John Essex
Encyclopedia
John Essex was an English dancer , choreographer and author who promoted the recording of dance steps through notation as well as performing in London theatre. In 1728 he published his major work The Dancing-Master, or, The Art of Dancing Explained, a translation of Pierre Rameau
's Le maître à danser (1725).
, performing serious and comic dances. In 1703 he left after a dispute with the manager, Christopher Rich
. He set up as an independent dance teacher and teacher of music in Rood Lane (off Fenchurch Street) in the parish of St Dionis Backchurch
in the City of London
.
He became part of a group of dance teachers who sought to modernise and improve the teaching and record of dancing. These included a Mr Isaac, Thomas Caverley, and John Weaver
.
Essex was involved in several publications in the early 1700 which brought to England and explained the dance notations of the French dance masters Raoul Auger Feuillet
and Pierre Rameau
. Essex translated the introduction to Feuillet's Recueil de contredances (1706), and was the author of a treatise on the notation of country dances entitled, For the Further Improvement of Dancing (1710). His most important book appeared in 1728 The Dancing-Master, or, The Art of Dancing Explained, which was a translation with diagrams of Rameau's Le maître à danser (1725). This ran to a second edition in 1731 and a third about 1733 which included new illustrations by George Bickham the Younger
. A fourth edition appeared in 1744, the year of his death.
In 1721 he authored The Young Ladies Conduct, or, Rules for Education, for its day an orthodox treatise on female education, apart from the emphasis it puts on the usefulness of dancing.
In 1724 he returned to performance, appearing at Dury Lane and later at The Haymarket Theatre
.
With his wife Catherine (née Hawtayne) (d. 1721), he had six children of whom three died in infancy, all are recorded in the parish register
of St Dionis Backchurch.
Pierre Rameau
Pierre Rameau , was the French dancing master to Elisabetta Farnese, and the author of two books that now provide us with valuable information about Baroque dance....
's Le maître à danser (1725).
Life
He is first mentioned in record in 1702 as a dancer at Drury Lane TheatreTheatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
, performing serious and comic dances. In 1703 he left after a dispute with the manager, Christopher Rich
Christopher Rich (theatre manager)
Christopher Rich was a lawyer and theatrical manager in London in the late 17th and early 18th century, and the father of the important impresario John Rich...
. He set up as an independent dance teacher and teacher of music in Rood Lane (off Fenchurch Street) in the parish of St Dionis Backchurch
St Dionis Backchurch
St Dionis Backchurch was a parish church in the Langbourn ward of the City of London.-History:The church of St Dionis was dedicated to Dionysus the Areopagite, a follower of St Paul, said to have converted the French to Christianity. He became the patron saint of France, where he is known as St Denis...
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.
He became part of a group of dance teachers who sought to modernise and improve the teaching and record of dancing. These included a Mr Isaac, Thomas Caverley, and John Weaver
John Weaver
John Weaver was an English dancer and choreographer, and is often regarded as the father of English pantomime....
.
Essex was involved in several publications in the early 1700 which brought to England and explained the dance notations of the French dance masters Raoul Auger Feuillet
Raoul Auger Feuillet
Raoul Auger Feuillet was a French dance notator, publisher and choreographer most well-known today for his Chorégraphie, ou l'art de décrire la danse which described Beauchamp-Feuillet notation, and his subsequent collections of ballroom and theatrical dances, which included his own...
and Pierre Rameau
Pierre Rameau
Pierre Rameau , was the French dancing master to Elisabetta Farnese, and the author of two books that now provide us with valuable information about Baroque dance....
. Essex translated the introduction to Feuillet's Recueil de contredances (1706), and was the author of a treatise on the notation of country dances entitled, For the Further Improvement of Dancing (1710). His most important book appeared in 1728 The Dancing-Master, or, The Art of Dancing Explained, which was a translation with diagrams of Rameau's Le maître à danser (1725). This ran to a second edition in 1731 and a third about 1733 which included new illustrations by George Bickham the Younger
George Bickham the Younger
George Bickham the Younger was an English etcher and engraver, a printseller, and one of the first English caricaturists.He produced didactic publications, political caricatures, and pornographical prints. He was the son of the engraver George Bickham the Elder , who published the Universal...
. A fourth edition appeared in 1744, the year of his death.
In 1721 he authored The Young Ladies Conduct, or, Rules for Education, for its day an orthodox treatise on female education, apart from the emphasis it puts on the usefulness of dancing.
In 1724 he returned to performance, appearing at Dury Lane and later at The Haymarket Theatre
Haymarket Theatre
The Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use...
.
With his wife Catherine (née Hawtayne) (d. 1721), he had six children of whom three died in infancy, all are recorded in the parish register
Parish register
A parish register is a handwritten volume, normally kept in a parish church or deposited within a county record office or alternative archive repository, in which details of baptisms, marriages and burials are recorded.-History:...
of St Dionis Backchurch.
External links
- HTML version of John Essex's dancing manual The Dancing-Master at baroquedance.info , Accessed December 2009
- 'For the Further Improvement of Dancing details at An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals. Accessed December 2009