 PART A: Introduction to the series 10 Plea and acknowledgements ~ 11 Plea ~ 11 Acknowledgements ~ 12 Notes on need ~ 14 The need to compensate for relative neglect ~ 14 The need to bridge the scholarly/practical divide ~ 15 The need to better understand and preserve our dance heritage ~ 15 The need to better value source material ~ 16 The need to better involve young people ~ 17 Approaches and limitations ~ 19 A ‘Natural History’ of dance ~ 19 Approach to the subject ~ 19 Approach to sources ~ 19 Approach to presentation ~ 20 Note on limitations ~ 20 Structure, formatting and language ~ 22 Structure ~ 22 Formating ~ 23 Transcriptions ~ 23 Translations ~ 24 Abbreviations ~ 24 Orientations ~ 25 On reconstructing dances ~ 27 Understanding our purpose ~ 27 Understanding the written and notated source ~ 29 Understanding the pictorial sources ~ 31 Understanding the music ~ 34 Understanding persistent dance traditions ~ 35 Understanding wider historic and artistic influences ~ 35
PART B: The path to the ballroom 37 Earliest Times ~ 39 Origins ~ 39 Egyptian dance ~ 40 Phoenician dance ~ 40 Minoan dance ~ 43 Mycenaean dance ~ 46 Classical Greek times ~ 49 Dance in Greek mythology and the development of Greek poetry ~ 49 Pythagorean concept of celestial harmony ~ 50 The dance according to Plato ~ 51 The dance according to Aristotle ~ 53 Ritual and ceremonial dance ~ 55 The dance of the maidens ~ 55 The maenads ~ 57 The Pyrrhic ~ 59 Theatrical dance—the high-brow Emmeleia, and low-brow Kordax and Sikinnis ~ 61 Private dance ~ 64 Competitive dance ~ 67 Processional dance and song dance ~ 68 Partnered dance ~ 69 The Hormos / Geranos dance ~ 71 Etruscan times ~ 77 Roman times ~ 81 A mixed heritage ~ 81 Combat-related dance— echoes of the Pyrrhic ~ 82 Ribald dance—echoes of the Sicinnis ~ 85 The Pantomime ~ 86 The remembering of Homer’s Hormos ~ 88 Dancing at private parties ~ 89 Plutarch’s Ammonius on dance theory ~ 91 Lucian’s Lykinos on dance history93 Plotinus on God and celestial dance ~ 96 Victorinus on Theseus imitating both the labyrinth and celestial dance ~ 99 Dance at the beginnings of Christianity ~ 100 The Dark Ages ~ 102 Dance under the early church ~ 102 The dance of northern Europe ~ 103 The dance of Carolingians ~ 105 Early Medieval times ~ 106 11th-12th centuries ~ 106 13th century ~ 107 Late Medieval times ~ 110 Changing words for dance ~ 110 The solo woman’s dance ~ 111 Women’s group dance ~ 112 Mixed group dancing ~ 113 Dance in Dante’s Divine comedy ~ 114 Dance in literary works such as those by Boccaccio and Chaucer ~ 116 Dance and Romance ~ 119 Dance in illustrations ~ 120 Dance as allegory ~ 125 Mummery ~ 126 Dance and music ~ 129
| PART C: The persistence of forms 132 Persistence of imperatives ~ 134 1&2—The man having the woman on the right and sense of leading her ~ 134 3&4—Fitting the space and accommodating the numbers ~ 134 5&6—Courteous behaviour within politic parameters ~ 135 7&8—Enjoyment of the other and of the new ~ 136 9&10—Partnering and the enjoyment of life ~ 137 Change and continuity ~ 139 Ways dance forms change ~ 139 Dances not tabulated in the sections that follow ~ 141 1) The follow-the-leader or circle dance ~ 142 From carol to branle to gavotte and farandole ~ 142 Sections relevant to follow-the-leader / circle dances ~ 144 2) The processional couple’s (& trio) dance ~ 146 From basse dance to pavan to Almain, late courante and Polonaise ~ 146 Sections relevant to the processional dance ~ 149 3) The facing couple’s dance ~ 151 From balli and cascarde to minuet to cut-in jig ~ 151 Sections relevant to the facing couple’s (or trio) dance ~ 153 Galliard sequences in balli ~ 154 4) The playful dance ~ 159 From competition dances, early courante, relay mixer to cotillon dance games ~ 159 Sections relevant to the playful dances 160 The new cotillon ~ 162 Cotillon medley (1)—early 1820s ~ 163 Cotillon medley (2)—late 1820s-1840s ~ 164 Cotillon medley (3)—late 1840s ~ 165 Cotillon medley (4)—late 19th century ~ 166 5) The whole-set longways finishing dance ~ 168 The whole-set longways finishing dance ~ 168 Sections relevant to the whole-set longways finishing dance ~ 169 The whole-set longways finishing dance by ideas ~ 171 The whole-set longways finishing dance by Volume, entry and changes ~ 172 6) Progressive or fancy longways dance ~ 174 From country dance to contredanse Anglaise and Écossaise ~ 174 Sections relevant to the longways dance ~ 177 Corner stealing / La Triumph ~ 182 7) The square set dance ~ 183 Origins and early small squares ~ 183 From cotillon/contredanse française to potpourri, douze, quadrille and early cancan ~ 183 Sections relevant to the square set dance ~ 186 The Quadrille Français ~ 188 The Lancers ~ 189 Mazurka Quadrilles ~ 190 8) The turning dances 192 Origins ~ 192 The Allemande ~ 192 The waltz ~ 193 The mazurka ~ 193 The galop and polka ~ 194 The hybridising of couple’s dances ~ 195 Sections relevant to the turning couple’s dances ~ 196 Mazurka couples dance ~ 198 9) The hybrid sets ~ 200 Hybrids of longways dances with quadrilles and couples dances ~ 200 Sections relevant to post-1750 hybrid sets ~ 202 La Tempête / The Tempest ~ 203 The Waltz Country Dance and Spanish Waltz ~ 203 The Galopade Country Dance ~ 205 The persistence of ball format ~ 207 The persistence of dance order within balls ~ 207 Persistence of particular types of balls ~ 210 The most popular dances ~ 211 When might a dance be judged to have been popular ~ 211 Some early often-described country dances ~ 216
PART D: The persistence of ideas 222 Persistence of literary topoi ~ 224 Persistence of propensities ~ 228 Appreciating the curve and counter curve ~ 228 Providing an opportunity for one sex to regard the other ~ 229 Taking figures from one formation or ‘genre’ or rhythm to another ~ 229 Having some figures overlapped or ‘canonised’ ~ 229 Transforming the shape of the set ~ 230 Reusing patterns for larger formats ~ 230 Reusing patterns in different formats ~ 231 Reusing patterns in different formats ~ 231 Taking dances from one milieu into another ~ 232 Expecting improvisation ~ 232 Making long sequences ~ 233 Reusing common step patterns ~ 233 Persistence of devices ~ 235 Promenading up and back, or in an oval ~ 235 Codifying then repeating figures ~ 235 Taking turn leading a figure ~ 236 Making suites that progress from simple to more flashy figures, steps or holds ~ 236 Randomly changing partners or cutting-in ~ 237 Slipping away from a set ~ 237 ‘Snowballing’ a two-person dance sequence ~ 237 Visiting ~ 237 Having a leader choose those to participate ~ 237 Following a graceful step-sparse group-oriented ‘low’ processional dance with an exuberant step-busy couples-oriented ‘high’ dance ~ 238 Taking a turn leading a dance ~ 238 Starting a multi-part couples dance side-by-side, with symmetrical figures move toward presence, separate, reunite and return to starting point ~ 238 Having the man go up toward the present, woman go down 238 Having the 1s start improper in a longways set ~ 239 Claps, stamps, jumps, kisses and gestures ~ 239 Persistence of figures ~ 241 Following the leader into and out of knots ~ 241 Having a follow-the-leader line bend back on itself ~ 241 ‘Stripping’ a set or ‘bootlacing’ 241 Making a reverse ‘S’ ~ 241 Chasing the opposite sex ~ 242 Partner’s backing or chasing each other ~ 243 Chaining / weaving / ‘dip&diving’ down a longways set 243 Teasing the opposite gender ~ 243 Turning back on opposite gender then facing them again ~ 244 Stealing corners ~ 244 Taking another man’s partner and advancing 3-a-breast on the one left alone ~ 245 Miming a joust ~ 245 Weaving one line through another ~ 245 The cross-over hey and contra-corners ~ 246 Going from column or square to one horizontal or vertical line ~ 247 Competing men ending in exchanged places with woman in between ~ 247 Persistence of figure orders within dances ~ 248 Starting with introductions ~ 248 Promenading, then cross then set then cross back then set ~ 248 Promenading then gypsy, single hand turns and/or two hand turns ~ 249 Promenading then reverse S then left, right and two hand turn ~ 249 Set then turn single ~ 249 Set then turn by hand250 Feigning then the full ~ 251 Finishing with weavings or heys ~ 251 Finishing with most promiscuous all-involving and quickest mixing ~ 252 Persistence of musical ideas ~ 253 The persistence of tunes ~ 253 The persistence of scores ~ 255 The persistence of arrangements ~ 257 | PART E: Storyline in dance 260 The appreciation of storylines in dance ~ 261 By dancing masters ~ 261 By non-dance writers ~ 262 By visual artists ~ 262 Ways in which a storyline is suggested ~ 264 By the combination of title and figures ~ 264 By figures and/or formation without the assistance of title ~ 266 By the order of figures within dance ~ 267 By the order of dances within suites or medleys ~ 269 By music ~ 270 The allusive storyline ~ 271 Storyline themes ~ 272 The factal nature of dance and the real business of a ball ~ 272 To find a wife ~ 273 To look after a wife ~ 273 To look after someone else’s wife ~ 274 Exceptions that tend to prove the rule ~ 274 Storyline through the century ~ 275 15th century ~ 275 16th century ~ 275 Late 17th and early 18th century ~ 275 Late 18th and early 19th century ~ 276 Mid and late 19th century ~ 276 The importance of understanding storyline ~ 277 Storyline and dance reconstruction ~ 277 Storyline and dance performance ~ 277 Storyline transformation and loss ~ 278 Beyond storyline ~ 278
PART F: The ball beyond 1900 280 New developments and continuing heritages ~ 282 New developments ~ 282 Publications facilitating continuity ~ 283 Nostalgia and the persistence of ball dances into the 20th century ~ 284 The continued interest in inventing dances in 19th century forms ~ 290 New dance genres facilitating continuity ~ 290 Le Bridge ~ 293 Lulu Fado ~ 308
PART G: Consolidated contents ~ 319 Volume I: 1400-1550 ~ 320 Volume II: 1550-1600 ~ 322 Volume III: 1600-1650 ~ 324 Volume IV: 1650-1700 ~ 326 Volume V: 1700-1750 ~ 328 Volume VI: 1750-1800 ~ 331 Volume VII: 1800-1825 ~ 334 Volume VIII: 1825-1850 ~ 337 Volume IX: 1850-1875 ~ 338 Volume X: 1875-1900 ~ 340
PART H: Series bibliography 343 Primary sources ~ 344 Table showing certain primary sources in context ~ 344 Post-1900 secondary sources ~ 349 Electronic resources ~ 349 Anonymous writer, editor or translator ~ 349 Pseudonym used by author ~ 350 Personal name of author, editor or translator ~ 351 |
Books & CDs >
Dancing through the Ages Book 1: Orientation and Overview
The latest edition of Dancing through the Ages will be available to order in late August 2020.
By all means peruse the covers and contents shown below and on the other related Books & CDs menu webpages, but please hold off ordering till the final proof of the work is o.k.ed, the information on the publisher's site is updated and this sign disappears— all due to happen in mid-August.
To receive advice of a launch special email us
Dancing through the Ages is work consisting of 31 books. Each book consists of between 300 and 460 (average 350) double-sided A4 pages. The 10,800 pages of the work offer background on, reconstruction of, and chorded music for nearly 1,000 dances from between from 1400 to 1900, as well as extensive notes analysing links between these dances, the evolution of dance forms, movement ideas and notation systems through this 500 period, and the changing nature of ball culture and dance sources in countries across the old and new word. The whole is supported by thousands of quotations, diagrams and illustrations from original sources.
Here below is the front cover and contents to Book 1: Orientation and Overview that includes full acknowledgments, a consolidated contents, a bibliography of secondary scholarship, a history of dance leading up to 1400, and sections on the purpose of dance and scope of this work, on story-lines and ideas that have persisted through 500 years of dance, and on continuities and changes in the nature of balls and dance forms.
For the covers and contents of the next 30 volumes see the subpages that follow under this menu.
To order any or all of the books in this 31-book series go to (PUBLISHER's WEBSITE ORDER PAGE LINK TO APPEAR HERE MID AUGUST 2020 when grand work is finally available!). The cost per book will be AUD$35 (about USD$25) - plus postage, which will diminish with the more books in your order. As your books will be sent from the nearest Lulu printer on your continent, you will not be paying for overseas shipping and will not be waiting long for the books to arrive. Orders are normally filled at local postage rates within a week.
N.B. I recommend that in addition to ordering the books pertaining to the period you first think of, you also order books from the adjacent period collections plus the invaluable Book 1: 'Orientation and Overview'. Indeed, because of the interconnectivity of dance over the 500 years covered by this series (and the cross-referencing between books in the series), I highly recommend the full set!
If you are able to collect from our home in Canberra Australia, I may be able to offer you a special no-postage price on a full-set. Phone 62811098 or email us.
