[SCA-Dance] Dance in Renaissance Spain

[Jen Kennedy]

On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 12:50:25 -0400 (EDT), "KFrye" <kmfrye at excite.com>
said:
>  Greetings all, Does anyone know what the Christians in late 15th century
>  Spain were dancing?  This might make for an interesting and diverse
>  dance track at a large event. YIS,Gideon EastwodeRusted Woodlands, EK

This is a question of some interest to me also, as I'm working in living
history at a Spanish Mission/settlement, and I want our noble colonists
to show the dances of their homeland. So far what I have found from
Spain is limited to basse dances from the Cervera manuscript (actually
Catalan, not spanish... but it's close. I think that's circa 1500, but
my memory for dates is horrible), for which choreographies are given in
an idiosyncratic but fairly understandable notation.
Then there is a manual from nearer 1600, which is actually in Spanish,
that gives step and style descriptions, but no choreographies. The style
of the writing, and the style and steps decribed, look to me very muuch
like the Italian manuals of the same period--Caroso, Negri, etc. If I
had to cobble together a late-Renaissance Spanish dance style out of
pieces, I would draw choreographic elements from France and Italy, and
execute them with Spanish (similar to late Italian) steps & styling.

I'm interested to hear others' opinions.

Eoin, Trimaris

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