with

Genevieve Lacey

POPULAR DANCING IN THE GREAT HALL

Poul Høxbro
Pipe and tabor, dance instructions.

Chain dances - carols - were undoubtedly the most popular type of dance in the Middle Ages. In the towns the ìchainsî could grow very long and move through the streets for hours. The young girls were dressed up, and maybe they found their future husband amongst the dancers. Time after time the ecclesiastics complained and banned dancing inside and outside the churches. And these dances of the people also became a 
popular entertainment for the noble nights and young ladies.
We have no medieval sources that tells us exactly what steps and variations the people danced in these days, but maybe we can get a fairly good picture of this from the descriptions of dancing in the 16th century dancing schools. Especially the many different ìBranlesî illustrates the popular set-off on the dances in the higher classes. At the same time these tutors are full of important and useful instructions in how to behave properly at in the ball room.

Learn these dances and gestures to the accompaniment of the most popular medieval ìdance bandî - 
the pipe and tabor.

Poul Høxbro

pipe and tabor, double pipes
&
storytelling ad lib.

The mystery that surrounded music and musicians throughout the Middle Ages not only gave rise to endless learned debate about the necessity or the corrupting influence of music. It also nourished and inspired the popular imagination to produce stupendous stories about its uncontrollable power - "a swaying bridge between heaven and earth" or "the ritual of Satan", a consoler or a seducer.

An exotic but endlessly fascinating aspect of western culture, revealed in this programme in an unusual mixture of music, quotations and stories from medieval Europe.