Apr 3 / Early Modern Period: The Reformantion, the Italian Renaissance and the Spain's Golden Age

 

 I

Unit: Early Modern Period

Theme: The Renaissance 


Introduction

The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art.

 

II

Learning Objectives

 

  • Understand the importance of the Reformation 
  • Explain the meaning of the Renaissance for dance
  • Gain an awareness of the Pre-Classic dances
  • Experience the steps of some Renaissance dances

 

III

 

Main Lesson

 

 1

The Reformation

a)


 b)

Notes on the Reformation

The Reformation is considered one of the events that signify the end of the Middle Ages and beginning of Early modern period in Europe.

Reformation, also called Protestant Reformation, refers to the religious revolution that took place in the Western church in the 16th century.

The Reformation was the start of Protestantism and the split of the Western Church into Protestantism and what is now the Roman Catholic Church.

The Protestant Reformation was also a political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era.

The Reformation began when German priest Martin Luther nailed his "95 Theses" -- a list of grievances against the Catholic Church's practices -- to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517.

 

 c)

Read

Lubeck's Dance of Death 

http://www.dodedans.com/Ereform.htm 

 

 

d)


(1:39 - 10:00)

The Dancing Plague: When Medieval Peasants Danced Themselves To Death | After Dark

 

 

 

2

The Renaissance

a)

Notes

Renaissance was a cultural movement that began in Italy and spread across Europe while reformation was the Northern European Christian movement. 

Renaissance paved the way for the advancement in art and architecture, whereas Reformation paved the way for religious fragmentation. 

The Renaissance was a period from the 14th to the 16th centuries marked by a renewed interest in Classical Graeco-Roman culture, art, learning and science. It began in what is now Italy and spread throughout Europe. 

The Protestant Reformation was a European religious movement which challenged the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church, which until then was the only organized form of Christianity in Western Europe.

The Renaissance started in Florence, Italy, a place with a rich cultural history where wealthy citizens could afford to support budding artists. 

Members of the powerful Medici family, which ruled Florence for more than 60 years, were famous backers of the movement.

In the revival of neo-Platonism and other ancient philosophies, Renaissance Humanists did not reject Christianity; quite to the contrary, many of the Renaissance's greatest works were devoted to it, and the church patronized many works of Renaissance art.

 

 b)

I. Historic Overview of the Renaissance

Ch. 17: History of the Renaissance -- 18 min

Question 1

After watching the video above, explain in detail the meaning of the word renaissance and why the cultural period Renaissance was given that name.

 

c)

The Vitruvian Man 


d)

(min. 20:00)
 

----------------------------------------

  3
 
a)
 
Dance in the Renaissance

Please, click on the link below, read the article on dance during the Renaissance and answer the following questions:

LINK
 
b)
 
 
c)
 
 
 https://earlymusicmuse.com/lavolta/#:~:text=La%20volta%20(or%20volte%20or,on%20dance:%20vice%20or%20virtue?
 
 d)
 
The Volta by Elizabeth
 



Question 2

Why are these dances called pre-classic?
 
 
 4
 
 Spain's Golden Age
 
a)
 
Spanish Dances from the Golden Century
 
b)
 
Read Article
 
 https://firstthings.com/the-enduring-legacy-of-the-spanish-mystics/
 
 
 Francisco de Osuna [The Third Spiritual Alphabet]
St. Teresa de Jesus [I live Without Living in Me]
Friar Luis de Leon [Stoic and Neoplatonic Traditions]
St. John of the Cross [The Dark Night of the Soul]
 
c)

Danza de Cascabeles
 
(2:06 - 5:32)
 
Alosno is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, Spain. Huelva isa province of 
southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by 
Portugal, the provinces of Badajoz, Seville, and Cádiz, and the Atlantic Ocean. The Andevalo 
municipality of Alosno celebrated its festivitiesin honor of its patron saint, Saint John the Baptist, on 
June 24th. Amid cheers, fireworks, and the sound of bells, the saint paraded through the colorful streets
of Alosno.

 d)
 
Danza de Sarao
 

The Sarao is a dance that signifies union, through which the Spanish symbolized the joy of the union 
of the Holy Betrothal, Saint Joseph, and the Virgin Mary. In San José de Chiquitos, Bolivia, it is danced 
for the patron saint's feast, recalling the teachings of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, who, in addition 
to the original meaning, added that the colored ribbons represented the races of the world and that all are
united harmoniously before a fundamental tree or trunk that sustains them and represents Astitupaxh 
(God).

 5
 
a)
 
Read
 
By  Henry K. Ziomeck
 
 https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_History_of_Spanish_Golden_Age_Drama/l-oeBgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Spanish+Golden+Age&printsec=frontcover
 
 
This book is particularly important because it documents the influence of the Rinaissance on Spanish drama. It marks the transition of drama from medieval concepts  to Latin comedy through Italian imitations (14). The first Spanish dramatist to come under the Renaissance influence was Juan del Encina (1468?-1529?).
 
In the middle of the sixteenth century Spanish secular theater continued developing. Italian reworking of Latin comedies continued being popular reaching their peak with Lope de Rueda who eventually commercialize secular theater by bringing it to the masses (17). However, despite the popularity of secular theater in Spain, as stated by Ziomek (1984), religious theater remained active and by consequence also dance. Two dance mentioned in this book are The Dance of Sins and The Dance of Death. Both are illustrated through the retentions of these dances in places such as Toledo and Verges, respectively, both in Spain.
 
b)
 
 Danza de los Pecados (The Dance of Sins)(Page 19)
 
A short documentary film about the Corpus Christi celebration in the town o

Camuñas is a municipality located in the province of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. In this video one can see the Dance of Sins.

 

c)

 Description of the Party Dancers and Sins of Camuña

https://en.www.turismocastillalamancha.es/fiestas/danzantes-y-pecados-de-camunas-5977/descripcion/


d)
 
 
 Danza de la Muerte / Dance of Death (Page 20)

Verges is set atop a small hill on the Empordà plain, bathed by the Ter river. Its mediaeval past is evident in the ruins of the ancient castle. It is in this town where The Dance of Death takes place.
 
 
 e)
 
 https://www.costabravamaniacs.com/costa-brava-blog/verges-processo/
 
 

 6

a)

The Canary

 The Dances of Shakespeare

 by Hoskins (Page 30)

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Dances_of_Shakespeare/5WXhAQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=The+Canary,+a+dance&pg=PA30&printsec=frontcover

In this page we find a description of the Canary dance.

 

b)

The Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare and Dance

Page 74

The Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare and Dance by McCulloch, Lynsay and Shaw, Brandon https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Oxford_Handbook_of_Shakespeare_and_D/EfeEDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=The+Canary,+a+dance&pg=PA74&printsec=frontcover

 This is a further note where the Canary dance is described.

 
c)
 
The Canary
 

 

Question 3

What are the main characteristics of these dance steps? 

d)

The Canary Dance

The Canary dance was a Renaissance dance inspired in an indigenous dance and song of the Canary Islands that became popular all over Europe in the late 16th and early 17th century.

The dance, which is most often choreographed for a single couple, has been characterized as "a fiery wooing dance" with either Canary origins or at least a Canary flavor from its "rapid heel-and-toe stamps" and distinctive music (Suton, p.50). It was also called frogs legs, because it was an energetic dance that featured jumps, stamping of the feet and violent movement, accompanied by music with syncopated rhythms (Thomas, 1980).

While there are choreographies for the canario as a stand-alone dance in the dancing manuals of Fabritio Caroso, Cesare Negri, and Thoinot Arbeau (1967), it most frequently appears as a section of a larger dance or suite of dances (Suito, 50-52). Several Baroque composers (notably J.S. Bach) used the distinctive rhythm of the Canary in a few pieces, such as the gigue of the French Suite in C Minor, and it also appears in one of the Goldber Variations (Variation 7).

References

 Sutton, "Canary," vol. 2, p. 50.

Stanford, E. Thomas (1980). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. London: Macmillan

Thoinot Arbeau, Orchesography, transl. Mary S. Evans, ed. Julia Sutton (New York: Dover, 1967), pp. 179-181



IV

A Note to Remember


The Reformation took place in northern Europe marked the end of the Middle Ages and beginning of Early modern period in Europe. Renaissance was mainly an Italian movement through which artist made a come back to the humanistic ideals that prevailed during the Classic period. The Spanish Golde Age gave birth to the mystics withing the Catholic faith and their poetry.

 

 

 V

 Case Studies


  7

Zapateo

a)

 Music of Lating America and the Caribbean

 

b)

By Mark Brill

 https://www.google.com/books/edition/Music_of_Latin_America_and_the_Caribbean/niZFDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=zapateo+in+Latin+America&pg=PT45&printsec=frontcover

In this book, Brill (2018) explains the zapateado or zapateo as a dance that prevails all over Latin America including The Andes, Cuba and Mexico.

 c)

Instrumental Cuban Zapateo



Cuban Zapateo; Introduction

According to some sources, the Cuban zapateo or zapateado is of Spanish origin. Some say it is Canarian or Andalusian... (Depestre Catony, 11). However, other sources state that the Cuban zapateo is of Mexican origin. Poumier (1975) says that the guajiro zapateo, which was not danced by black people, but by white people, came from Spain, but through Mexico. She adds that the Havana of this period had a huge Mexican influence (38).


d)

 e)

 
http://www.cubanews.acn.cu/cuba/16225-cuban-zapateo-dates-back-to-the-far-off-1550s
 
 
 8 

 a) 

 Jarabe Tapatio
 

 b)
 
 
 https://www.danceus.org/style/jarabe-tapatio-dance-mexico/
 
 

 9

 Zapateo Peruano

a)


b)

Music and the Poetics of Production in the Bolivian Andes 

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Music_and_the_Poetics_of_Production_in_t/-yZafFnjvJ4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=zapateo+Andes&pg=PA92&printsec=frontcover

 

 VI

Activity 1

Students create couples and learn how to dance the Renaissance dances.


VII

Journaling


VIII

Glossary

 Renaissance

 pre-classic


IX

Sources

Depestre Catony, Leaonardo (2020). Protagonistas de la Musica Cubana. Editorial Vermum

Poumier, Maria (1975). Apuntes sobre la vida cotidiana en Cuba en 1898. Editorial de Ciencias Sociales. University of Texas

Escalante Chamorro, E. (1984). Los Instrumentos de Percusion en Mexico. Colegio de Michoacan. Universtiy of Texas

Melendez, Priscilla (2023). Asaltos al escenario: humor, genero e historia en el teatro de Sabina Berman. Bonilla Artiga Editores

Hoskins, Jim (2013). The Dances of Shakespeare. Taylor and Francis

McCulloch, Lynsay and Shaw, Brandon (2019). The Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare and Dance. Oxford University Press (Page 73)


X

STUDENTS' WORK

Guemara Marcelin

1. The word renaissance means "rebirth." This cultural period was named the Renaissance because it marked a time when Europe rediscovered the art, philosophy, and ideas of ancient Greece and Rome after the Middle Ages. People started valuing human creativity, education, and scientific discovery again. It was like Europe was waking up from a long sleep and remembering the beauty of human achievement.

2. These dances are called pre-classic because they came before the structured, formal ballet that developed later in history. They were the foundation for classical dance, showing early signs of the techniques and styles that would eventually evolve into the more professional dances we recognize today.

3. The main characteristics of Renaissance dance steps were elegance, control, and clear patterns. Movements were often slow, graceful, and meant to show off balance and poise. Dancers paid a lot of attention to posture, foot placement, and coordination with the music. It was all about showing refinement and sophistication.

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