Baroque Dance - Passacaille from Armide (L'Abbé, Lully)

[stevenpaulniles]

Very beautiful performance. I will definitely ask to study Baroque dance with you the next time I am in England. I was just wondering if your pleasant smile is wholly appropriate for the serious Passacaille genre. Was the smile welcome, or just an inadvertent outgrowth of this wondrous music and dance?

[cymro89]

Such a wonderful performance. Very inspiring. Have you any more videos of your dancing? Such graceful hands, especially the subtle turns from 5'28 near the end. Amazing!

[TassieLute]

I get so annoyed with dance videos that zoom in and out and invariably zoom in and focus on the face when interesting things are happening with the feet. Just keep a long shot. The dancer is the artist in this instance, not the filmaker.

[Malloyism]

Baroque dancing seems to involve rather excessive ammount of bobbing up and down compared to other dance styles.

[vagadellestelle]

How beautiful... grace, elegance, but also sensuality and sexiness (yes!) expressed in a way which only evokes, a way which makes you understand everything without the need to say a single word, be it explicit or vulgar... this is real art, all the half-naked lady gaga and the rihanna of the world with their pathetic and awkward moves don't have the sensuality of a hidden knee of this ballerina and her dance.

[LFSyd77]

amazing...

this make me feel: un appassionato!

[10stringGuitarist]

I have a pathological obsession and a drug-like addiction to the French baroque. I play the lute and specialize in music from this period. A project like this has been on my mind for ages but just can't find a dancer in Vancouver...

My kindest regards and best wishes !

[profesorsergio]

So interesting video. Thank you very much. Favourite. Cheers!!!, Sergio.

[radaphhesig]

Upload more stuff!

[TheCatJoker]

Sure beats the disco crap they do today.

[Romeowasbleeding1]

Gosh... why do people look to other cultures for inspiration, in my opinion European culture is just as exotic as any other. So varied, so expressive, so beautiful.

[1969Chronos]

Thank you for posting such a musical/ dance gem.

[etresanchez]

That's Beauty. That's the real sense of living

[temporaryparisian]

Go Philippa, brilliant!

[iriscelta]

Spetacular!wonderful..thanks a lot..

[julschiant]

muy hermoso todo la musica y el ballet

[Lautengitarre]

Good morning together. The next thunder is coming.

[Jampot009]

BULLSHIT

[mariaimmaculata]

Yes even if, but they still play in a pretty dull way. Sorry, that's my opinion!

[mariaimmaculata]

Looks pretty nice but the musicians are not very good. Nowadays one could easily get more capable baroque players....

[cymro89]

@mariaimmaculata hahaha! Two of those players happen to be Sophia McKenna - principal oboe in The English Concert and Andrew Wilson-Dickson, one of the country's finest keyboard players!

[HeavensToMurgatroid9]

grow up!

[petfood56]

her gown is so wrong..

[azur966]

Merveilleux ! Interprétation chaleureuse, somptuosité de latmosphère soulignée par le charme de cet danseuse habillée de façon envoûtante.

[DoSostenidoMenor]

q curiosa q era la humanidad xD

[MYRHAH]

cette interprétation manque de relief et de détails (bras, mains), mais il faut dire que l'accompagnement musical, un peu lent et sans contraste, est assez ennuyeux...

[Panzeredan]

Exactement. Le rythme est beaucoup trop lent...

[JSBachisthebest]

wrong costumes...

[WIGNSWORD]

O poor Kumandaro!!! If you want a peak performance and want to be spoiled by a multitude why don't you BUY A TIME MACHINE!!! And travel back to Lully's tiime. We don't get to see this manner of dance much any longer, so in my estimation she did a lovely job. Yes, she was a little self-conscious and catered to Propriety when she should have courted Eros, but she was cute about this. In short, she embodied the music in her movements (in my eyes) which is ENOUGH in this Lully-starved Age!!

[Sundialonthejob]

"this Lully-starved Age!! " How right you are. We are better off for our "re-discovery" of Baroque music, but let us hope the blessings of that great musical age are only beginning to be seen in our times.

This dance is lovely. May it help us on our way back to this age of grace and beauty in the arts.

[Kumandaro]

Sorry to say that, but, in my opinion, the dancer was not natural at all and I don't think there was any grace in those dance steps. Really repetitive, not really interesting to look at...

[madaboutharpsichord]

@Kumandaro

on n'allait quand même pas danser comme Nijinsky à la cour de Louis XIV ! la Belle Danse et la grâce naissent justement de la contrainte et de la codification, pas forcément besoin de naturel pour rêver ! au contraire, le naturel, c'est la vie ! ceci c'est le rêve .... (même si c'est trop lent... ;-) )

[dotsymae]

Nice little aerobic activity...no rest steps like in ballets...

[mrmolinodelahoz]

Nice try.

[op10no4]

Simply perfect.

[WIGNSWORD]

NO I was not confusing operas I just associate Lully with Eighteenth century too because, even later on as the music's appeal was wearing off, HE was their GOD, their PRECEDENT...if they were in France primarily.

[Ocendesert]

Sorry, I didn't see your later post where you corrected the date; and of course I agree with you, as that was precisely why Gluck did use the earlier libretto, as Lully's Armide was widely performed long after his death.

[WIGNSWORD]

Woops! Opera was 1686...excuse the dumb typo! :-O

[WIGNSWORD]

Thank you! The musicians looked sort of 1730s or later but the dancer was (as stated) of 1711 choreography, and the Opera was of 1786!! Thank you for bringing Lully onto YouTube. In the Eighteenth Century he was the Operatic Precedent just as Wagner was to the latter centuries! AS for me, I prefer Lully!! What with the more subtle emotions, ornaments and Greco-Roman Gods and so forth!! Bravo!! :-)

[amballa]

the opera was premiered 100 earlier in 1686...

[Ocendesert]

You may be confusing Gluck's "Armide" with that of Lully; Gluck did use the same libretto however.

[midnightblue80]

You are right the musicians' outfits aren't anywhere near the 1680s. They are just supposed to be some generic 18th century look I guess.

[Nganguen]

""Beautifuliest"" and Royal...!

[vyhladko]

Beautiful, but the melody (not the tempo! ) is very similar to the Passacaille from Henry Purcell's King Arthur. Which was written earlier? Ehhh..., it has' nt any importance, in the barock era were melodies and music themes handled very free. ..

[midnightblue80]

Lully's Armide is from 1686 and Purcell's King Arthur is 1691. Purcell borrowed a lot from Lully as Lully was the most popular composer of that time.

[JeremyNasmith]

@midnightblue80 Don't forget that the Passacaille was a standard musical form in 3/4 with a repeating basline in the descending minor scale from do to sol, so all Passacailles end up sounding similar.

[ZZAZZAAZZA]

La grâce et l'élégance dans leur pureté

[Nekofemme]

Beautiful, both the music and the dance and the costume she is wearing is very becoming on her.

[GUAlliance]

Wonderful!

[zamthetus]

Excellent Perfomance!

=)

[Ocendesert]

I would love to take the dancer's baroque dance class!

[redSuikoden]

Don't forget the castrati's... Yip those were the days...

I love baroque music, but everytime I listen to it it keeps reminding me about the castrati's.

[RedPriest1741]

Careful that your glasses through which you view the 17th century are not too rosy.

[lookingforboludeces]

Could someone please clear this doubt?: is minuet a barroque or a classical dance? if we look into popular culture, we can see minuets being danced in movies at the court of louis XIV and also in mozart times rigth in the middle of clasicism! why is that?

[starcommander55]

Both, it was developed in the mid to late late baroque (I think Lully was the first composer we know of to publish a minuet), and evolved through the Classical period. By Beethoven, the musical form was in use, however the dance had been antiquated and was not longer in use.

[LaBelleDanse]

"we can see minuets being danced at the court of louis XIV and also in mozart times! why is that?"

Because the minuet had a very long life span, becoming popular in the 1650's and continuing to the French revolution and beyond.

The minuet even survives into the 19th century. However both the music and the accompanying dance had evolved a good deal by then.

[anzdf]

Excelente, la musica y la danza son muy bellas, gracias por compartir el video.

[brrrr1259]

Simply magnificent,thank you for poting this.

[faramir44]

Totally agree with the last comment.

Soooo much cultural garbage around us.

[SecretTheatre]

Well don't forget that the man who wrote this exquisite music was guilty of behaviour which could hardly be described as civilized, and worked for a man (Louis XIV) whose main life goal was the total subjugation of the rest of humanity.

[SecretTheatre]

Having said that this is quite possibly the most beautiful thing my eyes and ears have ever witnessed.

[SecretTheatre]

And I've just realised I know the harpsichordist! Ha!

[Lonestarry]

@SecretTheatre Well - if that is true - you must not have witnessed much.

[SecretTheatre]

@Lonestarry Au contraire, au contraire... ;)

[wichmannsburg]

@SecretTheatre Have you ever listened to the same piece played by "Les Arts florissants" (dir. William Christie) ? Probably not - you would perhaps not have written that comment...

[belamoure]

I do not know of any exquisite rose growing without its load of manure- God forgave both.

[frphilipmullen]

I'm in love! Oh, for the 17th century!

[vegarazz]

´this is nice! han you send this video for me, because i'm making the "music evolution" video, and this can be part of it!

[jeniiicrazy]

genre imitation talava pas mal mai voila

[frphilipmullen]

Bravo!

[Orangigi]

Very nice. It's a shame we can't see all the feet action

[baraoagenornogueira]

maravilhoso!

[gamagaeru888]

Such refined exquisite dancing and aristocratic beauty !

[AdrianFortescue]

Please upload more videos with Lully´s ballet. Or other composer. Your dancing its great. I love baroque :).

[ftumschk]

Was this recorded at Margam Orangery?

Really enjoyed it, by the way. Elegance personified - in movement and sound.

[BaroqueDance]

Yes, it was recorded at Margam Orangery - rather a long time ago!

Glad you like the performance!

[frphilipmullen]

I'm in love! Oh, for the 17th century! May have an 8x10 glossy autographed by my Lady? Yes, we clergy daydream sometimes!

[HARMONICO101]

Just came back to say that this is a really, really beautiful Passacaglia. The solo violincello at the beginning with the other continuo instruments coming in is really moving. I can hear why this from a tragedy.

[bahoss]

La France baroque je t'adore.

[HARMONICO101]

Very interesting!

[galerius61]

You are so graceful, and the music so sweetly melancholic...thank you for the strange, dreamy feelings you brought to me.

[JelliusAugustus]

Ok, I want to learn Baroque dancing!!!! But in Belgium it is not easy to find a school where you can learn it.

[BaroqueDance]

If you, or others, are interested, I run a Baroque dance Summer School in the UK. Students are leveled, so it's suitable for all. We get all sorts of people, from professional dancers to people with no dance experience (I think it's great for beginners because it gives a better idea of the range of Baroque dance than a few classes).

The whole course is 10 days, but as long as you start at the beginning, you can book for as many days as you want.

Details on my website (link in the description).

[frederikbalcaen]

@JelliusAugustus Hey, I know of a baroque dancing school in Belgium! I've seen some of the members perform in Chateau d'Ursel near Antwerp

[Indigoscence]

Than you say the tradition of human dancing have been insane for thousands of years?

[glitzyhitzy]

Did you ever see a real good performance of the french dancers from Francine Lancelot or Christine Bayle? Than you understand what i mean.

[LaBelleDanse]

The French and English schools of baroque dance have different approaches to the technique. That's not to say that one is better than the other. They're different.

[glitzyhitzy]

I'm sorry, you has a nice face, but your technique ist not very good. should f.e. more en dehors of your feeds, and the port-des-bras is not very controlled.

[LaBelleDanse]

glitzyhitzy - This performer has excellent BAROQUE technique. You say she needs more turnout (I *think* that's what you're trying to say: "more en dehors of your feeds"). In fact, this performer is using the proper 45 degree baroque turnout. This is not modern ballet technique, nor should it be. Her port-de-bras has a lovely baroque solidity and ease. Why would you think yourself qualified to critique someone in an area where you clearly have no knowledge? Inform yourself before critiquing.

[foxdruidz]

Wow, lady BaroqueDance, are you the one dancing there? So beautiful and ellegant! that's the true baroque thing!

[fastestskier]

I though it was very rude to raise your hands above you waist when doing baroque dances way back when...

[davidbi]

No, this is normal port de bras for this kind of dance. Well documented in period manuals.

[BaroqueDance]

Just to reiterate what David said. The arm movements used here are the conventional arm movements of the serious dance of the period. They are taken from descriptions in dancing manuals in the first half of the 18th-century, and there are many illustrations of theatrical dancers using these arm positions.

You might be thinking of when dancing with a partner and taking hands. In this case the instructions (for social dancing) advise a low hand-hold.

[davidbi]

Hello, and thanks for the video. Nice to see baroque dance coming into fashion once again. This was interesting for me because I did not know that to this tune exists original english choreography (two in fact). I was aware only of the choreography from 1711 by Pecour.

But: the dancer is standing for the last few measures, is the choreography shorter than the music?

[BaroqueDance]

In the original notation, the music and dance stop at the same time, as you'd expect. We thought that for the purposes of the video it would be nicer to have music playing as the camera pulls out. Hence the musicians repeat the final eight bars of music.

I'm not sure that Baroque dance is coming into fashion again! It's a nice thought though - I might get some more students!

[jonathantosio]

Well done!!

[Junibakken]

The musicians are so neatly dressed and haired, like those who played Lully's music in his time.

I wish they had been more visible on the video.

[Louisekr]

This Clothes is not baroque, its rokoko about 100 years after Lully. but nice anyway

[BaroqueDance]

Yes, although my costume is from the 1680s, the musicians' clothes are not from the same period. This was for practical reasons: we didn't want the musicians needing to wear different clothes for every piece, so we had them wearing somewhat "generic" 18th-century costumes, rather than something more accurate. Apologies to all the costume purists!

[ZZAZZAAZZA]

Absolutely not; this is an authentic gown from the 1670's - 1680's; the feathers on the head, the flared sleeves and the traine of the dress are definitely belonging to Louis XIV's century

[midnightblue80]

Very nice clip.  Thanks! I enjoy how ballet should be, elegant steps and beautiful music.

[bubbelah]

this music is from Jean baptiste Lully

[BaroqueDance]

Yes. Was that not clear? The music is from "Armide" and was composed by Lully.

I've added the choreographer and the composer to the title, in case there was any confusion.