Introduction to Early Dance
DANCERS
Tutor: Elizabeth Dodd
Higham Hall, Cockermouth
Reviewer: Sue Wilkinson
An excellent one day introduction to Early dance
I spent a most enjoyable day in the company of Elizabeth Dodd, who ran a “Try for a Day” course at Higham Hall on 3rd October 2021. I came across this course by accident, and was unsure what to expect. I very much enjoy dancing, but it is not something I have done regularly since I was a child. I was reassured by the course description which stated that the course was “Not just for dancers, but also anyone interested in getting closer to music, drama and history”, and that it was “Easy for beginners upwards”. I am very interested in the historical period and had been keen to know if the representations of dancing from this era on stage and screen bear any resemblance to historical reality.
Elizabeth was very encouraging and started us off with some basic steps. We were given some explanatory background about the dances, including the clothing the dancers would have worn, and whether the gentlemen would have been required to manage a sword hung about their costume whilst dancing!
We did six different dances – one French from the 15th century, and one Italian from the same period. We then skipped a century to do a Pavan and Galliard, a further century for a Minuet and back to the 16th for a Spanish influenced Italian dance. The complexity was carefully graded, and Elizabeth had simplified some of the steps for those of us who were not already accomplished dancers. This allowed us to appreciate the dance’s structure whilst not becoming too bogged down with the fine detail of the footwork.
She had also carefully thought about COVID restrictions (have you come with someone in your bubble? If not, are you happy to hold the hand of a stranger?) and the fact that class was composed of an awkward number – 7; she especially adapted the sixth dance, which is normally performed in sets of 3, to accommodate a group of 4. It was great fun!
In combination with the beautiful setting, and Higham Hall’s always excellent catering, the result was a very enjoyable and instructive day, accessible to beginner and experienced dancer alike. I would certainly recommend this experience to others!
Sue Wilkinson
Published in November 2021 Newsletter
