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The following is a paper I presented at the Renaissance Society of America annual conference, held at Cambridge University for 2005. For more of my papers please see, Writings & Research.

Dancing Schools and School Dances: The Practices and Politics of Dancing at Renaissance Universities 

Abstract:
Many students in the early modern period attended universities to acquire social skills and graces as well as to study academic subjects. University towns were home to dancing and fencing schools as well as to colleges. But opinions varied as to whether extracurricular activities complemented students' official studies or distracted from them. This paper will examine descriptions and discussions of dancing at universities in 16th- and 17th-century England and Italy, from dancing in masques to restrictive regulation, arguing that the complicated and sometimes contradictory view of dancing expressed in letters and legislation reflected the contested and changing role of education (and the student) in the Renaissance.

    • Introduction
    • Terminology
    • Treatises and Conduct Manuals
    • The Records - Oxford Regulations
    • Conclusion
    • Dance and Dance-Related Publications handout