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General Information about Renaissance Dance in Isenfir

Next Dance Evening
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ATTIRE: Folks may wear whatever they wish, but in order to get more of a flavor of the period, ladies are encouraged to wear long, loose skirts if possible, and to bring a fan, formal gloves, and/or a handkerchief. Men are encouraged to bring gloves or gauntlets, and if they have a sword and belt/hanger, that would be ideal. Also, it is preferable for men to wear a wide-brimmed hat or flat cap. Please understand these are NOT requirements! You may wear a T-shirt and shorts if you wish, and that would be fine. These suggestions are aimed at providing more of an overall period sense of oneself when dancing.

PLEASE BE ON TIME: Because of the format of the evening, you are requested to be on time if at all possible. Practice will begin promptly at 7:00pm to maximize the time available for dancing. If you're late we won't scowl at you, but you'll miss good dancing time.

Any last minute changes or additions will be posted to the Isenfir Announcements mailing list. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact David Oxford by e-mail or phone at (434) 979-3792.

General Information about Renaissance Dance in Isenfir

Dance was an extremely important social activity in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and as such has a prominent place in the SCA. Many official SCA events will have a Ball or some form of dancing in the evening, and often times will have dancing during the day as well. Period dances took many forms, ranging from individual and couple dances to sets of two, three, four, or more couples. The character of these dances differed widely as well, from stately, formal so-called "court dances" to quick and lively "country dances."

While a few dances are improvised or freeform, most have a set pattern of steps and movements, some very simple and a few very intricate. To be prepared for these dances at events, Isenfir holds regular practices where dances are taught. The goal is not to make every person a perfect dancer who knows every dance by heart, but is rather to have fun, learn and practice the basics of the different types of dances, become familiar with general patterns found in the dances, and learn the social graces of period dance. But mostly, the point is to have fun. There are people in the group who have been doing it for years and still occasionally forget their left from their right, but we all have a good time.

If you want to learn more about the rich world of Renaissance dance, visit some of the dance-related links on the Links of Interest page.

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