Some of the most popular dances in the Society have been written in the Society. One example is Duchess Rondallyn's Pavane, which is done to the tune of "Toot a Lute," track 12 off of Mannheim Steamroller's album Fresh Aire II. (American Gramaphone, 1977).
I learned Duchess Rondallyn's Pavane at Uprising in 1998. Although I loved the music and liked the dance, some problems struck me from the beginning. Duchess Rondallyn's Pavane takes great pains to specify precisely what the dancers' hands are doing at several points, which is a hallmark of non-period style in SCA-Invented dances. (Waks) Also, the original choreography has several rests for the dancers, including one that takes all of measures 65-72. (Since I started this article, I found another choreography online at http://www.umich.edu/~cynnabar/Activities/Dance/Pavannes/rondallynn.html. This choreography doesn't have the long rests, but it does suffer from excessive prescription of hand/arm motions, and it mixes period styles -- another mark of non-period style in SCA inventions. I do not know which of these choreographies came first.)
I set to work producing a variant. My original idea was to preserve as much of the overall shape of the dance as I could. However, the dance I was working on was soon so different that I could not legitimately call it a variant. It was a new ballo (Italian dance), which I dubbed "Por l'Amore d'Elyn" ("For the Love of Elyn") (For those who have trouble pronouncing the name, just remember that apostrophes don't make any sound!)
For all my criticism of the original choreography, it should be pointed out that the choreographer did something few have. He or she heard a piece of music, decided, "This needs to be a dance," and choreographed it out of nothing. I've done the first two steps -- who hasn't? But I've never done the third independently. If you like this dance, much of the thanks go to the original choreographer.
The dance starts with a couple facing. If doing the dance as a performance, be aware that the dance will finish moving and facing to the man's left. If this is done as a social dance, it is good to have all men on the same side, so collisions are avoided.
In the following, measures are taken as shown in the arrangement published by Al Cofrin.
1-4 Man Reverenza Left
5-8 Ripresas Left and Right, both dancers
9-12 Lady Reverenza Left
13-16 Ripresas Left and Right, both dancers
17-20 Taking right hands, pass right shoulders. Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left
21-24 Each person moves in a small circle left. At this point, the dancers will be facing, having traded places from the starting position. Sempio Right, Sempio Right, Doppio Right.
25-28 Taking left hands, pass left shoulders, turning 90 degrees left as you do. Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left.
29-32 Each person moves in a small circle right. At this point, the dancers will be facing, but their position will be rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the starting position. Sempio Right, Sempio Left, Doppio Right.
33-36 Each person moves obliquely forward and to the left, facing in the direction of travel. Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Piva Left.
37-40 Each dancer moves in a small circle left. At this point, the dancers will be facing, having traded places from starting position. Sempio Right, Sempio Left, Piva Right.
41-44 Each person moves obliquely forward and to the left, facing in the direction of travel. Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Piva Left.
45-48 Each dancer moves in a small circle left. At this point, the dancers will be facing, but their position will be rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise (or 270 degrees clockwise, which may make it easier to visualize) from starting position. Sempio Right, Sempio Left, Piva Right.
49-52 The man moves forward as he is facing. At the same time, the lady pivots 180 degrees left, and then moves forward as she is facing. The sequence ends with the dancers facing the same way, the lady in front of the man. (The effect will be that the man is pursuing a lady who is coyly running away.) Sempio Left, with the lady doing a Mezzavolta Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left.
53-56 Both dancers pivot 180 degrees right, then move forward as they are facing. (The effect is that the lady changes her mind, and now pursues the man -- who has also changed his mind, and is now coyly running away.) The sequence ends with the dancers facing the same way, the man in front of the lady. Sempio Right with Mezzavolta Right, Sempio Left, Doppio Right.
57-60 Man goes in a circle to his left, finishing at the ladie's starting position. Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left. During this, the lady faces left, to finish at the man's starting position.
61-62 Lady Reverenza Breve Left
63-64 Man Reverenza Breve Left
65-66 Each dancer moves obliquely forward and to the left. Ripresa Portugalese Left.
67-68 Each dancer moves obliquely forward and to the right, passing in front of the partner. Ripresa Portugalese Right.
69-70 Each dancer moves obliquely forward and left, passing back to back with the partner. Ripresa Portugalese Left.
71-72 Each dancer pivots right. The dancers will have traded places from their position at the end of measure 64, which will place them at the starting position. Doppio Right with Mezzavolta Right.
[73-152 Largely repeats 1-64. However, in everything the man did first, the lady will lead this time. Also note direction changes in 129-132.]
73-76 Lady Reverenza Left
77-80 Ripresa Left and Right, both dancers
81-84 Man Reverenza Left
85-88 Ripresas Left and Right, both dancers
89-92 Taking right hands, pass right shoulders. Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left
93-96 Each person moves in a small circle left. At this point, the dancers will be facing, having traded places from the starting position. Sempio Right, Sempio Right, Doppio Right.
97-100 Taking left hands, pass left shoulders, turning 90 degrees left as you do. Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left.
101-104 Each person moves in a small circle right. At this point, the dancers will be facing, but their position will be rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the starting position. Sempio Right, Sempio Left, Doppio Right.
105-108 Each person moves obliquely forward and to the left, facing in the direction of travel. Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Piva Left.
109-112 Each dancer moves in a small circle left. At this point, the dancers will be facing, having traded places from starting position. Sempio Right, Sempio Left, Piva Right.
113-116 Each person moves obliquely forward and to the left, facing in the direction of travel. Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Piva Left.
117-120 Each dancer moves in a small circle left. At this point, the dancers will be facing, but their position will be rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise (or 270 degrees clockwise, which may make it easier to visualize) from starting position. Sempio Right, Sempio Left, Piva Right.
121-124 The lady moves forward as she is facing. At the same time, the man pivots 180 degrees left, and then moves forward as he is facing. The sequence ends with the dancers facing the same way, the man in front of the lady. (The effect will be that the lady is pursuing a man who is coyly running away.) Sempio Left, with the man doing a Mezzavolta Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left.
125-128 Both dancers pivot 180 degrees right, then move forward as they are facing. (The effect is that the man changes his mind, and now pursues the lady -- who has also changed her mind, and is now coyly running away.) The sequence ends with the dancers facing the same way, the lady in front of the man. Sempio Right with Mezzavolta Right, Sempio Left, Doppio Right.
129-132 Lady goes in a circle to her right, finishing at her starting position. Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left. During this, the man faces right, to finish at his starting position.
133-134 Man Reverenza Breve Left
135-136 Lady Reverenza Breve Left. As this Reverenza is finished, the man will face left and the lady right, so both are facing the same direction, with the man on the left.
137-140 Move forward as a couple. Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left.
141-144 Volto del Gioioso.
145-148 Move forward as a couple. Sempio Left, Sempio Right, Doppio Left.
149-152 Volto del Gioioso.
NOTES:
The commercial recording of "Toot a Lute" has no introduction. Thus, the man should be positioned with his left foot slightly forward, so as not to be behind the music.
One of the cardinal virtues for Italian dancers is partire di terreno, or partitioning the ground. (Durham) This dance places a high value on this ability -- perhaps more than is authentic. At the start, imagine the dancers as standing at two opposite points of a diamond, and visualize the other two points. Use these for reference when the instructions describe floor position. (Lady Aeschene Larke and I once danced this, confining most of the dance to the "jump circle" on a basketball court. We found this very instructive.)
When learning or teaching balli, remember that the meaning of a step is not set in stone. The same step can vary quite a bit, depending on tempo and time signature. When a balli teacher says, "Do step [blurfle]," the next question should be, "What does [blurfle] look like in this dance?"
A Doppio is a double, starting on the foot indicated. (A double is, perversely enough, three steps. For example, a double left goes, "left, right, left.") In this dance, each doppio takes two measures.
A Mezzavolta is a half-turn in the direction indicated. The mezzavolta is almost always (always, in this dance) done as the start or end of another step.
A Piva is a special kind of double. On the second step, the moving foot does not pass. For example, a piva left goes: Step forward on the left foot. Bring the right foot up to, but not past, the left foot. Step forward again on the left foot. When doing pive, one's pelvis will naturally tend to rock back and forth. Such rocking was considered to be bad style, however. Pive take two measures in this dance.
The Reverenza is a specific form of honour. For a reverenza left, move the left foot slightly forward. Draw the left foot directly back past the right foot. Bend the right knee, keeping the torso vertical or nearly so. (If time and strength allow, going down until the left knee touches the floor is quite stylish.) Draw the left foot forward until it is even with the right, straightening the knees. The revererenze in this dance take four measures, or four beats. The reverenza breve (brief reverenza) takes two measures, or two beats, in this dance.
A Ripresa is essentially a piva to the side indicated. For ripresa left: Step sideways left. Bring the right foot to (or even behind or under, but never past) the left. Step sideways left. Bring the right foot beside the left. Ripresas in this dance take two measures. Do not change facing during ripresas.
The Ripresa Portugalese (Portugese ripresa) is a ripresa that moves sideways and forward, obliquely. Again, don't change facing. In this dance, each ripresa Portugalese takes two measures.
A Sempio is simply a step forward. In this dance, there is one sempio to each measure. If you were just to walk, taking one steps per measure, you'd be doing perfect sempii.
The Volto del Gioioso is a sempio right (crossing in front of the left foot), sempio left (the left foot pivoting more than moving), sempio right (the three sempii turning you 360 degrees), then finishing by bringing the left foot to the right one (much like finishing a ripresa). In this dance, it takes four measures.
Durham, Peter and Janelle (writing as Master Trahaearn ap Ieuan and Mistress Jane Lynn of Fenmere), "Italian Balli of the 15th Century," Letter of Dance, vol. 3, available online at http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/lod/vol3/italian_balli.html, 1993.
Stephens, Vivian and Cellio, Monica, Joy and Jealousy: A Manual of 15th-Century Italian Balli, 1997.
Waks, Mark (writing as Justin du Coeur), posting to newsgroup rec.org.sca, available online at http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/rialto/dance-msg.html, May 17, 1990.
Countess Kassandra Eyman, Baroness Elyn of Coffinbury, Lady Sabine of Wynborn, Lady Aeschene Larke, and Lady Aurelia, for helping me through all the "beta testing" of the dance.
And finally, the choreographer of Duchess Rondallyn's Pavane, who gave me a great starting point to work from, and whose name I have been unable to learn, despite research. (Should anyone have information as to his or her identity, I would be very grateful.)