Renaissance dance
Encyclopedia
Renaissance dances belong to the broad group of historical dance
s.
During the Renaissance period, there was a distinction between country dances and court dances. Court dances required the dancers to have been trained and were often for display and entertainment, whereas country dances could be attempted by anyone. At Court, the formal entertainment would often be followed by many hours of country dances which all present could join in. Dances described as country dances such as Chiarantana or Chiaranzana remained popular over a long period - over two centuries in the case of this dance. A Renaissance dance can be likened to a ball.
Knowledge of court dances has survived better than that of country dances as they were collected by dancing masters in manuscripts and later in printed books. The earliest surviving manuscripts that provide detailed dance instructions are from 15th century Italy. The earliest printed dance manuals come from late 16th century France and Italy. The earliest dance manual printed in England did not appear until 1651.
The dances in these manuals are extremely varied in nature. They range from slow, stately dances (bassadance, pavane
, almain
) to fast, lively dances (galliard
, coranto
, canario
). The former, in which the dancers' feet did not leave the ground were styled the dance basse while energetic dances with leaps and lifts were called the haute dance. Some were choreographed, others were improvised on the spot.
One dance for couples, a form of the galliard called lavolta
, involved a rather intimate hold between the man and woman, with the woman being lifted into the air while the couple made a 3/4 turn. Other dances, such as branle
s or bransles, were danced by many people in a circle or line.
, Antonio Cornazzano
and Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro
. Their work deals with similar steps and dances, though some evolution can be seen. The main types of dances described are bassa danze
and balli. These are the earliest European dances to be well-documented, as we have a reasonable knowledge of the choreographies, steps and music used.
Historical dance
Historical dance is a collective term covering a wide variety of dance types from the past as they are danced in the present....
s.
During the Renaissance period, there was a distinction between country dances and court dances. Court dances required the dancers to have been trained and were often for display and entertainment, whereas country dances could be attempted by anyone. At Court, the formal entertainment would often be followed by many hours of country dances which all present could join in. Dances described as country dances such as Chiarantana or Chiaranzana remained popular over a long period - over two centuries in the case of this dance. A Renaissance dance can be likened to a ball.
Knowledge of court dances has survived better than that of country dances as they were collected by dancing masters in manuscripts and later in printed books. The earliest surviving manuscripts that provide detailed dance instructions are from 15th century Italy. The earliest printed dance manuals come from late 16th century France and Italy. The earliest dance manual printed in England did not appear until 1651.
The dances in these manuals are extremely varied in nature. They range from slow, stately dances (bassadance, pavane
Pavane
The pavane, pavan, paven, pavin, pavian, pavine, or pavyn is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century .A pavane is a slow piece of music which is danced to in pairs....
, almain
Allemande
An allemande is one of the most popular instrumental dance forms in Baroque music, and a standard element of a suite...
) to fast, lively dances (galliard
Galliard
The galliard was a form of Renaissance dance and music popular all over Europe in the 16th century. It is mentioned in dance manuals from England, France, Spain, Germany and Italy, among others....
, coranto
Courante
The courante, corrente, coranto and corant are some of the names given to a family of triple metre dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era....
, canario
Canarie (dance)
The canarie is a fast dance from the Renaissance and Baroque eras. It was in 3/8 or 6/8 meter. The dance was named for the Canary Islands, the dance's place of origin. Also called canario, it was an energetic dance that featured jumps, stamping of the feet and violent movement, accompanied by...
). The former, in which the dancers' feet did not leave the ground were styled the dance basse while energetic dances with leaps and lifts were called the haute dance. Some were choreographed, others were improvised on the spot.
Lavolta
The volta is an anglicised name for a Renaissance dance for couples from the later Renaissance. This dance was associated with the galliard and done to the same kind of music. Its main figure consisted of a turn and lift in a sort of closed position, which could be done either to the right or to...
, involved a rather intimate hold between the man and woman, with the woman being lifted into the air while the couple made a 3/4 turn. Other dances, such as branle
Branle
A branle l)—also bransle, brangle, brawl, brawle, brall, braul, or brantle —or brainle—is a 16th-century French dance style which moves mainly from side to side, and is performed by couples in either a line or a circle.The word is derived from the French verb branler , possibly related to brander...
s or bransles, were danced by many people in a circle or line.
Fifteenth century Italian dance
Our knowledge of 15th century Italian dances comes mainly from the surviving works of three Italian dance masters: Domenico da PiacenzaDomenico da Piacenza
Domenico da Piacenza was an Italian Renaissance dancing master. Domenico da Piacenza was born sometime around 1400 in Piacenza, where he grew up and began teaching dance...
, Antonio Cornazzano
Antonio Cornazzano
Antonio Cornazzano was an Italian poet, writer, biographer, and dancing master.-Antonio Cornazzano:In the city of Piacenza, which was then in the Duchy of Milan, Antonio Cornazzano was born probably in 1432...
and Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro
Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro
Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro was an Italian dancing-master; flourished in the fifteenth century at Pesaro.His master was Domenico di Ferrara, in whose Liber Ballorum he is mentioned. Guglielmo himself wrote a treatise on dancing, Trattato dell' Arte del Ballare, edited by F. Zambrini, Bologna, 1873;...
. Their work deals with similar steps and dances, though some evolution can be seen. The main types of dances described are bassa danze
Basse danse
The basse danse, or "low dance", was the most popular court dance in the 15th and early 16th centuries, especially at the Burgundian court, often in a combination of 6/4 and 3/2 time allowing for use of hemiola...
and balli. These are the earliest European dances to be well-documented, as we have a reasonable knowledge of the choreographies, steps and music used.
External links
- The Renaissance Dance Homepage
- Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) Renaissance Dance Homepage category}}
- Renaissance Dance Events listed at the Calendar of Early-Dance
Modern Performance
Many groups exist that recreate historical music and dance from the Renaissance period- The Early Dance Circle is an umbrella group for early dance in the UK
- Renaissance Footnotes, a UK dance group recreating dances of the renaissance