Early Renaissance dance: the Tourdion

Dance: The Tourdion ,arranged for this concert by the Courtly Arts Performers.
Music: Quand je bois du vin clairet, Pierre Attaignant, played by The Early Music Consort of Melbourne.
The Tourdion first became popular in the Burgundian court around 1450. There is no existing choreography of the time, but according to Arbeau, the steps are similar to the galliard, but smaller and gentler in nature. The word 'tourdion' stems from the french 'tordre', meaning to twist. To echo these features, we chose to dance the Tourdion with gentle cinq pas steps and some dramatic changes of direction.This dance was recorded live during our performance of Echoes of Pilgrimage, 3rd December 2023, at Trinity Uniting Church, Brighton, Victoria, Australia.
'Echoes of Pilgrimage' was based around a historically informed fictional journal of a pilgrimage undertaken c.1520, from Canterbury in England to Rome in Italy, the Via Francigena, with additional visits to Walsingham (England) and Montserrat (Spain).
We performed song, music and dance associated with locations along the journey... with the occasional sprinkling of poetic licence.
The research and writing of the fictional pilgrim journal were undertaken by CAPV members Sally and David Ranson.
The Courtly Arts Performers of Victoria are an Australian performance group, comprising dancers formerly known as the Ripponlea Renaissance and Baroque dancers, and the Early Music Consort of Melbourne.
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[@katya2851]

So beautiful and elegant!

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Thank you!

[@npilot4445]

sparrows skipping and swans swimming LOL

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

:D

[@michaelwei1664]

Wonderful music and very elegant dance

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[@suebursztynski2530]

Looks a lot like the galliard, but the galliard did variations, after all.

[@suebursztynski2530]

Ah, I see this is being performed by the successors to Helga Hill’s group - well done!

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

@@suebursztynski2530 Yes, the tourdion steps, according to Arbeau, are cinq pas, but lower / smaller than in a galliard. We arranged this version ourselves, since there is no original choreography. We are proud to continue Helga's work to the best of our ability. I learnt from her for nearly 20 years 🙂

[@suebursztynski2530]

@@thecourtlyartsperformers Do I know you? I dropped out a long time ago and did belly dancing instead (I belly dance better than Renaissance) but if you were with her that long we might know each other.

[@Littleskykite99]

Gosh this is so lovely ! You are all so talented !! ❤😊❤

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Thank you! I will pass your kind comments on to the dancers :)

[@natalibelyak9784]

Прекрасный танец!!! С каким изяществом дамы держатся...

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Thank you so much! I will pass on your kind comments to the dancers.

[@user-zl4hj8et5e]

​@@thecourtlyartsperformersтанец очень понравился. Великолепны были и музыканты, и танцоры, и костюмы, в которых они выступали. Низкий поклон исполнителям.

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

@@user-zl4hj8et5e Thank you! I will pass on your comments to the dancers 🙂

[@_te.Lue_]

I love them dancing I love them playing

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Thank you for your kind comment!

[@WhiteMan88]

Lovely.

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Thank you!

[@svl2372]

Прекрасные танцы. Легко танцуют. Красивые костюмы. Огромное спасибо,что радуете!

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

[@user-lw1bs2tc7r]

Иммерсивное погружение в далёкую и прекрасную эпоху

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Thank you for commenting. This is exactly how we feel when dancing.

[@user-gg8po1mr6z]

One of my favourite medieval melodies! And what I liked very much is that not only slim and slender women, but pumpkins too danced this dance! Одна из моих любимейших средневековых мелодий! И что мне очень понравилось,это то,что не только худышки и стройняшки танцевали этот танец,но и пышки тоже!

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

I'm very glad you enjoyed it!

[@caterinarosamarino242]

Graziosissime 😊❤

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Grazie!

[@sallyranson3564]

So sad I missed this!

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

So were we.. Congratulations to your understudy!

[@ginasticafuncional]

É muito legal a dança da cultura medieval.🇧🇷

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

I'm glad you like it :)

[@RenaudKyoku]

The music reminds me of "quand je bois du vin clairet, ah mes amis tourne tourne tourne, aussi désormais je bois Anjou ou Arbois (...)"

[@RenaudKyoku]

And now I see it in the description, ok thanks for putting it in for people to discover this much jolly song! 😃🙏

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

It's such a great song! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@fabiannunez4383]

Así se baila...!

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Gracias!

[@pebaylejules9198]

Woow

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

:)

[@georgysb]

I see there a time traveller from late XVII century!

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Ah, do you mean our two baroque dancers sitting in the background? Yes, we span some 300 years in our concerts :)

[@RustyShackleford-oo9zh]

Aw I wish I could do that

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[@diannabrown2673]

Whats that song called? Very lovely!

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

It's Quand je bois du vin clairet, by Pierre Attaignant.

[@janewasson4845]

So many old dances are essentially courtship/mating dances.

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Indeed.

[@Asgairsson]

This is very much Bayeux!

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Did you enjoy it?

[@Asgairsson]

@@thecourtlyartsperformers Indeed, I did. It's amazing.

[@Habsbsbgirl1909]

Love the dresses, was this dance for special occasions?

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Thank you! We choreographed this ourselves for our concert, but it is a social dance dating from the 16th Century. Many of these dances were danced at the royal courts, but were also popular with townspeople. The music is a drinking song :D

[@GrinMonister]

Was this always performed with four people or could the numbers be larger?

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

We choreographed this ourselves, based on the toudion 5 pas steps. As far as I know there is no surviving original choreography, so groups interpret it in various ways. We chose to dance it with 4 ladies.

[@vaclavcibulka6127]

I love your dance. Maybe the begining was not so elgant, like the rest. But does not matter. You are famous dancers. I love to dance renesance dances.

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Thank you, @@vaclavcibulka6127 . I'm glad you love dancing renaissance dances :)

[@JJBushfan]

What are the sources of the music and dance moves?

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

From the description below the video: Dance: The Tourdion ,arranged for this concert by the Courtly Arts Performers. Music: Quand je bois du vin clairet, Pierre Attaignant, played by The Early Music Consort of Melbourne. The Tourdion first became popular in the Burgundian court around 1450. There is no existing choreography of the time, but according to Arbeau, the steps are similar to the galliard, but smaller and gentler in nature. The word 'tourdion' stems from the french 'tordre', meaning to twist. To echo these features, we chose to dance the Tourdion with gentle cinq pas steps and some dramatic changes of direction.This dance was recorded live during our performance of Echoes of Pilgrimage, 3rd December 2023, at Trinity Uniting Church, Brighton, Victoria, Australia.

[@delioricci5407]

Branduardi ha rielaborato questa melodia

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

It's a great song: "Quand je bois du vin clairet", by Pierre Attaignant. :)

[@user-tr4zc9hi2r]

А откуда они зрают, как танцевали в Средневековье? Ведь тогда ни фото, ни видео не было...

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

Indeed. The interpretation of medieval dances is based on educated guesswork. Fortunately, there are some pictures in manuscripts depicting dancing, and in many instances there are written versions of the music. We are not medieval specialists though. The first written evidence from the dance masters date from around 1460. Almost all of our performances are based on the written descriptions by the dance masters. Here is our explanation of our performance of the Tourdion (from the description below the video): The Tourdion first became popular in the Burgundian court around 1450. There is no existing choreography of the time, but according to Arbeau, the steps are similar to the galliard, but smaller and gentler in nature. The word 'tourdion' stems from the french 'tordre', meaning to twist. To echo these features, we chose to dance the Tourdion with gentle cinq pas steps and some dramatic changes of direction.

[@1Immortalmortal]

Think how racey and uncouth this was to older folk of that time. 😊

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

:D Have you seen La Volta?

[@1Immortalmortal]

How their kids laughed at them later.

[@thecourtlyartsperformers]

:D Perhaps, although dancing was a necessary skill at Court in those times, so quite valued by all.