Welcome to Les Danses Antiques website.
We are happy to share with you our passion for historical dance here.
Historical dances involve a wide variety of dances born and practiced in Western Europe from the Middle Ages up to the 20th century. They could be danced in different places from royal courts to taverns or theatres. In fact, dance was an important part of everyday life in the world before TV, internet, and smartphones. The historical dance tradition can be reconstructed or recreated based on description in manuals or passed through oral tradition. Most preserved sources however focused on court dances which are the origin of modern-day ballet and ballroom dances. Today you can experience early dance through musicological and historical research as a reader, through a performance as a spectator, or at themed balls or workshops as active participant. Because historical dance includes such a variety of epochs and circumstances it is very diverse. It can be gay and elegant, spirited and refined, individual and social. Everyone can find something for their taste.
Useful guide to common types of historical dance:
Early Renaissance: Dances from XIII-XV centuries
Late Renaissance: Dances from XV-XVI (sometimes also called Tudor or Elizabethan in the UK)
Baroque and Belle Dance: Dance style from XVII-XVIII century
Regency: Social dances from late XVIII-early XIX century
Victorian: Social dances from the time of Queen Victoria
Edwardian: Social dances of the late XIX- beginning of XX century