21May 2024 by David Parsons

A History of Country Dancing – Origins

Dance history
Anne Daye, HDS Director of Education and Research Origins I propose that the country dance evolved from the communal dances by a line of people. These still exist in local practice all over Europe, such as the carole (sung and danced), cousin to the kolo of Yugoslavia, hora of Rumania, horo of Bulgaria, the khorovod of Russia and la danza grande of Northern Spain. With a repetitive step pattern, the line travels onward guided by a leader, passing through the streets of the town, forming circles, spirals and weaving patterns in open places. Such a line can easily form into pairs to make further interactive patterns down the line. Two good examples of this genre in an elite setting are La Chiaranzana (described by Fabritio Caroso, dancing master of Rome,…
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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…
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18Jan 2023 by David Parsons
Summer School 2023. Dances of the Italian Renaissance.

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…
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