About the course
The Early Dance Consort’s Summer Course in Renaissance & Baroque Dance is a great introduction to the field of early dance. It runs over three days, with Renaissance and Country Dances in the morning sessions each day, and Baroque Dance in the afternoons. These can be taken separately, or in combination.
Students new to early dance are encouraged to
attend from Wednesday, as the earlier sessions will introduce steps, figures &
terms used later in the week. The dances range from sedate to energetic. Each
session will include warm-up exercises, instruction in deportment, steps,
movements and dance figures.
The
Renaissance dance course
explores the world of court dance in the sixteenth century. The focus will move
from French and Elizabethan court and country dances to the sophisticated
balletti of the Italian courts, revealing the diversity of the European
choreographic heritage preserved in dance treatises and manuscripts from the
later 16th and early 17th centuries.
The
Baroque dance course
will introduce students to the noble dance style which graced ballroom and
stage at the court of Louis XIV. Highly disciplined and musically precise, it
set the standard for dancing throughout Europe, and laid the foundations of
classical ballet . Students will learn excerpts of dances from the suite,
including the Bourrée, Minuet, Sarabande & Gigue, and work towards a full dance
choreography. Invaluable for musicians, actors, singers and anyone interested in
historical performance practice, from French baroque music to movement &
deportment for
restoration
theatre.