Medieval dancing in modern movies

• For much medieval dancing, we must rely on images and the occasional, not detailed description. However, starting in the 15th century, we get dance choreographies written down. The dances manifest power, dignity, and courtly behaviour; despite the vigourously athletic steps in many dances, the dancer had to maintain decorum. The dances are largely egalitarian, in that men and women have the same steps and often take turns leading, and low on touch, with generally no more physical contact than hands being held. There are both set choreographies and those that allow for improvisation, but all are intended to showcase the social and cultural capital of the dancers. In modern TV series and movies depicting the Middle Ages and Renaissance, this function of dancing is in most cases entirely abandoned, in favour of some of the social functions of traditional styles of dancing today: physical contact and distinct gender roles. Medieval dance is presented as involving physical contact, with more explicitly sexual connotations, and with a leading male partner and a passively led, but often overtly seductive, female partner. Some of this is undoubtedly due to choreographers with no training in dance history beyond early ballet in the 18th century, but as there are choreographers and dancers specialising in early dance, who are not consulted, there is clearly also a choice involved. In this paper, I would like to trace the effects of that choice, and how it comes to portray medieval cultural acts such as dancing as more gendered and more heavily sexualised than they were.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Konst -- Teatervetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Arts -- Performing Art Studies (hsv//eng)

Keyword

dance

The Tudors

The Borgias

medievalism

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)