarely found at an event without an instrument to play for dancing, court or general entertainment. She also teaches dance and can sometimes be found singing with freinds. Beth Gurzler, BA, MA in music, sings with the Helderberg Madrigal singers, an early music a cappella vocal ensemble, and Albany pro Musica, both in Albany, NY and is currently working as a nurse. Classes: Playing for dancing Dance with the band Elisa von Sophey, aka Elize da Nizza - Lisa Marx Elisa was born in Nizza, Savoy (modern-day Nice, France), in the Holy Roman Empire, around She is the daughter of a merchant on the spice routes to India and has lived in, well, interesting times. The French, who were a bit upset by an astounding loss to the Holy Roman Empire at Pavia in 1525, decided to attack Savoy a few years later in retribution. The invasion force quickly swept toward Nizza, prompting Elisa's father to send to her safer lands with her mother's family in Saxony. Keeping her safe didn't work very well, though. She's currently a campfrau following her husband's Landsknecht unit. Although presently living in the Holy Roman Empire, she still considers herself very much Savoyarde/Savoisienne. The longer version of her story can be found on the web at In the SCA, Elisa served as the 48th Princess of Oertha. She is currently a combat archer, an archery marshal (target and combat), and the seneschal and dance minister for her local group. She is also the editor of the Letter of Dance, and she is always looking for articles! In the modern world, Lisa is a mental health clinician working with high223

224 needs adolescent females in a residential facility. She decompresses by playing Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and Dark Heresy (the in-person versions), and reading her mountain of X-Men comics and other books that have nothing whatsoever to do with real life. Classes: 16th Century German Peasant Dance from Period Woodcuts Emily Winerock Emily Winerock is a doctoral student in history at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on dancing in late 16th- and early 17th-century England, particularly its role in political and religious controversies. Her interest in Renaissance dance includes reconstructing, performing, and choreographing for theatre productions. Emily also studies more modern social dances such as Argentine tango and swing. Classes: The Dancing Rector of Tortworth and Other Curious Tales from the Archives Honourable Lady Emma Dansmeyla - Sarah Scroggie Emma has been teaching dance in the SCA for about 12 years, she particularly enjoys the challenge of reconstructing. She is very grateful to have Martin Bildner as her pet musician, partner and husband; he can play tunes she does not have recorded and compose where there are no tunes. Sarah Scroggie is a Theatre Technician (particularly a set designer, carpenter and technical director) and mother. They live in rural Ontario with their young son William (Liam). Classes: Easy Gresley Dances Troublesome Tribus Triangles - New work on some more convoluted Gresley dances What then is a doblis? - a Round table on interpretation of the steps and figures found in the Gresley dances Etienne de Clermont - Steven Bush Classes: To be announced 224

225 Lady Felice Debbage - Sarah Joseph Felice Debbage currently resides in the Shire of Tirnewydd (Columbus, Ohio), where she lives with her lord, Alexander Jericho, and two monochromatic, invasively affectionate kittehs. She has taught historical dance for six years, serving as dance master for the College of St. Joan, the Shire of Dernehealde, and the Shire of Tirnewydd, and teaching her own reconstructions at numerous Pennsics, Terpsichores, and other events. Felice holds an M.A. in English from Ohio University, where she spent much time working with Early Modern and medieval writings. (While there, she managed to convince her History of the English Language professor that _The English Dancing Master_ counted as a work of literature-- which meant she got to turn a potentially bland term paper into a fun, geeky exploration of the changes that appear throughout the editions of Playford. The result is attached, in part, to the handouts for her "New to You" class.) Mundanely, she works as a publications editor for the Ohio State Bar Association and is a primary group fitness instructor certified by the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. Her current other interests in the SCA include archery, Renaissance costuming, and vegetarian cooking techniques. She and Alexander maintain a vegetarian- and vegan-interest SCA website, which can be found at Its official launch will be after this year's Pennsic War. Classes: New to You: Three Couple Dances from Early Playford Longways for as Many as Won't-- Three New Protocontra Introduction to the Art of Dance Cueing Master Geoffrey Mathias. - Matthew Larsen Matthew Larsen is a software engineer with interests in early music and all forms of historical social dance. Geoffrey Mathias is a late15th c. English gentleman who has been foisting dance on the West Kingdom for more years than he cares to admit. Classes: Furioso All'Italiana - A 16th c. Italian Set Dance Gregory Blount of Isenfir - Greg Lindahl Gregory Blount of Isenfir is an itinerant dancing master and musician, who is fascinated by that newfangled Italian dance. Greg Lindahl is CTO of Blekko, a stealthy search engine startup. Classes: The Steps of 16th Century Italian Dance Gwenllyen the Minstrel - Janet Scheltema Janet Scheltema is a Co-Owner (With a partner, Joanne Woolf) and Director of two Sylvan Learning Centers in Michigan. She teaches everything from Beginning Reading to Pre-Calc. Gwenllyen the 225

226 Minstrel is a traveling musician. She has four passions in the SCA: dancing, playing the harp, making lace, and her husband, Maximilian der Zauberer who is a Landsknecht. Classes: So You Want to Be a Dancer Lord Gwommy - Bill Holderman Bill Holderman got involved in the SCA in I had never danced before and was forced to dance at my first SCA event and I have been hooked ever since. I now teach dance with the Saltatoris Dance Guild in the Midrealm every week. I also enjoy gaming. Gwommy doesn't have much of a persona, but is well known for his love of purple. Classes: Playford's F Dances for Four Couples Jadwiga Krzyżanowska - Monique Rio Monique Rio is a personal development and ecological sustainability writer, software developer, and early music enthusiast. She directs the Barony of Cynnabar's choir called "Cyngabar", sings in a renaissance quintet, and has sung in the University of Michigan Early Music Chorus for two semesters. She's also Cynnabar's Minister of Arts and Sciences, and has played in Ritornello, Cynnabar's Dance Band for three years. She also has a Choir Directing and Early Music blog. Jadwiga Krzyżanowska (called Jadzia) is a Polish noblewoman living in Kraków who's spent most of her life studying the arts, particularly music, dancing, and fiber arts. Classes: Ravenscroft's Rounds, Catches, and Cannons James Blackcloak - James Hargrove James Hargrove is a physics student at Carleton University. He has been in the SCA since he was born, and has been dancing almost his whole life. He has recently begun teaching dance. Classes: Obscure 3 couple English Country Dance Obscure 4 couple English Country Dance Lady Jane Milford, OM - Nicole Salomone Jane has been in the SCA for 13 years, and active within the dance community for 11. She is currently the dance mistress for the Canton of nam Feòrag Dhuibhe. Her focus is English Country Dancing, and 226

227 she has started tracing the dances published by John Playford back into SCA period. Her research can be found at: When she isn t dancing or teaching dance, Jane is either playing violin with her mundane ensemble, playing recorder with the Bhakaili Branslers, fencing, or writing. Classes: Origins of Playford Dances Beginning ECD I-talians for the English Mistress Janelyn of Fenmere - Janelle Durham Janelle Durham is a social worker, educator, and author. She has researched, taught, and written on a wide range of subjects: in the SCA, major interests have been 14th century cooking, and dance from the 14th to 17th century; in modern life, main focus is on pregnancy, birth, and parenting. In all these fields, her style is to research vast amounts of complicated information, then figure out how to digest it down to essential concepts that students can understand, remember, and apply. She has participated in the SCA for 25 years, and is known as Janelyn of Fenmere. Classes: How to teach dance (or any physical skill!) Katherine Mercer - Catherine E. Dean Katherine Mercer is happily living sometime in the 16th century, she's just not entirely sure when or where. Her name would seem to suggest an English origin, and yet she has a strong affinity for all things French and Italian. Curious. Catherine Dean is a museum curator and lover of all things old living in Richmond, Virginia. She appreciates all eras of dance, but is especially passionate Renaissance, Regency, and Contra Dance. Originally from Detroit, MI, she is also an aspiring gardener and locavore, which makes her mother very proud indeed. Classes: Unchoreographed Arbeau Galliard Workshop 227

228 Countess Mara Kolarova - Meredith Courtney Meredith Courtney tests telecommunication software, and did international folk dancing for about 6 years before starting Renaissance dancing in the late 1970s upon joining the SCA. Mara Kolarova is the Once and Future Dancemistress of the Barony of Carolingia in the East Kingdom, and is interested in period social contexts for dancing. Classes: Your Dance Event Needs a Special Effect Budget Marian of Heatherdale Heather Dale Canadian recording artist Heather Dale is a 21st Century troubadour, weaving her tales with elegance and insight. While her inspiration is firmly rooted in mythology and history, her innovative songs range from Celtic ballads to bluesy folk-rock... each strengthened by her evocative vocals, lyrics and tunes. "Heather Dale soars... an unabashed and uninhibited romantic who has found her voice and her musical wings." (Toronto Star) Visit for sound clips and further details about Heather's music. Classes: Proper Breathing Master Martin Bildner - Richard Schweitzer Richard Schweitzer is a teacher and the proud father of his one year old son William. Although Laureled for his research in Norse music, Martin Bildner has been a dancer and pet musician since the early 1990s. Classes: Composing Music for Dancing Maugorn the Stray - Steve Haug Maugorn the Stray has been a wandering minstrel for over 25 years in and out of the SCA. He is a 228

229 professional performer in the Mundane realms by trade. Within the Society he's performed for peasantry and royalty and anyone else with an ear to listen. He brings an arsenal of instruments, an encylopaedic repertoire, and an unquenchable love of playing for dance to KWDS and will share all he knows, and slyly fake thru what he doesn't. Classes: Making small bands sound big Faking it! Maîtresse Perronnelle Charrette - Charlene Charette Classes: Dancers & Musicians - They Speak Different Languages: How to Communicate When Running a Class or Ball Preventing Bad Reconstructions Master Philip White - Craig Shupeé Philip is an Elizabethan dancer who finds dressing well almost as important as dancing. Dancing brought him into the SCA and he continues to enjoy teaching when he has the chance between choir and instrumental practice. Craig works in the financial industry, has an obsession with network television, and loves to country western dance. Classes: How to Teach European Dance - A Workshop Mistress Rosina del Bosco Chiaro - Vivian Stephens Rosina del Bosco Chiaro lives in the City of Eoforwic, where she makes a scant living teaching dance to the citizens. Vivian Stephens makes insufficient money teaching and performing dance that she sometimes takes jobs dealing with computers. She is the co-author of Joy and Jealousy, a manual of 15th-C Italian balli. Classes: Tesara For Six Verçepe Bassadanza to Waltz Music 229

230 Honourable Lady Sara de Bonneville - Sara L Bonneville In the SCA, the honorable Lady Sara de Bonneville is an aficionado of dance, a student of Master Trahaearn, and a sometime Exchequer and Chronicler. In the modern world, Sara L. Bonneville is school district Budget Manager who spent her college years (long ago!) studying and teaching ballet and jazz. In 2009 she (finally) married a gentleman she met 30+ years ago at that self-same ballet studio. Classes: ECD - Odd Lots Basse to Basse (15th C Basse to Arbeau's "Basse Dance") (15th C vs 16th C interpretations) Sciath ingen Chaennaig - Trudi Wright Trudi Wright is a wife and mum, but spends her free time as a records manager with the Ontario Public Service. Trudi has been a member of the SCA since 1996, when she joined in Victoria, BC (Canada). Sciath ingen Chaennaig is a chatelaine in her father's home in Strathclyde. Her duties include training the domestic servants, and overseeing all household activities. She takes particular delight in beekeeping, music, and storytelling. She is currently trying to hone her skills at bone/horn carving. Classes: Expanding your horizons - Reading Modern Sheet Music Music improvisation - what to do when there is no sheet music Music History - Wouldn't you like to be a troubadour, too? Solveig Throndardottir Classes: Japanese Dance - Festival Dance Japanese Dance - Noh Dance Japanese Dance - Bugaku Reconstruction Workshop Swannoc - Caroline McLachlan Darling Swannoc has been in the SCA for over a decade and has spent that time dedicated to learning about dance. She has spent the past year in Lochac teaching and learning dance. Classes: Early Period Dance New reconstruction of Parson's Farewell 230

231 Stefan of Cambion - Stephen Kiefert Stefan of Cambion has been active in the Kingdom of Atlantia for more than 20 years. He is currently the kingdom Historian and Chancelier of the Dance Academie and was the Storvik baronial seneschal. Other activities include teaching at university of Atlantia, minister of the lists, archery marshal, event steward, and scrolls. Stephen Kiefert is a retired attorney in Maryland Classes: Dances from the Inns of Court Thea of Jararvellir - Thea A. Frank Thea Frank was introduced to European Renaissance dance and instrumental music almost a decade ago and loved it from the start. Apparently, going back in time like this gives her left and right feet (and coordinated ones at that!) instead of two uncoordinated left ones. (Unfortunately, a nerve injury has forced her to give up playing.) Soon, she needed a name, and ended up just taking the name of the Barony where she began her dancing. Her focus expanded from just dancing to working with choreographies and reconstruction. Her interests span the centuries and continents of European dance. She was Dance Mistress for the Barony of Jararvellir for several years. However, she no longer resides in that Barony or even that Kingdom a roguish Viking drew her attention and has since captured her heart; she now resides in the Constellation Region of the Mid-Realm. Classes: Dances from the Nürnberg MS Two for Three (15th c. Italian) Quanto dyspayne: Spanish Gloves from Italy at the Inns of Court 231

232 Trahaearn ap Ieuan - Peter Durham Trahaearn ap Ieuan was a 10th century Welsh peasant as a youth, but after retiring from serving as sixth Baron of Madrone (Seattle, WA), he moved to early 17th century London where he teaches dance near the Inns of Court. He is a Pelican and a Laurel. Peter Durham is the Chief Software Architect of msnbc.com. He has practiced, taught, and researched early dance for over 20 years now, traveling to teach "Dances from Shakespeare" and performing with Seattle Early Dance. Classes: Survey of European Dance Sources Dame TSivia bas Tamara v'amberview, OL,OP - Shelley Rabinovitch TSivia bas Tamara v'amberview is a 13th century crypto-jewess from (as she puts it) "the northern part of Southern Scotland). Daughter of a petty baron captured during the wars with The Bruce, she was held for ransom until word came that her father had perished. At that time she was released from custody as no one would "ante up", and she became a travelling bard in order to pay her way through life. She has lived in Atenveldt, the Midrealm, and Ealdormere. Shelley TSivia Rabinovitch (yes that *IS* her middle name!) is a PhD in religious studies, specializing in anthropology and women's studies. She teaches at the University of Ottawa, and is owned by a small flock of cats. Classes: Analyzing and Reconstructing Historical N.E. Dance Vikings Did Too Dance: An Exploration of Period Nordic Dance 232

233 Mistress Urraca Yriarte de Gamboa, OL - Mary Peralta Railing Urraca Yriarte de Gamboa lives in the Middle Kingdom and has been dancing in the SCA since She is particularly interested in reconstructing sixteenth century Italian dances. Mary Peralta Railing is an artist who works for a company that produces custom coins, medallions and awards. Classes: Reconstructing Dances Introduction to 16th Century Italian Dance Steps Valizan Ibn Fredeh - Rob Galbraith Valizan is a late period 15th Century Moroccan who is travelling the salons of Persia to inspect Zilij (tilework) and otherwise enjoy the hospitality of various rich merchants and art lovers in the Arab world. Rob Galbraith is a professional belly dancer and teacher. Classes: Middle Eastern - Beginner Bellydance 233