Skip to content
Menu The Creative Contessa
  • Home
  • About
  • Classes & Workshops
  • Services
  • Event Calendar
  • Videos & Tutorials
  • My Courses
    • Medieval/Renaissance Dance Drills & Pilates - Beginner
    • Medieval/Renaissance Dance Drills & Pilates - Intermediate/Advanced
    • 16th Century Dance Course
    • Advance Medieval/Renaissance Fingerloop Braiding Workshop
    • Beginner Medieval/Renaissance Ballroom Dance
    • Beginner Medieval/Renaissance Dance Crash Course
    • Beginner Medieval/Renaissance Fingerloop Braiding Workshop
    • Beginner Medieval/Renaissance Footwork Drills
    • Intermediate/Advanced Medieval & Renaissance Ballroom Dance
    • Intermediate/Advanced Medieval/Renaissance Crash Course
    • Intermediate/Advanced Medieval/Renaissance Footwork Drills
    • Recorded Zoom Embroidery Class: Korean Silk Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon)
    • Cherry Blossom Sip & Stitch Zoom Class Recording
    • Recorded Beginner Solo 20's-30s Charleston - 4-Part Course
  • Patreon
  • Blog
  • Contact
    Cart
    0
    Cart
  • Log in
Account Search Search
  • Home
  • About
  • Classes & Workshops
  • Services
  • Event Calendar
  • Videos & Tutorials
  • My Courses
    • Medieval/Renaissance Dance Drills & Pilates - Beginner
    • Medieval/Renaissance Dance Drills & Pilates - Intermediate/Advanced
    • 16th Century Dance Course
    • Advance Medieval/Renaissance Fingerloop Braiding Workshop
    • Beginner Medieval/Renaissance Ballroom Dance
    • Beginner Medieval/Renaissance Dance Crash Course
    • Beginner Medieval/Renaissance Fingerloop Braiding Workshop
    • Beginner Medieval/Renaissance Footwork Drills
    • Intermediate/Advanced Medieval & Renaissance Ballroom Dance
    • Intermediate/Advanced Medieval/Renaissance Crash Course
    • Intermediate/Advanced Medieval/Renaissance Footwork Drills
    • Recorded Zoom Embroidery Class: Korean Silk Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon)
    • Cherry Blossom Sip & Stitch Zoom Class Recording
    • Recorded Beginner Solo 20's-30s Charleston - 4-Part Course
  • Patreon
  • Blog
  • Contact
Account
Access Denied
IMPORTANT! If you’re a store owner, please make sure you have Customer accounts enabled in your Store Admin, as you have customer based locks set up with EasyLockdown app. Enable Customer Accounts

Dance parties in the Renaissance!

By the 16th century, social dances were a regular feature in all towns of any size, with cities even having dance halls that could be rented for private parties. Some cities in Germany even still have their medieval "Danshueser" as they were called in some dialects. And sometimes, we are lucky enough to have records of the sort of dancing that happened at these gatherings. In the 1520s in France, for instance, the dancing master Arena tells us the tale of an eager law student who was attempting to impress a lady. He invited her to dance and escorted her to the floor in anticipation, no doubt, of getting to gaze longingly into her eyes and hold her hand for the duration of the dance. But, young men then were just as mischievous as young men now, and so his companions played a prank upon him: they instructed the musicians to play the wrong music, a piece that was far too short. And so, the young man was left in the middle of the dance floor, practically mid-stride, when the music terminated.

And he apparently sued his friends in civil court over the embarassment!

In any case, here is a lesson on exactly the sort of dance he may have been performing when he was caught so flat-footed. I hope you enjoy!

And if you would like to learn such dances, I will be offering a whole slate of classes and workshops in the coming months - keep an eye on this space!

Share
  • Share on Facebook
  • Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Pinterest Pin it

Leave a comment

Back to The Creative Contessa Blog
Older Post
Newer Post
Invalid password
Enter

Sign up and save!

Stay abreast of events and special offers!

  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Tiktok
The Creative Contessa - Join the Club

The Creative Contessa

A place for people to discover the beauty of creativity, including dance, historic fashion, sewing and embroidery, the culinary arts, sustainable living, and medieval & Renaissance life!

Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop
  • Services
  • Events & Classes
  • Patreon
  • Search
Contact

thecreativecontessa@gmail.com

Social
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Tiktok
American Express Apple Pay Diners Club Discover Google Pay Mastercard Shop Pay Visa
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop
  • Services
  • Events & Classes
  • Patreon
  • Search
© 2025 The Creative Contessa. Powered by Shopify