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21. Dance
- Indiana University Press
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21 � Dance dorothy olsson At all times and in each district, or Province, one has had a given dance, such as the English have measures and contredances. The Scottish have the Scotch Brawl, the Germans the Almain, the Normans the Bransles-de-villages , the Bretons the Triory, or Passepied. The Bransles de Poitou come from the Poitevins, and the Volta from Provence. From the Italians come the Gaillarde, or Romanesque. From the Spaniards the Sarabande and Pavane. From the Moors the Morisco. From Paris, and some other places in France, we have a diversity of the Bransles and Courantes. François de Lauze enlightens us on the geographic diversity of dance styles, and his statement can also be applied chronologically, for this era saw exciting changes in dance technique, underscored by remarkable rediscoveries of dance sources (discussed below) in the last two decades. Based on surviving documents, two distinct periods present themselves, the late Renaissance (ca.1550–ca. 1630) and the Baroque (ca. 1670–ca. 1725), with a transitional period in between (ca. 1630–ca. 1670).1 That dance was an important element throughout this era is proven by the many literary references, costume and scene designs, and vast amount of music devoted to it. This chapter provides information to aid musicians and dancers in the performance of seventeenth-century dance and dance music, focusing on the late Renaissance and transitional periods. It should be remembered that what we know about dance in this era is highly colored by the fact that surviving manuals were written almost exclusively for use by the upper classes.2 Courtiers and ladies were expected to be skilled in dance, as it played an integral role at court: it helped to establish the formality of official occasions while ornamenting and glorifying the power of the nobility. On the social level, dance revealed the perceived strengths of the sexes—the power and dexterity of the male, the charms and beauty of the female. While courtiers and ladies honed their social graces (by flirting) and polished their dancing technique, the group dances were fun: they brought people together in an enjoyable way. 398 The Seventeenth-Century Stage Dance in the theater was sometimes a political tool. Theatrical court entertainments were designed primarily to show off the wealth of the nobility. In English masques, Italian intermedii, and French ballets de cour, dance played an integral role, and its importance to court society was enhanced by the fact that most of the dances were performed by courtiers themselves.3 Courtiers continued to dance in theatrical productions until about the last quarter of the century, when professional dancers gradually gained prominence.4 A possible distinction between court and theatrical dance is that the latter included a choreographed entrance, while in social dances the dancers merely walked (after the customary honors) to their opening positions. Theatrical dances often presented designs that faced out toward the audience (and important dignitaries), whereas social dances offered patterns devised for the dancers themselves.5 Theatrical dances were primarily group dances, either single-sex or mixed. Evidence for solo dances is scanty: Thoinot Arbeau described the morisque (morris) dance for a solo man, and there is a reference to a solo in the Florentine intermedii of 1589.6 Dance manuals principally describe social dance; precise information on theatrical dance is scarce. Among the few extant theatrical choreographies are four in Cesare Negri’s book (see below) and Emilio de’ Cavalieri’s ballo titled O che nuovo miracolo, for the Florentine intermedii of 1589.7 Arbeau’s sword dance, Les bouffons (see below), also has theatrical characteristics. For the later seventeenth century, the list of sources below identifies manuals that contain significant information on dance in the theater. Sources The sources that follow vary considerably in content, and this is by no means an exhaustive list. Some offer descriptions of dance steps, and a few provide complete choreographies. Some manuals also include music, illustrations, and rudimentary discussions of dance theory. Some of the manuals also offer advice on etiquette and fashion accessories—a reflection of the varied responsibilities of dancing masters. The manuals principally describe social dances for men and women dancing together . Most are couple dances, presumably performed by one couple at a time while others looked on; there are also several choreographies for three, four, six, eight or more dancers. Processional-type dances such as the pavan were performed by several couples. Recently rediscovered sources such as Ercole Santucci’s Mæstro da ballo, the...