Have you ever been asked out courting?
Well, before you think that your significant other might have asked you to participate in something extremely embarrassing or that there might be some kind of marriage proposal involved, it should come as a relief that courting is a style of dance. The term “court dance” meant that you were a more experienced dancer, so if you ever got asked to court dance it would be a compliment!
Embodying elegance, grace and sophistication this style is one of the dances of the Renaissance. During the period, there were two distinctions between the different kinds of dances they would perform- court and country.
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Court dances were often used for entertainment purposes and performances. Knowledge of court dances has continued to live on with the help of well detailed manuscripts kept by dance masters at the time. Those manuscripts were later printed, with the earliest dating to 15th century Italy and France. Some of the most popular dances were the slow pavane and the quick galliard, which are akin to the fox trot and the quick step.
On the other hand, country-dances weren’t as high nose and could be danced for fun by anyone. One popular country-dance was Chiarantana, which remained popular for over two centuries.
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To really get the flavor of the Renaissance period in which these dances flourished, there are many fantastic Renaissance Faires that personify this time period. Close by, there will be court and country style dancing at the Much Ado About Sebastopol Renaissance Faire coming September 14 & 15. Come out and grab your dancing shoes! For details. www. muchadoaboutsebastopol.com
