If you wish to have the home page or contact information for your group added to this list please use our contact form giving as much of the following information as possible: group/site name, brief description, website address or contact email address.
The email address will be displayed only if no web site is given or at your request. If you want the directory to show a postal address or telephone number, please state this in your email.
Unless they are displayed, the email address and other contact information will be accessible only by the webmaster and trustees, and will only be used for communication about maintenance of this directory. We will never give your details to third parties.
Historical dance groups in the UK
National
Consort de Danse Baroque
Based in Cardiff, classes in many parts of Britain.
Web: http://www.ukbaroquedance.com
HDS – The Historical Dance Society
Web: http://historicaldance.org.uk
The Early Dance Circle
Web: http://www.earlydancecircle.co.uk
Bedfordshire
Bedford Early Dance and Music
Workshops and events in Bedford, mainly Renaissance and Regency dance. Newcomers welcome.
Web: http://djparsons.me.uk/bedm
Buckinghamshire
The Cowper & Newton Museum Georgian dancers of ‘Amazing Grace’
We meet in Olney to dance country dance primarily of the 1700s concentrating on the time when William Cowper and John Newton lived in Olney and wrote “Amazing Grace”. Our numbers have dwindled since Covid and we are looking for new dancers in order to resume performing in the museum garden and at local events.
Contact: walkerrd@sky.com
Web: https://cowperandnewtonmuseum.org.uk/support-us/georgian-dancers/
Cambridgeshire
The Capriol Society (Cambridge)
Regular classes, mainly 14th-17th centuries.
Web: https://capriolsocietyforearlydance.wordpress.com
Devon
Renaissance Historical Dance Society
Medieval, Stuart, Regency as well as Elizabethan Dance. We have also expanded our activities to include archery, Tudor medicine, baby swaddling, Masked Parades and Elizabethan Needlecraft. In addition we are now able to offer a selection of period tents and banners to bring added ambiance to our performance venues.
Dumfries
Dumfries Historical Dance Group
Dumfries Historical Dance Group meets each Tuesday evening (except high days and holidays) from 7–9 pm at Holywood Village Hall, Holywood, just north of Dumfries DG2 0RA.
Contact: Sue Knight – Telephone 01387 810868 or 07816 971186
email: sueknight1940@gmail.com
Essex
Colchester Historical Dance
Regular classes and performances.
Contact: Jackie Marshall-Ward – Telephone 07803 578255
email: jacquelinemarshallward@gmail.com
Hampshire
Basingstoke Early Dance
Performing as Renaissance Footnotes. We are a dance group that specialises in teaching and portraying domestic and social life during the renaissance in England from 1450 to 1650.
Web: http://renaissancefootnotes.uk/
Hampshire Regency Dancers
A dance group based in Winchester to promote, practice and enjoy the dances from the late Georgian to the Regency period (about 1775-1830), when Jane Austen was writing her famous novels.
Contact: info@hrd.org.uk
Web: http://hrd.org.uk/
The Duke of Wellington’s Dancers
We meet in Southampton on most Thursdays to learn dances of the Georgian period, with emphasis on the Napoleonic and Regency eras. We also perform at events and run workshops and balls.
Web: http://www.dukesdancers.com/
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire Early Dance
A club for dancers and musicians, meeting one Sunday a month in St Albans.
Web: http://hertsearlydance.org.uk
Kent
Pastime
Web: http://pastime.orp.org.uk
Leicestershire
Leicestershire Historical Dance Group
A group for study, practice and display of historical dance, particularly 19th Century.
Web: http://www.victoriandance.co.uk/
Lincolnshire
Grantham Danserye
Usually meets on the 3rd Saturday of the month, 2-5 pm in Allington Village Hall, Side Street, Allington, Grantham, Lincs. NG32 2DX
Web: http://www.danserye.co.uk
London
Contretemps and Chalemie
Performances (national and international) and classes in baroque and renaissance dance.
Web: http://baroquedance.co.uk
The Covent Garden Minuet Company
London-based group performing the social dances of the late 18th century, especially the minuet.
Web: http://www.minuetcompany.org
Norfolk
Norwich Historical Dance
Mediaeval, Tudor, 17th and 18th century and Regency dances based in Norwich, Norfolk, U.K.
Web: http://www.norwichhistoricaldance.org.uk
Northumberland
Bedlington Country Dancers
Meets weekly on Monday morning from 10.30 to 11.30 am in Bedlington, Northumberland. Doing dances written between 1450 and 1850 – this is a new, friendly group where most people are beginners.
Contact: Elizabeth
email: noswal.e@gmail.com
Oxfordshire
Georgettes of Oxford
GEOrgian & Regency GET-together, Talk & dancE Society (Georgettes) of Oxford – A group holding Regency and Georgian country dance classes in Wolvercote, Oxford, as well as holding talks and social gatherings.
Rutland
Rutland Renaissance
The group meets weekly on Wednesday evenings at the Christie Hall, Elton Road, Wansford, Nr. Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, 7.30 to 9.30 p.m.
Contact: Kathy O’Brien
Email: jpkmobrien@btinternetcom
Web: http://www.rutlandrenaissance.co.uk/index2.shtml
Somerset
Jane Austen Dancers, Bath
A friendly Regency dance group based in Bath and Bradford on Avon to promote, practise and enjoy the dances spanning Jane Austen’s lifetime (about 1775-1820).
Web: http://www.janeaustendancersbath.co.uk
Staffordshire
The Regency Assembly
The Regency Assembly was founded in the Autumn of 2005 to understand and perform dances popular around the Regency Period. Dance classes are held fortnightly in Lichfield.
Web: http://www.danceweb.co.uk/regency-assembly/5599.aspx
Yorkshire
Greensleeves
Performance group drawn from White Rose Early Dance.
Contact: Enquiries about possible performances to Ann and Paul Kent (01484 663842)
email: hudds_earlydance@btinternet.com
White Rose Early Dance (Huddersfield).
Regular classes,the first Sunday of each month, 15th – 18th centuries.
Contact: Enquiries to Ann and Paul Kent (01484 663842)
Historical dance groups outside the UK
Australia
Australian Historical Dance
Web: https://www.historicaldance.au/
Earthly Delights Historic Dance Academy
Performance and teaching of historical dance – Renaissance, Baroque, Regency and Victorian dance styles. Regular dance classes and monthly balls in Canberra, Australia
Web: http://www.earthlydelights.com.au
Europe
Danças com História (Portugal)
Danças com História own one hundred and fifty costumes from the 15th, 16th and 16th and 17th centuries and participated in more than 50 seminars, conferences, lectures, study days and tutorials of ancient dance in Urbino, Italy, with world-renowned Masters such as: Barbara Spartti, Lieven Baert, Cecília Noacili, Cecília Grácio Moura, Padovan and Catarina Costa e Silva.
Danças com História also participated in recordings for RTP and Channel 5 of French television Le Monde, and organized the 1st International Coaching of Ancient Dance in Sintra and 1st and 2nd Days of Study of Portuguese Ancient Dance in Sintra.
In 2009, the Association was honoured to represent Portugal at the Meet The Tradition Dance Festival in Bulgaria, in 2010, and in the Commemoration of the 600 Years of the Discovery of Madeira and Porto Santo, in 2018.
Associação Danças com História is supported by the Municipality of Sintra, the Historical Society of the Independence of Portugal and EGEAC / Castelo de S. Jorge / Quinta da Regaleira and Sintra Parks / National Palace of Sintra.
The group, connected by a feeling of national self-esteem, adopted the motto:
LONG ARS, VITA BREVIS! – CARPE DIEM!
Email: dancascomhistoria@gmail.com
Web: https://dancascomhistoria.wixsite.com/dancascomhistoria?lang=en
Danserey – Renaissance Dance Group (Germany)
Il Leoncello (Italy) – Scuola e Gruppo di Danza Storica.
Main site in Italian with many useful Early Music and Historical Dance links (in English).
Web: http://xoomer.virgilio.it/apontre/
Il Teatro della Memoria (Italy)
Directed by Claudia Celi and Andrea Toschi, the Association Il Teatro della Memoria promotes historical research, publications and performance in the field of early music and dance. (Site in Italian.)
Web: http://www.teatrodellamemoria.org
La Rossignol (Italy)
A society of artists and researchers that wants to promote, to produce and to diffuse some projects with the purpose of spreading ancient music. (Site in Italian and English.)
Web: http://www.larossignol.com
RenaiDanse (Switzerland)
The company RenaiDanse is a Basel based group dedicated to the research and performance of the dances from the 15th century. It is led by Véronique Daniels
Web: http://www.renaidanse.org/
Rossina (Hamburg, Germany)
Rothenfels International Historical Dance Symposium
Historical Historical Dance Symposium held every four years (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016) in Burg Rothenfels am Main, Germany
Web: http://www.historical-dance-symposium.org/en/
Societa di Danza (Italy)
An Italian cultural association that aims at research and practice of historical dance, directed by Fabio Mollica.
Web: http://www.societadidanza.it/soc_dance.html
Studio für Historischen Tanz Berlin e. V. (Germany)
Present historical dances from the Renaissance period to the 19th century and hold workshops with external teachers.
Trabucchetto – Ensemble für historischen Tanz Stuttgart (Germany)
German historical dance group mainly dedicated to Renaissance Court Dances. Formed in 1990. Website in German.
Web: http://www.trabucchetto.de/
zeitenTANZ (Austria)
zeitenTANZ is a non-profit association to promote historical dance in Austria. It offers information on historical dance, dance evenings and get-togethers as well as workshops run by experienced teachers. Web site in German and English.
Dresdener Hofmann
The Dresdner Hoftanz was founded in 1995 by the choreographer Manfred Schnelle. Our repertoire includes dances from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, baroque and later.
Web: http://www.dresdner-hoftanz.de
USA
Amherst Early Music Festival
Including historical dance classes and performances.
Web: http://www.amherstearlymusic.org
New York Baroque Dance
The New York Baroque Dance Company founded in 1976 by Catherine Turocy, Artistic Director, and Ann Jacoby is still leading the historical dance field today. The company specializes in producing 17th and 18th century programs ranging from street performances to fully staged.
Other sites of interest
Arts Books (UK)
Web: http://www.arts-books.com
Cymdeithas Ddawns Werin Cymru
Welsh Folk Dance Society
Web: http://www.dawnsio.com/en/
Dance Books Ltd. (UK)
Web: http://www.dancebooks.co.uk
Development Agency for the Voluntary Arts (UK)
Web: http://www.voluntaryarts.org
Dolmetsch Homepage
Dolmetsch Musical Instruments, Summer Music School, etc. (UK)
EarlyMusicNews.org
Web: https://earlymusicnews.org/
Earthly Delights
Custom sewn historical garments
Web: http://www.earthlydelights.com.au
English Folk Dance and Song Society
Web: http://www.efdss.org
Galway Early Music Festival
Annual early music festival in Galway, Ireland.
Web: http://galwayearlymusic.com/
Green Ginger
Band playing music for Scottish dancing and historical dance.
Web: http://greengingerband.co.uk/
Jeremy Barlow and the Broadside Band
Early music group who have played on many HDS recordings. (UK)
Web: http://www.broadsideband.co.uk
National Resource Centre for Dance
Web: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/nrcd/
Society for Court Studies
The Society for Court Studies was founded in London in September 1995 with the aim of stimulating and co-ordinating the study of courts from 1400 to the present. It examines courts from a multi-disciplinary perspective, bringing together (amongst other areas) architectural history, military history, art history and cultural patronage, and the role of women in courts.
Web: http://www.courtstudies.org/
Society for Dance Research
Working since 1982 to promote and foster the quality and scope of dance scholarship and providing a forum for the diverse dance interests in the UK
Web: http://www.facebook.com/SocietyforDanceResearch
Suzi Clarke costumier
Several of Suzi Clarke’s costumes appear in HDS photo gallery. (UK)
Web: http://www.suziclarke.co.uk
The Oxford Dance Symposium
Yearly symposium designed to explore different aspects of dance, with particular reference to its musical, theatrical, literary and social context during the long eighteenth-century.
Web: http://www.new.ox.ac.uk/annual-oxford-dance-symposium
The Sport and Recreation Alliance
Web: http://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/
Wiesniacy
Polish Folklore song and dance troupe. (Birmingham, UK)
Historical dance resources
Calendar of Early Dance
A web site maintained by Stefan Kuhn provides listings of events in Europe and the USA classified by country, period, type of event, and so on.
Rendance
Links to early dance organisations worldwide and the Rendance email discussion group.
Caroso
Fabritio Caroso’s Il Ballarino (1581) – facsimile scans from US Library of Congress and transcription by Greg Lindahl.
Web: http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/caroso/
Negri
Cesare Negri’s Le Gratie d’Amore / Nuove Inventioni Di Balli (1602/1604) – facsimile scans from US Library of Congress and transcription by Greg Lindahl.
Web: http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/negri/
Orchesography
Transcription of the full text and music from Arbeau’s Orchesography by Nicolas Graner.
Web: http://graner.net/nicolas/arbeau/
Playford’s Dancing Master: The Compleat Dance Guide
An exhaustive compilation and index of all eighteen editions of the Dancing Master, 1651-1728 by Scott Pfitzinger
Web: http://playforddances.com
Dancetime Publications
Social Dance through History Online.
Web: http://dancetimepublications.com/
Saphire Swan Dance Directory: Historical Dance
Web: http://www.sapphireswan.com/dance/links/historical.htm
Goucher College Printed Music Collection
This collection contains sheet music from pre-Civil War up to the 1970s. Chrystelle Trump Bond, a former professor of dance at Goucher College, donated the majority of the materials after a lifetime of collecting. The late 19th and early 20th centuries are the best represented eras and most of the music is dance-related with parts for piano and voice
Web: https://www.jstor.org/site/goucher-college/printed-music/