The Gresley manuscript dances and their Italian connection
(John Gardiner-Garden)
The 26 dances, many with tunes, in the Derbyshire Record Office's Gresley ms. are suggestive of the influence of both French and Italian dance traditions in c.1500 upper-class English dance. It is impossible to be definitive about these influences and the influence of an indigenous English tradition. The dance descriptions are not self-conscious copyings of French bassedanses as were the 1521 dance notes of the English printer Robert Coplande or of Italian balli as were the 1517 dance notes of the Nuremberg merchant Johannes Cochläus, and many terms used in the Gresley descriptions have no obvious continental equivalents.We might, however, see French influence in the names of some steps and dances and in the wayword order and use of 3 singles seems to reflect 1445 Nancy manuscriptusages.We might see Italian influence in the way that conjunctions are used to suggest dance structure, that tune melodies are written out and broken into irregularly repeated short sections and perhaps most significantly in the realm of figures. The figure connection is the one we will explore most in the workshop. By dancing half-a-dozen dances we will see how the Gresley dances share with quattrocento Italian balli many movement expressions, a way of using the bow, and a range of the ideas. The latter include that a figure might be repeated by others in turn, that a pair might move in contrary direction, face then meet, that three dancers might invert then revert a triangle, and that a hey might be interrupted.
John Gardiner-Garden, Yarralumla, Australien:
Dr John Gardiner-Garden has studied/researched/performed and taught historical dancingof all eras for more than 25 years. He has led and played for dancing at over 1000 events, produced 12 dance books and 8 dance CDs. He is the director of the Earthly Delights Historical Dance Academy that runs regular classes, balls and festivals in Canberra, Australia. He has guest taught around Australia, North America and Europe, and will shortly before this symposium release a new multi-volume study of historical dance from 1400 to 1900. He's accompanied by his wife Aylwen, a respected historical costumer.
