This first instructional video on dance of the 16th century uses the Italian dancing masters Caroso and Negri as its sources. The steps are clearly demonstrated, then put together in phrases, and dances are performed in costume with authentic instrumental accompaniment. Both couple and group dances are represented. Julia Sutton is a renowned authority on Renaissance dance. A concise history of dance, from the tragedies and comedies of the early Greek theater to the English masques in the court of Elizabeth I, using engravings, prints, and paintings with accompanying music and narration.
Dancers dressed in period costumes, demonstrate the pavan, galliard, saltarella, canarie, and volta.
It illustrates the ballets in which the young Louis XIV performed and recreates the image of Versailles and its elaborate theatrical spectacles. Uses the same format as Part 1 to provide rich cultural background to the origins of ballet. Isa Partsch-Bergsohn has taught dance history at University of California Santa Barbara, California Institute of the Arts, and the University of Arizona. An enchanting and informative two-volume series, a model of clarity, taste and finely styled dancing. Includes demonstrations of step sequences from 17th and 18th century publications, performances in costume of complete social and theatrical dances illustrating each dance type, and social dances performed in Tryon Palace, an 18th century governor's house in North Carolina.