renaissance Archives – The Historical Dance Society

21May 2024 by David Parsons

A History of Country Dancing – Introduction

Dance history

A History of Country Dancingwith an emphasis on the steps Anne Daye, HDS Director of Education and Research Introduction A complete history of the country dance has yet to be written, and would form a major challenge. Here you will find an overview of the country dance from the 16th to 19th centuries, as a framework for discussion of the changing steps with which it was danced. The term ‘country dance’ is first recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary in the play Misogonus Act 2 scene iv, printed in 1577. This implies that the genre was well known at the time; if the play was written in 1560, then we can assume that the country dance was a well-established genre by the middle of the sixteenth century. The English measures…

26Apr 2024 by David Parsons

Day course: Dance like a Tudor

Events, For dancers

An introduction to dances of Queen Elizabeth’s court Saturday 5th October 2024 10.30 – 16.30 St Pancras Church House, 1 Lancing Street, London NW1 1NA Teachers: Ann Hinchliffe and Helen Young What kind of dances did the Tudor court enjoy? Was dance important at the Tudor court? What were the dances mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays? What was a brawl, a pavan, a galliard or a coranto? Where and what did ordinary people dance? Find the answers at this practical day workshop with two experienced historical dance teachers. All the dances are based on extensive research into dance books and manuscripts of the time. You will experience some "English Measures" from sources associated with the the Inns of Court manuscripts – dances such as the pavan, almain, coranto, and galliard –…

02Apr 2024 by David Parsons

The Early Dance Circle Conference 2024

Other

The Early Dance Circle (EDC) Biennial Conference will be held 10-12 May 2024. The Conference brings together international specialists on historical dance topics spanning six centuries of dance history in the delightful surroundings of St Katharine’s Retreat House, Parmoor, Frieth, RG9 6NN, near High Wycombe. The theme for the 2024 gathering is Recovering Historical Dance: “We don’t reproduce the past, we create it” (Hilary Mantel). You can find more details at https://www.earlydancecircle.co.uk/events/#Conference

25Oct 2023 by David Parsons

Residential weekend: Dance and performance at the Jacobean court

For dancers, Past events

Now open for booking Friday 26 to Sunday 28 January 2024 at Halsway Manor, west Somerset Dances associated with Ben Jonson's masque Hymenaei will be learnt and animated for an in-house performance of the masque on Sunday. Tutors Anne Daye and Ann Hinchliffe will lead classes, respectively, for more experienced dancers and for improvers. There will be opportunities to sing, play (any portable acoustic instrument) and dress up, in the lively sociable atmosphere of a Tudor country house amid beautiful scenery. For further details, please download the booking form below. Organiser: Ann Hinchliffe, thedancingmaster@outlook.com or 07780 799 613. Bookings: Please download and complete the booking form. Booking form (MS Word) Booking form (PDF)

18Jan 2023 by David Parsons

Summer School 2023. Dances of the Italian Renaissance.

For dancers, Past events, Past summer schools

Exploring Fifteenth and Sixteenth Century Dance Friday 14th to Monday 17th July 2023 or Friday 14th to Friday 21st July at Bromsgrove School, West Midlands, B61 7HP. Bromsgrove School We offer a choice of a 15th or 16th Century dance course at two general levels of difficulty/challenge. The weekend course is aimed at those with little or no dance experience of their chosen period. The longer course is aimed at those with previous experience and some knowledge of the step vocabulary, with a few places available for weekend attendance. The weekend courses offer an excellent introduction to historical dance. Participants will study with their chosen tutor in daily classes, to develop technique and learn a selection of dances. A varied choice of afternoon workshops led by course tutors and other…

19Nov 2022 by David Parsons

Weekend course ‘Dancing Well, Dancing Longer’

For dancers, Past events

Led by Kath Waters, the course runs from Friday 3 to Sunday 5 February 2023 at Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 9RB. Participants will explore dances from the Renaissance and Baroque periods with a focus on the development and application of technical skills and safe dance practice. The first evening and each morning will start with a general warm up, using exercises that can be taken away for personal use or use with a group. This will be followed by exploration of technical aspects such as strength, stamina, posture, alignment and co-ordination. These skills will then by applied to sociable Playford country dances on the first evening, Renaissance dances on the Saturday and Baroque dances on the Sunday. The course will be useful to both individual dancers and group leaders. Course Director: Kath Waters.…

27Oct 2022 by David Parsons

Shakespeare’s Dances: a celebration of dance, music and costume

For dancers, For musicians, Past events

Held online on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 November 2022 The Historical Dance Society is bringing together renowned historians, researchers and practitioners to enjoy a weekend of Shakespeare-themed activities. References to dances and dancing appear throughout Shakespeare's plays. This weekend explores the dances, dance music and costumes that were familiar to Shakespeare and his circle. Learn how to dance a MeasureFind out how dances are interpreted and staged in productions of Shakespeare's playsExplore the hats, headwear and clothing of the timeDiscover the exciting Shakespeare and Dance ProjectFind out about creating music with limited resources in Shakespeare's timeFocus on non-social dancing and dance for performance in Shakespeare's playsDiscover how dance can be made dramatic in the dramas Relax and enjoy A Shakespeare Revel on Saturday evening (GMT) with dancing, music, readings and other delights. You…

28Jun 2013 by EmilyBowen

Study Forum 1: Reconstructing Technique – Creating Performance (2013)

Conference publications

Goldsmiths, University of London, 23-24 March 2013 Two days of practical workshops and presentations, guided by leading researchers, teachers and performers. Due to the practical nature of most of the sessions, the proceedings were not published. One of the papers is available to download Roger Clegg, Lucie Skeaping and Anne Daye – Singing Simpkin and other Bawdy Jigs: Recuperating the Song-and-Dance Comedies on the Shakespearean Stage (paper and workshop) Paul and Ann Kent – Ever to Endure: Recreating Dances from the Gresley Manuscript (workshop) Ilona Taure – Bringing the Castle to Life: dance at Bauska Castle, Latvia (presentation) Download Jennifer Kiek – "... and winding heys to tread": an Exploration of Possible Interpretations of the S. Hey in Country Dances from Playford 1651 (workshop) Jennifer Thorp – Revisiting Le Palais…

28Jun 2009 by EmilyBowen

On Common Ground 7: Kings and Commoners: Dances of Display for Court, City and Country (2009)

Conference publications

All Saints Pastoral Centre, London Colney, St Albans, 28-29 March 2009 All the papers are available to download. Anne Daye – Dancing for King and Country: the Jacobean Court Dancer Download Hazel Dennison – Dancing the Barbarian (workshop) Download Maëlle Amand – The Distorted Representations of Dance in Eighteenth-Century Britain: a Study of Parody and Caricature Download Moira Goff – Edmund Pemberton and the Improvement of Dancing Download Barbara Segal – The Hornpipe: a Dance for Kings, Commoners and Comedians (workshop) Download Ann and Paul Kent – Bransles for Display? Download Jørgen Schou-Pedersen – Dances for a Royal Danish Masquerade Download

28Jun 2005 by EmilyBowen

On Common Ground 5: Dance in Drama, Drama in Dance (2005)

Conference publications

Cecil Sharp House, London, 12 March 2005. All of the papers are available to download. Jeremy Barlow – But at present keep your own secret: Dances in The Beggar's Opera Download Anne Daye – Character in action in the seventeenth-century antimaque Download Hazel Dennison – The significance of drama created through gesture in European dance sources 1450-1720 Download Moria Goff – Weaver, words and dancing in The Judgement of Paris Download Jennifer Kiek – We'll have a crash here in the yard! English country dance in early modern stage plays.Not included in the printed proceedings Download Cecilia Nocilli – La presa di Granata and Il Tronfo de la Fama: the dance in the farces of Iacopo Sannazaro (1492) Download Jennifer Thorp – Drama and dance in Le Ballet de la…

28Jun 2003 by EmilyBowen

On Common Ground 4: The Problems of Reconstruction and Re-creation in Dance (2003)

Conference publications

Cecil Sharp House, London, 29 March 2003 The conference provided an opportunity for scholars and practitioners to discuss with colleagues the issues strategies, results and rationales for reconstruction and re-creation in historical dance. The one-day conference attracted over 60 participants from Britain, continental Europe and the USA to explore the problems of reconstructing dances from verbal descriptions and notated scores, and the value of re-creating dances from contextual information. The speakers presented case studies spanning the period from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century. Most of the papers are available to download. Patri J. Pugliese – Dancing and fencing from the Renaissance to the 19th century Download Diana Cruickshank – Theres many a slip: the interpretation of 15th-century Italian dance Download David Wilson – Problems and possible solutions in…

28Jun 2001 by EmilyBowen

On Common Ground 3: John Playford and the English Dancing Master (2001)

Conference publications

Cecil Sharp House, London, 24-25 March 2001 Jointly organised with the English Folk Dance and Song Society Over 200 people from both the historical dance and folk dance worlds in Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Sweden and the USA gathered in London for this event jointly organised by the HDS and The English Folk Dance and Song Society. The formal paper presentations were divided into five sessions over the two days. All of the papers are available to download. Jennifer Kiek – 'That againe': an Exploration of the Formulaic Sequences in early English Country Dance Download Anne Daye – Taking the Measure of Dance Steps 1650-1700, through the Publications of John Playford Download Jeremy Barlow – Tunes in The English Dancing Master 1651: John Playford's Accidental Misprints?…

28Jun 1998 by EmilyBowen

On Common Ground 2: Continuity and Change (1998)

Conference publications

London, 14 March 1998 The conference explored the concepts of continuity and change as seen in the sources for historical dance, and in current research, re-creation and performance. All of the papers are available to download. Barbara Sparti – Early Dance research and performance: past, present and future (Keynote paper) Download Hazel Dennison – Beyond the ballroom: dance as theatre art in 15th-century Europe Download Michael E. Lutz – Continuity and change within the two dance treatises of Fabritio Caroso Download Diana Cruickshank – Caroso's two versions of 'Allegrezza d'Amore' Download Jennifer Thorp – The effectiveness of Beauchamp-Feuillet notation as a means of recording dance in the eigtheenth century Download Helene Kázarová – One music - two dances: Sarabande by Lully Download Madeleine Inglehearn – Queen Anne's dancing master Download…

22Feb 1996 by EmilyBowen

On Common Ground (1996)

Conference publications

Middlesex University School of Dance, incorporating The London College of Dance, Bedford, 24 February 1996 On Common Ground was organised by the HDS, with the assistance of Middlesex University School of Dance, as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations. The aim of the conference was to explore the common ground of the principles and concepts of historical dance shared by researchers and practitioners in the field by bringing together people who value a valid and informed representation of dance of the 15th-19th century in their work and study. It was attended by teachers, researchers, performers, choreographers and students. The common ground was marked out by the sources they all share in arriving at a representation of dancing in the past. All of the papers are available to download. Ivor Guest…

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