One of the better sources on period dance is Arbeau's Orshesographie. Published in France in 1589, it is a painstakingly thorough survey of dance.  Orshesographie starts with a review of rhythm and military marching, includes ancient martial dances, and fully describes contempory dances in France.  Orchesographie is available as a reasonably priced paperback, published in English by Dover (1967, translation by Mary Stewart Evans).  All page references are to this edition.

Arbeau described a variety of dance types, four of which will be covered in this class:  galliard, pavane, coranto, and bransles.  Arbeau was obsessive in his description of movements and positions, including several illustrations. His level of detail was such that modern scholars use Orchesographie to shed light on reconstructions from other renaissance dance sources.  

I have greatly simplified the step descriptions used by Arbeau, for ease in learning. However, for serious students of dance, I heartily suggest looking up Arbeau’s descriptions.

The biggest trick to galliard is the rhythm.  The basic rhythm counts out, "one, two, three, four, and five."  (Indeed, one of the Inns of Court manuscripts gives, as its entire description of the galliard, "one, two, three, four, & five, etc.") (Follow this link for a .wav file illustrating the rhythm.)  

After you get the rhythm, you need to learn two foot positions - "posture right" and "posture left."  pp. 89-90. Stand with your heels together, toes apart.  Keeping your feet at that angle, move your right foot so your right heel is by your left instep.   Thus, your feet are at an angle with your right foot slightly ahead.  That is posture right.  Posture left is the same, with your left foot ahead.  Every galliard sequence starts in one of the postures, and ends in the opposite posture.

The basic galliard sequence is the cinque pas (five step). p. 95.  Starting in posture right

• Count 1 - transfer your weight onto your right foot, and kick your left foot forward.  (Style notes - the kick need not be high, and you want to have the leg straight.)
• Count 2 - transfer your weight onto your left foot, and kick the right foot forward.
• Count 3 - transfer your weight onto your right foot, and kick the left foot forward.
• Count 4 - transfer your weight onto your left foot, and kick the right foot forward.
• And - jump straight up (need not be a big jump).
• Count 5 - land in posture left.

There was a great deal of improvisation with galliards in period.  Some variations on the five steps follow.  

One variant has come to be called "Ringing the bell." p. 102. Starting in posture right:  

• Count 1 - transfer your weight onto your right foot, and kick your left foot back.
• Count 2 - transfer your weight onto your left foot, and kick the right foot forward.
• Count 3 - transfer your weight onto your right foot, and kick the left foot back.
• Count 4 - transfer your weight onto your left foot, and kick the right foot forward.
• And - jump straight up.
• Count 5 - land in posture left.

If you find the five steps too demanding -- or you want to give your partner a chance to show off -- there are some less physically demanding variants.  Starting from posture right (p. 97):  

• Count 1 - transfer your weight onto your right foot, and tap your left toe next to your right foot.
• Count 2 - tap your left heel next to your right foot.
• Count 3 - transfer your weight onto your left foot, and tap your right toe next to your left foot.
• Count 4 - tap your right heel next to your left foot.
• And - jump straight up.
• Count 5 - land in posture left.

Even more restful, starting from posture right (p. 104-105):

• Count 1 - move your left foot forward so your heels are together, feet angled slightly apart.
• Count 2 - rest.
• Count 3 - rest
• Count 4 - rest.
• And - jump straight up.
• Count 5 - land in posture left.

You can also lengthen sequences.  pp. 92-93. The basic sequence is 5 steps, but you can make longer sequences.  The number of steps can be 5 plus any multiple of 6.  Thus, 11, 17, and 23 counts will work.  For an 11-count, starting from posture right:  

• Count 1 - transfer your weight onto your right foot, and kick your left foot forward. 
• Count 2 - transfer your weight onto your left foot, and kick the right foot forward.
• Count 3 - transfer your weight onto your right foot, and kick the left foot forward.
• Count 4 - transfer your weight onto your left foot, and kick the right foot forward.
• Count 5 - transfer your weight onto your right foot, and kick your left foot forward.
• Count 6 - transfer your weight onto your left foot, and kick the right foot forward.
• Count 7 - transfer your weight onto your right foot, and kick the left foot forward.
• Count 8 - transfer your weight onto your left foot, and kick the right foot forward.
• Count 9 - transfer your weight onto your right foot, and kick your left foot forward.
• Count 10 - transfer your weight onto your left foot, and kick the right foot forward.
• And - jump straight up.
• Count 11 - land in posture left.

Understand that this is only a taste of the variety of galliards.  For more discussion and variants, see pp. 101-119.   

The basic pavane sequence is two singles forward, then a double forward.  p. 57. The sequence repeats as long as the music goes, but the starting foot will alternate.  For two pavane sets, go single left, single right, double left, single right, single left, double right.  When several couples are dancing the pavane, they should line up behind the lead couple.  In each couple, the hands should be joined, and the lady on the right.  

If the music goes long enough, the front couple will eventually meet some obstacle.  There are a couple of ways around this. First, a pavane can alternate sets moving forward and back. Second, all couples can "convert."   To convert, keeping your hands joined, the man will go backward, and the lady forward, so as to turn the couple 180 degrees left around their joined hands.  In the conversion, the lady never backs up. Because of this, especially given the danger of backing up in full gowns, Arbeau favored the conversion. p. 58.  

The purpose of a pavane is to show off your style and poise (and your clothes...).  If all you do is go through the motions of it, it will be boring.  The best modern analog for the pavane is a dance style that was briefly popular in the late 20th century - "Voguing."  The Vogue, it may be remembered, was nothing more than posing in time with music.  Approached in that spirit, the pavane can be very enjoyable.  It should also be remembered that every pavane should be followed by a galliard - a tradition that is all but forgotten in Artemisia. This contrast of studied poise and athleticism does make an interesting dance. p. 66  

Pavanes were embellished in the French tradition, chiefly by "dividing the double."  pp. 66-67. Arbeau doesn't describe this much, except to hint that the student will understand how after learning all the movements of the galliard. It might be similar to the way a bransle double can be divided.

But what about Mannshaft/Earl of Salisbury/Carolingian/Silver Desert?

To do bransles, you need a couple of new steps - the bransle single and bransle double.  To do, for example, a bransle single left, step to your left side, and then bring your feet together.  (This takes two counts.)  A bransle double takes four counts, and goes (for a bransle double right) step to the left side, bring the right foot to the left, step to the left side, bring the right foot to the left.  

A bransle double looks a lot like two bransle singles in the same direction.  There is a difference, but it's subtle.  This is a situation where a moment of demonstration is better than a page of explanation.  To put it simply, there is a brief pause between two bransle singles, while the two steps of a bransle double flow together.  

A period embellishment is to replace the final step in a pair of bransle doubles with three small kicks.  Thus: step left, approach, left, close, right, approach, kick left-right-left. p. 131. With a bit of practice, it’s surprisingly elegant. Other ways of dividing bransle steps are possible, but Arbeau advised against them. p. 132.  

A common embellishment seen in the Society is "grapevine" steps - alternating crossing the trailing foot behind and in front of the leading foot.  There is no support for this as a period embellishment.

Bransles could be danced in lines or circles, with any number of dancers. p. 130. That said, some dances seem to make more sense in one form or the other. When a dance is called for in a line or circle, it is a suggestion only. Interesting experiments can be done to see whether a dance can work in another form.

Single Bransle

Pp. 132-133.
Line abreast for as many dancers as will
Dance repeats as much as desired

1. Bransle double left.
2. Bransle single right.

Notes:

This dance is often done in the Society as the "Tangle bransle." The use of a single bransle to lead a line about is well documented. The "tangle" portion -- weaving the line through itself -- is not documented in the French tradition.

Arbeau stated that the single could be divided into three kicks as an embellishment.

Pease Bransle

1. Bransle double left, bransle double right, bransle double left, bransle double right
2. men hop, then ladies hop
3. men single left, and hop thrice
4. ladies hop, then men hop
5. ladies single left, and hop thrice

Note: Simple as it is, this is my favorite of the so-called "mimed" bransles. Why is this man approaching a lady not his partner, and why is she running away? Is she running away, or just being coy?

1. Bransle double left, kick left, kick right
2. bransle double right
3. Bransle double left, kick left, kick right
4. bransle double right
5. bransle double left, kick left, kick right
6. bransle single right, kick left, kick right, kick left
7. bransle single left, kick right, kick left, kick right
8. bransle double right

Note: Remembering the sequence of kicks in Bransle Charlotte is trying. Try this -- notice that the dance "oscillates" about a central point. Each set of kicks leaves you ready for the next sideways step. When you do two kicks, start with the "outside" foot. When you do three kicks, start with the "inside" one.

Start facing your partner, holding both hands.

1. Bransle double to the man’s left, and then to the man’s right. Repeat four times, for a total of eight doubles, four in each directions.
2. Men "paw" the floor twice with the right foot.
3. Men bransle single right.
4. Men turn left in four counts, moving leftward, so you’ll end up across from your original partner.
5. Ladies "paw" the floor twice with the right foot.
6. Ladies bransle single right.
7. Ladies turn left in four counts, moving leftward, so you’ll end up across from your original partner.

Notes:

Several popular arrangements of the music go through 2-7 twice in each repeat of the dance.

In the SCA, this is usually taught as a partner changing dance. However, Arbeau said nothing about changing partners. The dance does tend to move the dancers to their right. However, to read a partner change into the dance, when a simple shift to the left while turning will suffice, is difficult to defend.

Simple as this dance is, it raises interesting reconstruction issues. The only hint Arbeau gave as to the starting position is to hold both hands. This can be done side-by-side, so the lady can do her doubles in the same direction as the man. (Arbeau never said that the lady would mirror the man; it’s just a very common moderrn interpretation.)

• Lead eight bransle singles left. (With little jumps. The opinion of modern scholars of my acquaintance is that this will look not unlike "jumping jacks." Keep them small and well-timed, and they look surprisingly good.)
• Each person turns around left with four small kicks, in turn.

Notes:

If you are blessed with live musicians, the Montarde can be done with any number. The musicians need to make two adjustments, though. First, the number of repeats must equal the number of dancers. Second, in each repeat the passage for the turning must be repeated once for each dancer.

1. Bransle doubles left and right -- repeat.
2. Bransle single left, single right. Ladies have their hands on their hips, and each man will shake a finger at his partner. Repeat, but reversing the roles.
3. Bransle double left, clapping.
4. Bransle double right.
5. Bransle double left, clapping.
6. Kick left, kick right, kick left, and hop -- turning around to the left as you do so.

Only some of the dancers are on the floor at the start, each holding a candlestick or torch (hence the name). They dance about, using the steps below, and find a partner. They then dance with that partner for a bit, take leave of them, and dance back to their places. The dancers left on the floor then go off to find new partners, and so on. (In short, it’s a mixer.)

The steps:

1. Eight doubles forward -- starting with left and alternating. These are alman or "hanging" doubles. Rather than closing the step, the trailing foot should be raised slightly, with the knee straight. Thus, the double left would be "left, right, left, hang right."
2. Four hanging singles forward -- starting with the left and alternating. During these singles, "the dancer looks here and there to espy the partner of his choice." p. 163.

Arbeau was not at all clear on how long one dances with each partner. One logical division that allows for proper leave taking is that you dance through one repeat of the steps alone, then through one repeat with your partner. It’s possible that there were no divisions, and dancers simply extended each sequence as long as they liked.