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The Bard's Galliard...

or How to Party like an Elizabethan

The Choreography

As one of my goals in creating The Bard's Galliard was to demonstrate the wide range of options for staging dances in Shakespeare plays, many of the following dances were choreographed differently. "Belle qui tiens ma vie" and "Pinagay Branle" were taken verbatim from Arbeau's Orchesography."Alta Mendozza" closely followed another dance reconstructor's interpretation while "La Volta" was more of an adaption."The Earl of Salisbury Pavan" was a simplified version of an Inn's of Court procession. For "Manschaft Pavan" I adapted known step patterns to fit an Elizabeth-style procession. "Now is the Month of Maying" was a plot-related original choreography to a popular Elizabethan song.

For both "Belle qui tiens ma vie" and "The Earl of Salisbury Pavan" I used Arbeau's directions for the basic pavan which he gives along with the music for "Belle qui tiens ma vie" in his Orchesography.

For the "Manschaft Pavan" and processions in general, I used basic doubles.

"Alta Mendozza" is one of Negri's more complicated balletti from Le Gratie d'Amore and I followed Wortelboer's interpretation in Celeste Giglio: Flowers of 16^th-Century Dance quite closely although I altered some of the angles and directions to minimize the dancers having their backs to the audience.

"Now is the Month of Maying" is an original choreography in which I grafted a courtly variation for Perdita and Florizel onto a more rustic Arbeau-styled branle.

"La Volta" was the scandal dance of the Renaissance; think of it as the Elizabethan lambada. While the basic description is in Arbeau, my choreography is loosely based on Wortelboer's interpretation in Celeste Giglio: Flowers of 16^th-Century Dance.

The "Pinagay Branle" is taken directly from Arbeau’s Orchesography. As this was the dance that would be taught to the audience, I chose "Pinagay" for its simplicity and combination of singles, doubles, and kicks.

The Dance Tabulations

• Steps are numbered by the bar of music.

• Sections of music are marked by letters.

• A’ is the repeat of the A section of music.

• Every dance ends with a reverence on the final chord unless otherwise notated. If you have live music or are making your own recording, have the musicians repeat the last chord for an unrushed reverence if there is not already one in the music.

• I have translated all the choreographies (my own and others’) into my own system of notation for clarity and consistency, but these changes are based on other secondary sources, not on rereadings of the original manuscripts.

Key for Steps:

L = left

R = right

fwd = forward

S = single, in any direction. (e.g. SL = step onto L foot and close next to it with R foot.)

D = double

Forwards or backwards: three steps and a close (e.g. DR = walk R, L, R, and close with the L foot. Now ready to go L.)
Sideways: step, close, step close. (e.g. DL = step on L foot, close with R foot, step on the L foot again, and close again with the L foot. Now ready to step on the R foot.)

K = kick. (e.g. KL = step on R foot and kick the L foot in the air about 45º)

G = galliard, or cinquepace, basic step. There are five steps that take six counts.

(e.g. GL = KL, KR, KL, KR, hold one count, and do a cadenza (big jump off the L foot, landing with the R foot slightly back on the sixth count). Then the whole thing can repeat on the R. During the hold on count five you can either close the foot or leave it in the air, just make sure to land with the correct foot back.

Reverence =

Men: slide L foot fwd along floor, slide L foot back along floor, bend L knee keeping R leg straight and weight over L leg to avoid sticking one’s bottom out, straighten L leg and rise slightly as one brings the feet together. When asking a woman to dance, the man pretends to kiss his hand as he slide L foot fwd, and offers her his hand as he bends his knee. She takes his hand after also mock kissing it as he straightens up or directly after. During a dance, if they have let go hands and then take hands again for a reverence, both should mock kiss hands first.

Women: pleé, or bend both knees together, also not sticking their bottom out, or they can draw their L foot back, bend, straighten and rejoin feet together with a slight rise, which is more like the man’s bow and can be used to better fill time during long reverences.

* Other steps for specific dances will be explained as needed.

The Basic Pavan Step: for "Belle qui tiens ma vie" and "The Earl of Salisbury Pavan"

all movement forwards, couples in a line (although the pavan can be done backwards for space and variety)

1 SL

2 SR

3-4 DL

5 SR

6 SL

7-8 DR

"Manschaft Pavan" and processions in general

Doubles fwd:

1-2 DL

3-4 DR

repeat ad infinitum

"Alta Mendozza" from Negri's Le Gratie d'Amore via Celeste Giglio: Flowers of 16^th-Century Dance

An elegant and complex dance for one couple.

A

1-4 reverence (holding hands, then letting go)

5-6 D L, turning around to the L

7-8 D R, backwards

A'

1-2 puntato L

(step L vigorously, close together with R)

3-4 puntato R

5 spezzato L

(step L, bring R toes, under L heel, bumping L leg up, step L)

6 spezzato R

7-8 DL (let go hands)

B

1-2 ripresa L

(step L sideways in relevé, close R foot together-- still on

relevé, lower heels gently.)

3-4 ripresa R

5 spezzato L, backwards

(step back on L, bump L leg back with right heel, step back on L)

6 spezzato R, backwards

7-8 4 passi fermi LRLR and cadenza

(little jumps on both feet: L foot in front, R, L, R, and then big

jump landing with R foot back like in the galliard step)

9-12 GR and GL, changing places w/ partner, holding both hands

B'

1-2 ripresa R

3-4 ripresa L

5 spezzato R, backwards

6 spezzato L, backwards

7-8 passi fermi RLRL and cadenza

9-12 GL and GR, changing places w/partner, holding hands

(you should now be in your original places.)

II.

C

1-2 2 spezzati L, R (turning L so women faces audience and man has back

to audience)

3-4 seg. ord. L, forwards (or towards each other)

5-6 2 spezzati R, L, backwards (or away from each other)

7-8 DR, forwards

D

1 2 segnate with L foot in front

(little hop on R foot with L foot raised in front, toe pointed)

2 ricacciata L (L leg brush back, L brush fwd, L brush back. (beat) L foot cut

under or bump right leg up. (campanella, battuta, sottopiede))

3 ricacciata R

(reverse)

4 1 segnate with L foot in front

5 2 segnate with R foot in front

6 ricacciata R

7 ricacciata L

8 1 segnate with R foot in front

9-10 4 Canary steps LRLR

(1 canary step = brush L heel fwd, brush L toe back, stamp on whole L foot)

11-12 D L, forwards, saltino R, clapping

(little jump sideways to the right, clapping hands together with

your partner on the last count of the measure.)

III.

A

1-4 reverence

5-8 GL, GR, turning L

(turning in place, 360 degrees)

A'

1-4 GL, GR, full turn, holding R arms

(returning to own place)

5-8 GL, GR, turning L

(turning in place, 360 degrees)

B

1-2 GL, (going sideways to the R)

3-4 GR, (going sideways to the L)

5-6 GL, changing places

7-8 GR. (Woman= in place. Man= continuing L behind and around woman.)

9-12 GL, GR, full turn, holding L arms

B'

1-2 GL, (going sideways to the R)

3-4 GR, (going sideways to the L)

5-6 GL, changing places

7-8 GR. (Man= in place. Woman= continuing L behind and around man.)

9-12 GL, GR, full turn, holding R arms

"Now is the Month of Maying" — an original choreography by Emily Winerock for Thomas Morley’s song of that name.

A dance for three couples starting in a straight line, each couple holding hands. This dance combines country dance-like steps with Italian court dance steps to show the variance between the noble couple in the middle (Perdita and Florizel) and the other shepherd and shepherdess couples.

All = allemande. Brush foot fwd instead of closing. (e.g. AllSL = step L, and then brush R

foot fwd instead of closing it beside the L foot. Still ready to go R now.)

A

Reverence during introduction.

Side:

1-2 DL

2-3 DR

4 AllSL

5 KL, KR

6 SR

7 quick AllSR

8 close

B

Women fwd; Men back:

1 SL

2 SR

Women back; Men fwd:

3-4 DL

C

5-8 Center couple (Perdita and Florizel) join hands to make a bridge. Next man and woman on each side run through and return to places. Last man and woman run through and return to places. Brief reverence.

II.

Center couple:

A

1-2 AllDL, fwd

3-4 AllDR, fwd

5 trabuchetto L, side (step L on relevé bringing heels together, R foot flexed),

step R w/brush L

6 KR, KL, KR

7 trabuchetto R, step L w/brush R,

8 KL

B

(changing places, counter-clockwise, woman going fwd and then turning quickly at end to face partner, man turning quickly towards left shoulder and then fwd to face partner)

1 SL

2 SR

3-4 DL

C

4-8 scorsi (very small, fast steps on tiptoe or relevé) back to original places turning first around left shoulder (or around person back to back if in a line) and then passing right shoulders with partner–making a figure 8.

Small reverence.

Other couples:

A

1-8 same as I.A

B

1-4 same as I.B

C

5-8 Each couple scorsi to the center holding hands, hops on one foot (the couple going right hops on the R foot brushing L and visa-versa), and scorsi back to original places. Small reverence.

III.

A

center couple:

1-2 AllDL, back

3-4 AllDR, back

5-8 same as I.A

other couples:

1-8 same as I.A

B

1-4 same as II.B

C

5-8 same as II.C

"La Volta"

Step: volta step and turn

Woman puts R hand on man’s L shoulder using it to push herself higher during the lift while she uses her L hand to hold her skirt down. If the fourth volta is higher than the rest that looks better, even if it means being late for the subsequent walking section.

1 hop on L, brushing R foot forward

2

3 step R

4 large jump

5

6 land with feet together

Man holds woman’s waist with L hand and grasps her busk (the bone or wood insert at the bottom of her corset) or if she has none, her waist, with his R hand. He uses his L leg and thigh to push the woman around as he lifts her. Together they turn either a quarter turn or a half turn on each volta step.

1 hop on L, bending R leg back at knee (to avoid kicking the lady)

2

3 step R, slightly backwards, turning slightly to the R

4 hop on R as push lady into the air, L thigh under her posterior, while both turning R

5

6 close L foot beside the R

Choreography: La Volta

A choreography for three couples. The dance begins in a triangle, with the central couple (Henry VII and Anne Boleyn) at the point, downstage center, and the two other couples upstage right and left. This is also the arrangement at the dance’s conclusion.

A

1-4 Reverence to partner, holding hands

4-8 walk slowly fwd (DL)

A’

1-2 GL

3-4 GR

5-6 variation GL = KL fwd, KL back, KR back, KR fwd, cadenza

7-8 variation GR = KR fwd, KR back, KL back, KL fwd, cadenza

B

1-8 4 Volta turns

B’

1-8 walk fwds, counterclockwise so that Henry and Anne end up downstage, center, and the two other couples end up upstage, R and L, in the opposite side from before.

C

Each individual makes a loop, but seen together, the couple appears to make a bow or 8.

1-2 GL turning downstage and traveling away from partner

3-4 GR turning in same direction,

5-6 GL turning in same direction

7-8 GR traveling towards partner, returning to previous location

9-12 Reverence to partner

C’

1-4 Henry and Anne, 2 G -- L and R, holding R hands, turning, but returning back to prior places. While other couples walk forward, to downstage R and L.

5-12 Henry and Anne, 4 volta turns

"Pinagay Branle" from Arbeau’s Orchesography

all movement sideways, holding hands in a circle

1-2 DL

3 KL

1-2 DL

3 KL KR

4 KL

1-2 DL

3-4 DR

B’

1-2 DL

3-4 DR

• Script
• Music

December 2, 2002