Book dossier

Orchésographie

by Thoinot Arbeau

Written by a French cleric, Jehan Tabourot, in the form of a dialogue between a dancing master and his student and originally published in 1588, this manual is an important tool in the understanding of late sixteenth-century French social dance. The manual provides critical information on social ballroom behavior and on the interaction of musicians and dancers. The book's usefulness is also enhanced by a notation system that correlates the music to the dance steps. Orchesographie discusses a full spectrum of late Renaissance dance including the galliard, pavane, branle, volta, morisque, gavotte, allemande, and courante.