gavotte
historical dancesdance lessonsGavotte is a French dance which developed from the folk form Branle Doublez practised in the Gap province in the French Alps. Danced at the royal balls of Louis XIV, the gavotte retained its folk, renaissance form and was danced in a circle. From as early as the 17th century through the 18th century, the dance constituted a theatrical form of a stage dance intended as a showcase of abilities presented by a pair of dancers. In ballet performances, the gavotte is danced by characters representing the folk and pastoral world, and retains its invariably animated, lively and joyful character.
Bibliography:
Agnel Romana, Podstawowe formy tańca dworskiego w okresie Baroku [Basic Forms of Court Dances in the Baroque Period], [in:] W kręgu tańca barokowego [In the Circle of Baroque Dance], ed. P. Grajter, Lodz, 2007.
Conté Pierre, Danses anciennes de cour et de théâtre en France, Paris, 1974.
Drabecka Maria, Tańce historyczne [Historical Dances], vol. IV, Warsaw, 1984.
Larousse-Bordas, Dictionnaire de la danse, Paris, 1999.