THE COMPANIE OF DANSERS
CONCERT PROGRAMMES WORKSHOP PROGRAMME PRICE LISTHarlequins, Turks and Peasants
An exciting and innovative entertainment, this programme combines baroque dance and music to recreate the comic scenes of 17th century theatre and pantomime. Using authentic and newly choreographed dances, and music by Lully and Campra as well as newly researched pantomime music, this programme offers a rare chance to experience a 17th century entertainment.The whole evening is presided over with wit and gaiety by that favourite character in the baroque theatre, the impudent rogue Harlequin who, with his charming counterpart Columbine, introduces and comments upon the proceedings, and also displays his fine dancing skills.
The exotic East, a fascination within baroque theatre, is represented by the Turkish dances that appear in many operas and ballets, from the Lully-Molière comedie-ballet Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme to Campra's Europe Gallante.
Finally the evening closes with a typical rustic wedding scene, combining English and French choreography to recreate another favourite obsession of the time - the happy peasant living his blameless and carefree life of pastoral bliss.
Europe's Revels
The title of this programme comes from an 18th century dance collection entitled An Entry of Nations in Europe's Revels, with music by John Eccles and choreographies by Thomas Bray. Using music and dances associated with the courts and theatres of France, Spain, Italy and England, and recorded in dance collections published throughout the late 17th and early 18th centuries by French and English dancing masters, the programme seeks to illustrate the character of the different nations, including the balletic interludes of French opera, the sensual languor of the Spanish entrées, the gaiety and charm of a Venetian carnival and dances created by the royal dancing master and others for the London theatres, at the time of King George II.
Maggots and Minuets
A workshop using Some of the popular English Country Dances published by Henry Playford in the last decade of the 17th century, to form a basis for a study of the social background to the dances and the historical context in which they thrived.This programme can be geared to adults or children and in addition to teaching the dances, it can include instruction in recorder and oboe working on contemporary 17th century instrumental music as well as accompaniment of the dances.
