Shakespearean dance refers to

dancing Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

in the time and plays of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and his contemporaries.

Overview

There are references to dances such as the

galliard The ''galliard'' (; french: gaillarde; it, gagliarda) was a form of Renaissance dance and music popular all over Europe in the 16th century. It is mentioned in dance manuals from England, Portugal, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy. Dance fo ...

or sinkapace, volta,

coranto {{About, , the family of dances, Courante Corantos were early informational broadsheets, precursors to newspapers. Beginning around the 14th century, a system developed where letters of news and philosophical discussion would be sent to a central ...

pavane The ''pavane'' ( ; it, pavana, ''padovana''; german: Paduana) is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century (Renaissance). The pavane, the earliest-known music for which was published in Venice by Ottaviano Petrucci, ...

, and

canario The Canary dance (known as Canario in Italian sources, Canarie in French ones) was a Renaissance dance inspired in an indigenous dance and song of the Canary Islands (probably the one known as Tajaraste) that became popular all over Europe in the ...

, and stage directions indicate dancing in many plays including ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'', ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

'', ''

Twelfth Night, or What You Will ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'', ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'', and ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

''. Terms like 'measure' and 'foot it' can also refer to dancing, and dance is often woven into the plot as part of a

masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masque ...

masquerade ball A masquerade ball (or ''bal masqué'') is an event in which many participants attend in costume wearing a mask. (Compare the word "masque"—a formal written and sung court pageant.) Less formal "costume parties" may be a descendant of this tra ...

, especially in plays by John Marston.

Primary sources

There is no known dancing instruction manual for English dances of Shakespeare's time, but there are descriptions of almains and the measures in the

Inns of Court The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. There are four Inns of Court – Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple. All barristers must belong to one of them. They have ...

manuscripts (see Payne), mentions of

Morris dance Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers, usually wearing bell pads on their shins. Implements such as sticks, swords and handkerchiefs may ...

in church court and civic records (see Forrest), and large sections of dancing in court

s (see Ravelhofer and Welsford). Other dances referred to in English Renaissance plays such as the galliard, pavane, and volta are described in French and Italian dancing manuals by

Thoinot Arbeau Thoinot Arbeau is the anagrammatic pen name of French cleric Jehan Tabourot (March 17, 1520 – July 23, 1595). Tabourot is most famous for his ''Orchésographie'', a study of late sixteenth-century French Renaissance social dance. He was bo ...

and

Fabritio Caroso Fabritio Caroso da Sermoneta (1526/1535 – 1605/1620) was an Italian Renaissance dancing master and a composer or transcriber of dance music. His dance manual ''Il Ballarino'' was published in 1581, with a subsequent edition, significantly dif ...

among others. Some of the country dances Shakespeare mentions appear in John Playford's ''

The English Dancing Master ''The Dancing Master'' (first edition: ''The English Dancing Master'') is a dancing manual containing the music and instructions for English country dances. It was first published in 1651 by John Playford. History It was published in several e ...

'' (1651), but Playford's choreographies probably differ from the versions performed on the Shakespearean stage.

Jig The jig ( ga, port, gd, port-cruinn) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It is most associated with Irish music and dance. It first gained popularity in 16th-century Ireland and parts of ...

s often followed performances of plays in late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century England, but we know very little about the actual steps of this dance (see Baskerville).

Dances mentioned in Shakespeare plays

* Volta – ''Troilus and Cressida'' (Act IV, scene 4), ''Henry V'' (Act III, scene 5) *

Coranto {{About, , the family of dances, Courante Corantos were early informational broadsheets, precursors to newspapers. Beginning around the 14th century, a system developed where letters of news and philosophical discussion would be sent to a central ...

– ''All's Well That Ends Well'' (Act II, scene 3), ''Twelfth Night'' (Act I, scene 3) *

Galliard The ''galliard'' (; french: gaillarde; it, gagliarda) was a form of Renaissance dance and music popular all over Europe in the 16th century. It is mentioned in dance manuals from England, Portugal, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy. Dance fo ...

, cinquepace, or sinkapace – ''Twelfth Night'' (Act I, scene 3), ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (Act II, scene 1), ''Henry V'' (Act I, scene 2) * Measure, measures, or old measures – ''As You Like It'' (Act V, scene 4), ''Richard II'' (Act III, scene 4), ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (Act II, scene 1) *

– ''Love's Labour's Lost'' (Act III, scene 1), ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (Act II, scene 1) * Country footing – ''The Tempest'' (Act IV, scene 1) *

Canario The Canary dance (known as Canario in Italian sources, Canarie in French ones) was a Renaissance dance inspired in an indigenous dance and song of the Canary Islands (probably the one known as Tajaraste) that became popular all over Europe in the ...

– ''All's Well That Ends Well'' (Act II, scene 1)

Bibliography

* Baskerville, Charles Read. ''The Elizabethan Jig''. 1929. * Brissenden, Alan. ''Shakespeare and the Dance''. 1981. * Forrest, John. ''The History of Morris Dancing, 1458-1750''. 1999. * Payne, Ian. ''The Almain in Britain, c.1549-c.1675: A Dance Manual from Manuscript Sources''. 2003. * Ravelhofer, Barbara. ''The Early Stuart Masque: Dance, Costume, and Music''. 2006. * Welsford, Enid. ''The Court Masque: A Study in the Relationship Between Poetry and the Revels''. 1927, 1962. * McCulloch & Shaw, et al. ''The Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare and Dance''. 2019.

External links

Renaissance Dance Overview

The Shakespeare and Dance Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shakespearean Dance Renaissance dance Dance, Shakespearean

Overview

Primary sources

Dances mentioned in Shakespeare plays

See also

Bibliography

External links