Dancing

Medieval dance is reasonably straightforward and lots of fun. During our performances we generally do three dances - two traditional medieval dances, and our interpretation of the conga line - the "Bop Bop dance". The document below contains a guide to the two traditional dances - The Pavanne and The Saltarello. There are also sample music files for these two dances, and some poetry from Geoffrey Chaucer about dancing.

Dance Steps

Saltarello Music

Pavanne Music

Geoffrey Chaucer on Dancing

Saltarello:
Saltarello is derived from the Italian word "salto" or "to jump". 

The saltarello enjoyed great popularity in the courts of medieval and Renaissance Europe. It represents the eternal drama of love, the wooing, the resistance, the triumph. At the beginning a single couple performs the Saltarello, but very soon the entire audience is carried away by the enthusiasm of the music and the pleasure of the dance.


Pavan:
The Pavanne was a dance of Court and was called "le grand bal" because it was used on state occasions. The Pavanne was one of the first "social dances" in Europe .

The Pavanne was a very solemn couples gliding dance done with long gliding (walking) steps in procession with many curtsies, retreats and advances. The lady rests her hand on the back of the man's, with ceremonial dignity. Spain 's new fashions in dress led the way for the Pavanne, and consisted of gentlemen dressed with caps and swords, Princes in their mantles, and ladies in gowns and long trains dancing with a kind of strut-like motion, resembling that of a peacock and the ladies sweeping their trains of their dresses in this dance.

The upper-class and nobility favoured these social dances at the time and was most popular in Italy , Spain and France .


Farandole (the bop dance)
This is a snaking chain dance, with a leader up front and all of the dancers holding hands, following behind each other. The farandole style of dancing appears to trace back to ancient Greek dancing, and was apparently popular in south Europe during the medieval period.

Dancers can move to any music so long as it is has a regular pulse. Dancers were also usually singing.

The chain moves, running, skipping or just walking through the streets or roads, increasing with all the people it meets, and it goes on in a very quick and very rhythmical movement. 
At certain moments, the chain joins its two ends and forms a circle or it unstrings, and the dancers skip under the arch formed by two dancers who have separated from it.

The music was very up and lively. 
The dance was one of celebration (weddings, births, anniverseries etc.)