Dance And Dance>>International Dance Style >> France Dance Styles
This French
and Italian love of dance continues
in the next century. At the court of
Savoy, in Turin, there
is a strong tradition of lavish amateur ballets
for any festive occasion in the mid-17th
century.
In most ancient
civilizations, dancing before
the god is an important element in temple ritual. In
Egypt the priests and priestesses,
accompanied by harps and pipes, perform
stately movements which mime significant events in the
story of a god, or imitate cosmic patterns such as the
rhythm of night and day.
In France
Louis XIII, son of Marie de Medicis, loves
to show off his talents in this line - although, reports
a contemporary, he "never performed anything
but ridiculous characters". The king's typical
roles include a wandering musician, a Dutch captain,
a grotesque warrior, a farmer and a woman. His son Louis
XIV enjoys similar pleasures, but his roles
have a little more classical gravitas
- a Bacchante, a Titan, a Muse and Apollo dressed as
the sun. |
