[SCA-Dance] Maltese Branle vs SCA Maltese

billqs at aol.com billqs at aol.com
Tue Oct 11 09:02:18 EDT 2011


IIRC, The "SCA Maltese Branle" was never meant to be mistaken for the actual Maltese Branle.  It was choreographed by Mistress Signy Dimraedalia under the original name of "The Turkish Branle".  The music is cool to dance to, the steps, especially as she originally choreographed them, were period Arbeau described steps and it was an example of a successful SCA choreographed dance.

Unfortunately, I don't know why people took the Turkish Branle and started misnaming it "The Maltese Branle."  Perhaps someone like Justin, who first taught me a reconstruction of the actual Maltese Branle could shed some light on it.  \

My speculation is that back when this was created there wasn't good recorded music available for the actual Maltese Branle, there wasn't the advantage we have now of excellent live musician support, and the dance was propogated and misnamed based on old-school SCA dance teaching being an "oral tradition."  People would go to a ball or revel, find a dance they liked, find the music, and go home and teach it to their shire... each step unwittingly bringing it further away from the source and making it entrenched into "SCA Dance Mythology".

Hope this either helps or allows for clarification.

Wm Redcape, the mostly disappeared...



-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen Kiefert <lanhamlaw at att.net>
To: sca-dance <sca-dance at sca-dance.org>
Sent: Tue, Oct 11, 2011 6:45 am
Subject: [SCA-Dance] Maltese Branle vs SCA Maltese


Does anyone know how or why different music and steps were substituted for 
rbeau's Maltese Branle but the name was kept?
Stefan
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