Baroque Dance: Final Passepied & Bows from "Thesee"

Members of Toronto's Baroque Dance Company "La Belle Danse" perform the final passepied from J. B. Lully's tragedie lyrique, 'Thesee' (1675).

The choreography is drawn from L.G. Pecour's 1700 multi-partite dance, 'La Bourgogne'. Members of La Belle Danse here include Daniel Gariepy, Jill Chadroff and Suzanne Paterson.

For more information:
http://www.labelledanse.com/

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Performing
• Arts
• baroque
• dance
• ballet
• feuillet
• belle
• danse
• Thesee
• opera
• 18th
• century
• Lully
• classical
• passepied
• minuet

[LaBelleDanse]

Thanks for the comments everyone.

CapaodaCanoa, glad you liked!

[ggmorvaj]

I love these baroque dances !!!! Lully's music (from the ballets) is available everywhere, but I've never seen the actual dances/performances. Thank you for sharing them.

[LaBelleDanse]

Thank you.

It's our pleasure!

[Niniska26]

the dance steps looks like the minuet one..

[LaBelleDanse]

Yes indeed, the same steps are used in the menuet and the passepied - just faster.

[LaBelleDanse]

It's true: the libretto doesn't identify the tune as a passepied, but "Second Air". I chose a passepied dance for this air for several reasons. The dispositon of the triple-time melody fell neatly into passepied/minuet-sized dance phrases (where 2 bars of triple time count as 1 dance measure of 6 beats). Also, I felt the anacrusis (eg: 00:18) added a layer of interest which reminded me of the hemiola found in more typical passepieds, adding a syncopated flavour to the music/dance relationship.

[LaBelleDanse]

I don't disagree with your analysis of the structure being atypical for a passepied. But listen to the minuet that occurs at the end of the prologue to "Atys". The phrase structure, and even the disposition of the melody are anything but typical. As to tempo, it seems there are as many interpretations of tempo as there are minuets. In his 1998 Ambronay recording of "Thesee", W. Christie takes this "Second Air" at such a clip, it feels perhaps more passiepied-like than our tempo. Good question!

[campcasey62]

Simply divine, thank you for sharing this gem.

[midnightblue80]

I really like the dance. One suggestion for the men's costumes, I would have your stockings over your breeches (just above the knee) as that is they did at that time (1675 to 1730). Then they would garter them right below the knee (no elastic then). Stockings weren't worn under the breeches until after 1730. Buckles on the breeches replaced the garters. ;)

[dotsymae]

Where can I see upcoming performances? I live in Chautauqua, NY. Gosh, you should contact Marty Merkeley at Chautauqua Institution and maybe he could book you next summer! Or Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride who run the dance school at the institution. You could come teach master classes to the students! You are all amazing.

[GUAlliance]

Five stars!

[diego4407]

Love it!! thanks for sharing

[bubblykings]

oh such nice dancing!

[anzdf]

Una bella demostracion de la danza barroca, gracias.