Renaissance+Dancing

Renaissance Dancing

Dancing is a way everybody can express themselves. It is used to communicate to others, to entertain others, and to just have fun. In the Renaissance, dancing was a very popular pastime. The Basse dance, Pavane, Galliard, and Allemande were some of the dances they had. This is how it was done. The Basse dance was a very popular dance. Many of the other Renaissance dances were based off of this particular one. The Basse dance was originated in the 14th century in Italy. It was a very low dance due to the steps in its dances. The Basse dance is a series of small steps, and the person's feet always stayed close to the ground. It was danced by couples in straight columns; it had a few bows in the dance as well. The timing for the music was usually a nice breezy time signature of 12/8. The Pavane is another Renaissance dance, which was based off of the Basse dance. The Pavane was at its most popular point in the 1600s-1700s. It was performed in Spain in churches for sober occasions. This dance consisted of forward and backward steps in which the couples would rise onto the balls of their feet and swing from side to side. A line of couples would circle around the ballroom and occasionally sing along to the music. By about the 1600s, more energetic steps were included to add on to make the dance less dull. The timing to this dance was usually a steady time signature of 2/2 or 4/4. The Galliard is another dance, which was adapted by the Pavane. It was made in the 1500s, in about the same time period as the Pavane. It was also danced by couples in which they would dance the length of the ballroom, and the male partner jumped higher than the female partner, or they danced separately. The Galliard has a time signature of ¾. The Allemande was yet another dance performed by couples. The dance was very popular throughout the whole Renaissance time period. In this dance, the couples formed into two lines, held out their hands, and walked across the length of the ballroom. They would take three steps, and then balance on one of their feet. If they wanted it to be livelier, they would instead take three steps, and then they would hop on one of their feet. This dance has a regular time signature of 4/4. All these dances weren’t about all the cool dance moves that someone sees going on today, it was about balance more than anything else. It was about how agile the dancers could get. These dances were very important to them. They might have different styles and such, but these are all unique. Their differences are what makes them unique.

[|Renaissance Dancing] This is an example of a Pavane. Notice how calm and relaxed they are.

Works Cited

"basse danse". //Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.// Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 08 May. 2012 <[]>.

"pavane". //Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.// Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 08 May. 2012 <[]>.

"galliard". //Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.// Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 08 May. 2012 <[]>.

"allemande". //Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.// Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 08 May. 2012 <[]>.