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This is a page of information I put up when I was running the monthly introductory dance class for Eoforwic, the Toronto SCA group. The basic information on dance of the period is still applicable, but the dances being taught are probably different.
We only have dance sources starting from the fifteenth-century, and only from a few countries of Western Europe. Despite this, there is a large number of steps and, to make things more confusing, many different reconstructions of some of the steps. (The sources are often unclear, and may not even bother to explain how to do the steps at all.) Unless you are interested in doing the more complicated dances, however, two easy steps will get you through most of the simpler dances. These two steps are the Single and the Double.
The Single
This takes half a bar of music, and consists of one step, and then a pause
where you usually bring the other foot beside the first foot, (but don't
step on the second foot.) Some dances call for you to do something else with
the second foot, such as in Almans, where you bring it forward in the air a
little. In some
dances the single is fancied up, such as in Saltarello La Regina where a hop
replaces the pause, so the single becomes step-hop. But each of these really
is just a single with icing added. A single can be done sideways, forward, or
backward. A single left is done stepping on the left foot, and a single right
on the right. After you do a single on the left, your next step has to be on
the right.
The Double
From the name you may expect this to be two steps. Actually, it is three.
The reason it is called a double may be because it takes twice the time of
a single (a full bar instead of half a bar) or it may be because you step
twice on the leading foot. That is, when you do a double left, you step
twice on the left foot, and, of course, once on the right inbetween. A
double forward is three steps forward, and then a pause. Again, it may get
fancied up in the same way that a single is. In an Alman you lift your foot
forward on the pause (so a double left would be step left, step right, step
left, raise right) while in a Saltarello you hop on the pause (step left,
step right, step left, hop on the left foot with your right foot in the air.)
When you do a double sideways you are taking two steps to that side.
The Piva
One version of the double that we use is the piva. For the piva the 2nd
step is shorter than the 1st and 3rd steps. So a piva left would be:
Foot to Start On
Nearly all the dances we do in the SCA start on the left foot, and the
steps
usually alternate thereafter. For some figures the dancers pass each other
or take hands, and,
to match the first foot being left, this is normally done first with the
right (since the right hand swings forward as the left foot comes forward,
in walking.)
Other Rules
The woman is always right. That is, when dancing as a couple, except in
a few "improper" dances, the woman is on the right side of the man.
When holding hands, keep them low and relaxed.
Figures
Figures are patterns that are made while dancing. There are a number of
common ones that we do, and again, in some dances they were fancied up with
a lot of complicated steps. The basic figures themselves can usually be
done with singles, doubles, or just normal walking. Here are some of the
common figures:
MIDDLE AGES
There are no dance manuals from this period. Some dance music survives,
but the performance of the dances has to be guessed at, using information
gleaned from references to dancing, pictures, and knowledge of
later dances. Because of this, the dances taught from this period are
extremely speculative. Dances mentioned in this period include ductia and
carole, estampie, trotto, and saltarello. Pictures indicate that some
dancing was done by couples in a processional formation, others were done
by a long line of dancers holding hands in a line, and some seem to have
been done by couples moving freely around the floor and to have included
spins and jumps.
Ductia: Probably equivalent to the carole and the forerunner of the
later bransle. One person leads a line of dancers, making various shapes. It
may have been sung to, the leader perhaps singing the verses of the song,
and the rest joining in for the choruses. Religious dance may have been of
this type.
For this dance the "S" or "train" handhold is best, where everyone turns a little to their left, puts their left hand in front palm down, and their right hand back, palm up. The following are suggested patterns to make. Some are from medieval pictures, while others are found in modern folk dances of the same style. While dancing, the leader can:
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15TH-CENTURY
Handwritten dance manuals survive from this period. They give
choreographies and often the music that goes with them, but the steps are
not completely explained. The Italian sources are most numerous, and give
two types of dances, being the ballo, and the bassadanza. We usually only do
some of the easier balli at the monthly sessions. There are also Burgundian
sources, which have only bassedances (related to the Italian bassedanze).
And there is one English source from @1500, which has dances somewhat like
the Italian balli.
Petit Riens: This is an anonymous ballo from an Italian source of
about 1470. It is referred to as a French ballo, so may be more typical of
French dances of the time, or may perhaps be an indication of what the
Italians imagined that the French were dancing.
This reconstruction is based on the one by Ingrid Brainard. For 3 dancers, side by side, A on the left, B in the middle, C on the right, holding hands with the "S" hand hold.
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Gelosia: This is an Italian ballo from @1450, composed by Master Domenico.
The name of the dance means Jealousy, and it is easy to see why.
For three couples, starting one couple behind the other. ENTRANCE MEN SWAP PARTNERS TRAVEL GREET NEW PARTNER (promising eternal faithfulness optional) ARMING Repeat dance twice more, until each man returns to his starting place. With live musicians, the number of couple can be extended to 4 or 5 in a set. |
Ly Bens Distonys - This is an English dance from @1500, found in the
Gresley dance collection. All the dances from this source are described as
being for men only. There may have been a tradition in England at this time
for men and women to dance seperately, or the descriptions may have just been
for men, but the dances could have been done as easily by two women or a
couple. The description following is for one couple.
TRAVEL DIAMOND (Each person is tracing a diamond-shaped path.) SET AND TURN |
16TH-CENTURY
By the 1500's printed dance manuals survive, although some sources are
still handwritten. There are dances from France, England and Italy, and
both easier, more social dances, and complicated, more performance oriented
dances. (But even the hardest dances were meant for the nobles to entertain each
other with - they were not reserved to a separate profession of entertainers,
which only starts to occur in the next century.)
Brawls - No, 'brawl' doesn't mean the dancers start fighting, but comes from a French word for swaying - this type of dance is done mostly moving sideways. The dancers join in a long line, or circle, to start. All the brawls that we do are either from Orchesograhy by T. Arbeau, published in 1589, or are SCA inventions.
Washerwoman's Brawl, from Arbeau - For couples.
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SCA Maltese Brawl - An SCA invention, somewhat like the version in Arbeau,
usually done with the music gradually speeding up.
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Pinagay, from Arbeau
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Pavans and Almans: These were slow dances, done in couples and often in a procession. The pavan was popular all over Europe, and seems to have been mostly improvised. (If it is being improvised, it doesn't work very well as a procession.) The modern descendant of this dance is the wedding processional. The alman is mentioned in Orchesography, but the surviving choreographies come from the English Inns of Court manuscripts. The basic alman step was done with a lift of the free foot at the end of the step, so an alman single is step-lift, like the modern funeral march.
Pavan
The basic pavan sequence is: The next sequence would start on the right. Possible Figures: |
Black Alman
On the repeat of the dance, the women do the set and turn first. Also, because of the smallness of our hall, we usually do the 4 doubles at the beginning of each repeat as 2 forward and 2 back, but that isn't in the original. |
Ballo del Fiore (The Dance of the Flower) - This is one of the
simplest of the late 16th-century
Italian dances, from Il Ballarino a dance manual by Fabritio Caroso
published in 1581. The version taught at the montly session has been
simplified even more. The original dance was done with just one couple
dancing at a time, but this adaptation has everyone dancing at once.
The men start in the center of the hall in a circle, each holding a flower, while the women are seated around the outside of the hall. INTRODUCTION VERSE 1 CHORUS (men only, this time) VERSE 2 VERSE 3 VERSE 4 Repeat dance (not the introduction) with the women choosing a man to dance with. Depending how long the music lasts the dance may repeat more often. |
The Hunt and The Wheel (or 'The Poaching Game')
These are two dance games - one is basically tag, the other involves
stealing partners. For more information see this
article in the Letter of Dance
17th Century
In 1651 John Playford published a book called The English Dancing
Master listing a large number of English Country Dances. ('Country' doesn't
mean that these were done by rustic labourers, but likely indicates that they
were done as more casual dancing, such as while the nobles were in the
country, as opposed to the more intricate, footwork intensive dances also
popular at the time.) The book proved to be a huge success, and went through
a number of printings, with new dances being added or changed, and others
being dropped as they became unfashionable. The dances in the 1st edition
are often for a specific number of dancers and follow the USA pattern
mentioned in the Figures section above. In later editions these rapidly
dissappear, being replaced with dances for any number of couples, with a
duple minor progression, such as the dance Hole in the Wall. Because of this
the USA style of dances are presumed to belong to an older tradition, and
are more appropriate for the SCA time period.
Hearts Ease ('Turn and Spurn') - A 'USA' dance for two couples, starting
with partners standing side by side, facing the other couple in a little square.
(Contrary is the person of the other gender who isn't your partner.)
VERSE 1 CHORUS VERSE 2 VERSE 3 |
Rufty Tufty - Another 'USA' dance for two couples, starting
with partners standing side by side, facing the other couple in a little square.
(Contrary is the person of the other gender who isn't your partner.)
VERSE 1 CHORUS VERSE 2 VERSE 3 |
Sellengers Round - Yet another 'USA' dance, for any number of couples
in a circle. This one has an extra verse, however. This version of the dance was first published
in the 1670 edition of John Playford's "The Dancing Master". The version
done in the SCA is descended from the reconstruction done in 1916 by Cecil
Sharp.
VERSE 1 CHORUS VERSE 2 VERSE 3 VERSE 4 |
Black Nag - A 'USA' dance for three couples, one behind the other. In
this one the choruses are all different.
VERSE 1 CHORUS 1 VERSE 2 CHORUS 2 VERSE 3 CHORUS 3 |
Heralds in Love - Choreographed by Lord Iulstun Sigewealding (Stephen
Goldschmidt), AS XXV (1990). This is a 'USA' dance for 4 couples, where the
choruses are all heys.
Starting position: 4 couples, lined up behind each other, facing up the hall. The first and third couple are in the normal position, with the women on the right, but the 2nd and 4th couples have the women on the left (improper). VERSE 1 CHORUS 1: The Men's Hey VERSE 2 CHORUS 2: The Woman's Hey VERSE 3 CHORUS 3: Everybody Heys |
Hole in the Wall - this is an English Country Dance from 1695, when
the 'USA' style of dances had lost favour, and the duple minor style was
popular. In duple minor dances you and your partner dance once through
the dance with another couple, and then pass them to repeat the dance with
the next couple in the line. The couple closer to the top of the hall in each
set is called the active couple, while the other couple is the inactive
couple. While moving down the line the active couple stays as the active
couple in each set until they reach the bottom. They then wait one repeat
of the dance, and come back as an inactive couple. The inactive couples
work their way to the top, wait one turn, and come back in as an active
couple.
In the SCA this dance is often used as a vehicle for a game of stealing partners - but watch out! In some areas this is not done and would be considered very rude, so check it is ok before diving in. Also, there are occasional other duple minor dances done in the SCA, so make sure the dance really is Hole in the Wall, or you may find yourself in the middle of a dance you don't know how to do.
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Caroso, Fabritio, Courtly Dance of the Renaissance, A New Translation and Edition of the "Nobilta` Di Dame" (1600). Translated and edited by Julia Sutton, Dover, 1995. ISBN 0-486-28619-3. This is the most easily obtained book on late Italian dance.
Justin du Coeur, "Ballo del Fiore", Letter of Dance vol 1, #6, Aug. AS XXV (1990). A reconstruction of the dance, with discussion of the steps, etc.
McGee, Timothy J., Medieval Instrumental Dances, Bloomington, Ind., Indiana University Press, 1989. ISBN: 0-253-33353-9 Discusses the evidence for Medieval dance, and includes sheet music.
Rosina del Bosco Chiaro, "Two Sixteenth-Century Dance Games", Letter of Dance, Vol 4.
Smith, A. William, Fifteenth-Century Dance and Music, Pendragon Press, Stuvyesant, NY. 1995. A transcription of the 15th C. Italian sources, with translations and musical transcriptions.
Stephens, V. & M. Cellio, Joy and Jealousy. Reconstructions of 15th-century Italian dance.
An American Ballroom Companion, a collection of the dance sources from the Library of Congress. (Includes an overview of historical dance, a huge number of sources from the 15th to 20th centuries, and video clips of dancers demonstrating steps.)
Last modified June 29, 2008
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