Historical dance

Historical dance (or early dance) in a collective term covering a wide variety of dance types from the past as they are danced in the present.

Dances from the early 20th century can be recreated precisely, being within living memory and from the age of film and video recording. However, earlier dance types must be reconstructed from evidence such as surviving notations and instruction manuals.

Historical dances may be danced as performance, for pleasure at themed balls or dance clubs, as historical reenactment, or for musicological or historical research.

Categories of Historical dance

Medieval dance

Very little evidence survives about medieval dance. However we do know the names of some of the dances from surviving music and literature.

Dance types:

The farandole is also frequently presented as a medieval dance, based on surviving iconography.

Renaissance dance

The earliest surviving dance manuals come from the Renaissance, including examples by Fabritio Caroso and Thoinot Arbeau. These allow us to reconstruct the dances with a greater degree of certainty.

Dance types:

Baroque dance

It was during the baroque era that John Playford published The Dancing Master, which, along with similar publications, provides us with a large repertoire of baroque English country dances.

Apart from country dances, the most well documented dance style of the baroque was that developed at the French court during the 17th century. The term "baroque dance" is often used to refer specifically to this French style. Dance types include

The French style was also danced in England where they introduced their own dance type:

Hornpipe

Dance in the Regency era

Regency dance Federalist

Dances from Pride & Prejudice

Edwardian or early 19th century

We've only just finished the French Revolution and women's fashions enjoy a very brief period of sensibility. Clothing tends to be light and unrestrictive, encouraging dances with lots of skipping and jumping, such as

Dance in the mid 19th century

Starting with the great international polka craze of 1844 anyone who was anyone was dancing. Women are in hoop skirts, and turning dances help to keep the skirts out of the way.

Dance in the late 19th century, through 1910 or so

All the same dances that were done in the mid century are still being done in the late century, but by fewer people and with less enthusiasm. Dance masters, in a vain attempt to maintain their place in society and in the economy, invent dances of greater and greater complexity.

The bustle replaces the hoop, which necessitates a few changes in dancing style.

At the same time, Ragtime music begins its infiltration.

Dance in the Ragtime era

Vernon and Irene Castle bring an air of respectability to couple dancing, and spark what was arguably the largest U.S. dance craze ever. By the end of WWI people eshew these as old fashioned.

Dance in the 1920s

It's the roaring twenties, and kids are spoiled. For the first time, there is a class of children who don't have to immediately go to work to support the family. This is an era of highly energetic dances done by the younger generation.

Dance in the 1930s and 1940s

More than ever before, white society is getting its dances from black society. Swing music and swing dancing are what's happening

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