Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Shakespearean dance

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Shakespearean dance

Shakespearean Dance refers to dancing in the time and plays of William Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

Contents

Overview

There are references to dances such as the galliard or sinkapace, lavolta, coranto, pavane, and canary, and stage directions indicate dancing in many plays including Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, or What You Will, Macbeth, and As You Like It. Terms like 'measure' and 'foot it' can also refer to dancing, and dance is often woven into the plot as part of a masque or masquerade ball, especially in plays by John Marston.

Dances Mentioned in Shakespeare Plays

  • Volta, volte, lavolt or lavolta – Troilus and Cressida (Act IV, scene 4), Henry V (Act III, scene 5)
  • Coranto – All's Well That Ends Well (Act II, scene 3), Twelfth Night (Act I, scene 3)
  • Galliard, cinquepace, or sinkapace—Twelfth Night (Act I, scene 3), Much Ado About Nothing (Act II, scene 1), Henry V (Act I, scene 2)
  • Measure, measures, or old measures – As You Like It (Act V, scene 4), Richard II (Act III, scene 4), Richard)
  • Jig – Love's Labour's Lost (Act III, scene 1)
  • Country footing; The Tempest (Act IV, scene 1)

    • References

    Shakespearean dance Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA