Italian dance of the 15th century is worthy of our study and performing in the SCA for several reasons. First, these dances called balli and bassadanze are some of the earliest surviving dances we possess. They come down to us through 12 surviving manuscripts which identify four major authors as their source. These authors, Domenico da Piacenza, Guglielmo Ebreo, Giovanni Ambrosio (now thought to be the same person as Guglielmo), and Antonio Cornazano give us specific tabulations of these dances, a good dose of theory about how to dance these dances, and in the case of most balli, music to go along with the dances. (Of the many bassadanza, only Cornazano gives us any music, three basic outlines of tunes called tenors which one can apparently employ for the dancing of all bassadanza.) All of these treatises date from later half of the fifteenth century, and, for comparison purposes are over one hundred years older than Arbeau's Orchesography, where we get most of our information on dances such as branles, pavans and galliards, etc. and well over one hundred fifty years older than John Playford's first edition of The Dancing Master, our primary source for English Country Dance.

We know of several dance styles popular in Italy during the 1400's with names like Saltarello, Piva, Bassadanza, and Ballo. Of these, unfortunately, the only detailed choreographies that have survived are of the latter two styles.

 Bassadanza is a slow, stately dance form, elegant in style, which accentuates partner interaction and can sometimes be considered processional¹. It is usually reconstructed with either 3 or 6 beats per measure, which can require an adjustment for the average SCA dancer used to dancing in four beats per measure. The bassadanza Lauro is included at the end of this article as an example of bassadanza as an independent dance form.

  Balli has many meanings, including being a generic term meaning dance, but it is also a specific style of dance in 15th century Italy. Whereas bassadanza remains in one time signature throughout its dance, balli of the fifteenth century could be composed of any of four different misura or measures. Each of the misura had a unique tempo, time signature, and a special way to approach the steps.

  The slowest of these was called the bassadanza misura. It is slow, stately and elegant just like the independent dance form bassadanza from which it takes its name. The time signature for bassadanza is notated 6/4² in most modern musical reconstructions. This means that one tempo or whole unit of music in this measure would comprise 6 counts.

  After bassadanza comes quadernaria. Quadernaria is faster than bassadanza and has the SCA-friendly advantage of being in 4/4 time. This means that one complete tempo or unit takes 4 counts.

  Faster than the quadernaria is the satarello misura. Not only is the term saltarello indicative of one of the four misure, but it also indicates a special step. The saltarello step is a double step which includes a hop. Various reconstructors put the hop at different places in the step, but I prefer to have the hop at the end for the close of the step. The saltarello step also appears in other misure for example the saltarello section of Gelosia which is composed in the quadernaria measure. The saltarello misura has a time signature of 6/8 which is usually reconstructed with 6 beats per measure, however, I've found that it can also conceivably be danced as though it were in duple time(counts of 4 ), even though it's not.

  The fastest of the misure is the piva. Piva is very fast. It is given in a time signature of either 6/8 or 2/4 and can also be danced as though it were in duple time. The dance Petite Vriens is an example of a dance composed entirely in piva misura. Like the saltarello, the piva term can also indicate a special step as well as a particular misura. Basically, the piva step should be a "fast double", but what specifically that means is quite a debate among reconstructors.

  Balli can use any one of these misure and often several in the same dance. It is important to note that the nature and character of the steps used in balli will necessarily change form based on the misura in which they were danced. So, will the dancers bearing, their relationship with each other, with the music and so on.³

 Style

 Both bassadanza and balli allow for improvisation and acting. Many dances such as Gelosia are crafted after a certain theme (in this case jealousy) and are meant to be acted out by the dancers as they dance. Also, dancers (particularly lords) were expected to improvise in the faster parts of various balli, such as the saltarello and piva sections.⁴

  How the dancers should perform the various steps making up bassadanza and balli is discussed in great length in the manuscripts. One of the most important aspects of step performance is called aiere (literally "air") by Guglielmo and ondeggaire (wave) by Cornazano. It refers to a gentle rising and falling motion to be made by dancers as they dance the steps of the dance.

  Another important stylistic consideration when performing 15^th century Italian dance is a slight inclination of the body while performing steps, a concept called campeggiare in Cornazano's treatise. Depending on your reconstruction, you are either supposed to face in the same direction as the step you are taking or in the opposite. (For example while doing a left step you would either turn slightly left, or slightly right depending on which way you chose to execute this concept.)

Following are reconstructions of five dances from Renaissance Italy. They include one bassadanza, Lauro, and four examples of balli, Petite Vriens, Anello, Gelosia, and Rostiboli Gioioso.

  The first of the included balli is an example of a ballo composed in one specific misura. Petite Vriens is composed entirely in the piva misura or measure making it very fast. It is also fun and easy, and a great dance to do when you need to cushion your dance card with some dances that don't require partners.

  Anello and Gelosia are both examples of balli composed in mixed misura. They are a notch up in complexity from Petite Vriens, and utilize sets of couples to dance, where improvisation which enhances interaction among the dancers is important. For Gelosia this is especially true, as the whole ballo is created on the theme of Jealosy.

  The last ballo included is Rostiboli Gioioso. This is an exquistely beautiful dance for one couple that is also quite a bit more complex than the other dances included in this article, as the shifts in misura or tempo are especially pronounced.

  This section is the most subjective by far, because of the extreme latitude allowed by the vagarities of our surviving texts. We frankly have sparse clear evidence on how certain of these steps are to be done, and some of what comes down to us is just flat out contradictory. A strict researcher would probably not present the conjectures I'm about to lay out, but I do this anyway, for an important purpose.

  The SCA is unique in that we are "practical researchers". By that I do not mean so much that we possess more common sense than academia. Rather I mean that SCA interaction is a "learn by doing environment." Part of our active research is that rather than just studying texts on a page, we go the extra step of actually performing the dances we study. This gives us a unique vantage point in seeing what actually works and does not work in an actual dancing situation.

 But in order to get the dance off the page and onto the dance floor, we have to formulate something concrete for each of the steps named in the sources for a particular dance, even if the meaning of the particular step is not clear. So, that leads to guesswork.

  That rather long disclaimer being out of the way, we can now proceed to the way I personally choreograph steps for use in 15th Century Italian Dance.

 Sempio(sempii)- A 15th Century Italian single or simple. It takes one half of a tempo which means that it takes 3 counts in the bassadanza misura or 2 counts in the other misure in which it appears. Sempii almost always appear in pairs, so a left and right sempio would together take a full either 4 or 6 counts,rising throughout the two steps and falling together at the end of the two sempii.

 Doppio (doppii)- Italian double. Whether it's performed in 4 or 6 counts its still basically 3 steps and a close. The manuscripts state it takes one full tempo which translates into 4 or 6 counts.

 Continenza (continenze) - A slight sideways step which takes half a tempo (either 2 or 3 counts). The motion should resemble "treading on an organ bellows."⁵ 2 continenze are often performed at the same time one in one direction, one in the other. (ie. continenza left, continenza right). 

 Mezavolta (mezavolte) - A half turn round. Depending on the dance it can either take a half tempo of time(2 or 3 counts), or it can take one count when attached to the end of another step, such as a pivot round at the end of a doppio. 

 Movimento (movimenti) - A somewhat vague step as described in the manuals, we know that it lasts only half a tempo, includes a rise, and involves interplay between dancers, for example in the manuals rather than saying "lord does a movimento, lady does a movimento", it almost always says "lord does a movimento, and the lady answers him." The term scosso (scossi) is used tomean the same movement.   

Piva (pive) - A "fast double". We often choreograph it as a syncopated double similar in execution (though not in feel or look) to the Scottish "step-ball-change" step. It normally takes 4 very quick counts.

 Ripresa (riprese) - A sideways move that takes a full tempo, it is often choreographed as a sideways double.

 Saltarello (saltarelli) - A double with a hop at the end. Step-Step-Step-Hop.

 Voltatunda (Voltetunde) - A full turn round. This step can take either one or two tempii depending on the dance.

 Volta del Gioioso - A special type of voltatunda that takes 2 tempii.

 1. del Bosco Chiaro, Rosina (OL) (pseud.) Fifteenth Century Italian Balli, from A Known World Dance Compendium, edited by THL William Redcape of Iron Mountain (pseud. for Bill Street Jr.). Private Publication, Birmingham. 1997. Page 36.

 2. Ibid. p. 36

 3. Several examples of this are present in the "theory sections" of each of the major dance treaty sources. See for example Domenico's treatise (from Smith, A. William, Fifteenth Century Dance and Music, vol. 1. Pendragon Press, Stuyvesant NY. 1995.) Pages 14- 27.

 4. Antonio Cornazano stresses this in his 1455 treatise.(Inglehearn, Madeleine & Forsyth, Peggy, The Book On the Art of Dancing, by Antonio Cornazano. Dance Books Limited, London.1981.) Page 18.

 5. Fifteenth Century Italian Balli. Page 38.

 a bassadanza by Lorenzo di Piero di Cosimo de' Medici

This Reconstruction and Tabulation by THL William Redcape of Iron Mountain

 For 1 couple, a Lord and Lady arranged thus at the beginning:

M W

Counts Steps

 Dance Repeats

 A 15th Century ballo

 This Reconstruction and Tabulation by THL William Redcape of Iron Mountain

For sets of three people gender optional arranged thus: A B C

Section I:

 Counts Steps

Section II:

Section III:

* Usually a ripresa would be performed as a sideways double,however, in the piva misura in which this dance is choregraphed it is performed at double speed and can only reasonably be performed as a single step. This makes it look like a continenza even though it is more correctly termed a ripresa.

 A 15th Century Italian Ballo

 by Domenico Di Piacenza

This Reconstruction and Tabulation by THL William Redcape of Iron Mountain

Sets of 2 couples beginning facing thus.

M1 W1

M2 W2

Section I:

Counts Steps

W1 M1

M2 W2

Section II:

Dance then repeats all of Section I & II with the lady going first in each part of Section II.

 a ballo for 3 Couples

 by Domenico da Piacenza

This Reconstruction and tabulation by THL William Redcape of Iron Mountain

Dance begins with 3 couples aligned thus:

M1 W1

M2 W2

M3 W3

Section I:

Counts Steps

Section II:

 Section III:

Section IV:

 Dance repeats for a total of 3 times through allowing original partners to rejoin each other by dances end.

 by Domenico da Piacencza

This Tabulation and Reconstruction by THL William Redcape of Iron Mountain

This dance is for one couple. Lady begins on the Lord's R, arranged thus M W

Section I: Solos (bassadanza misura)

 Counts Steps

Section II: Together (bassadanza misura)

Section III: Sixteen tempi of Saltarelli (Saltarello misura)

Section IV: Question and Reply (Piva misura)

Whole dance then repeats with roles reversed.

 ballo (balli)- A generic word for dance, but also a specific type of 15th century Italian dance that is often marked by changes of tempo and style.

 bassadanza- An independent dance form in it's own r, bassadanza also represented the slowest misura in which the 15th century Italian ballo could be created. The bassadanza tempo is danced in 6/4 time.

 campeggiare- The slight turning of one's body while performing 15th century Italian dance steps.

 continenza- A short slightly sideward movement of the feet that should resemble "treading on organ bellows."* Each continenza should last 1/2 tempo.

 doppio (doppii)- An Italian double step. Each double normally takes one measure or tempo ie. either 4 counts or 6 counts depending on which misura you are dancing in, and consists of three steps and a close.

 mezavolta - A half turn round. This term describes both a turn step that lasts one tempo and a simple pivot step that could be attached to the end of another step, usually a doppio that takes no counts.

 misura (misure)- measure. This has several meanings depending on usage. 1. It describes the four different types that make up 15c. Italian dance. 2. Can refer to one measure of music. 3. Refers to the dancers ability to dance in time with the music.

 movimento (movimenti)- See definition of scosso.

 ondeggiare- The gentle rising and falling motion one should makewhile performing 15th century Italian dance steps.

 piva (pive)- 1. The fastest of the four misura of the 15^th century Italian ballo, it is designated in either 6/8 or 2/4 time. 2. A special step described modernly in different ways. Description is vague on the exact step except it is referred to as a "fast double". I have chosen to choreograph it as a double executed as a long step, followed by a short step to the heel or mid-point of the leading foot, followed by another long step from the leading foot. The duration of this step varies depending on the dance in which it is done.

 quaternario- One of the four misura in which 15th century Italian balli could be composed, it is faster in speed than thebassadanza and is composed in duple or 4/4 time. This is the only misura that was not an independent dance form at some point in it's own right.

 ripresa (represe)- A sideways step or steps (usually a sideways double) lasting one measure or tempo except in piva misura where it is done twice as fast and can only be accomplished as a sideways single.

 saltarello (saltarelli)- 1. A double with a hop (different reconstructors place the hop at different places within the double.) 2. In addition to being an independent dance form, it was one of the 4 misure which make up 15th century Italian balli, being faster than the quaternario and composed in 6/8 time.

 scosso (scossi)- An exact description does not exist in any of the extant 15 century Italian dance manuscripts. We do know a rising motion was involved and that the step took 1/2 measure or tempo. This step is generally depicted as a quick rise, and is also referred to as a movimento.

 sempio (sempi)- An Italian single step. Each single normally takes 1/2 measure or tempo either 2 counts or 3 counts depending on the misura.

 tempo (tempi)- 1. One full division of time within a ballo i.e.1 tempo = 1 measure. 2. Could also refer to the number of specialized steps to complete in a section of a balli, i.e.. "sixteen tempi of saltarelli," could mean 16 saltarello steps.

 volta del gioioso- A special type of volta tunda, or full turn round. In a volta del gioioso you perform the volta tunda using two sempi and ending in a ripresa r. A volta del gioioso normally lasts two measures or tempi.

 volta tunda- A full turn round. Can last either 1 or 2 tempi or measures depending on the situation.

  The preceding tabulations represent my own take on these dances and should not be looked upon as anything more than that. Different teachers will teach these same dances and steps in different ways. All any of us who reconstruct can do is to make what we see are the best possible choices based on incomplete, sometimes conjectural evidence.

  Although I have gone back to the original sources in order to reconstruct these dances, I would be remiss if I did not credit those who have sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously, influenced the reconstruction decisions I have made. My primary influence has been the excellent work done by Mistress Rosina del Bosco Chiaro in the Midrealm. She is widely recognized as one of the foremost authorities on reconstruction of 15 century Italian dance and I first learned this dance form under her.

 Finally, I need to thank Mistress Signy Dimmridaela and Mistress Katrina of Iron Mountain for their help. Mistress Signy gave me many pointers and advise on both what was included and what needed to be included in discussing this dance form. I must thank Mistress Katrina for giving many pointers on performance of these steps and on effective ways on how to teach them.

 Inglehearn, Madeline & Forsyth, Peggy, The Book on the Art of Dancing, by Antonio Cornazano. A complete translation of Antonio Cornazano's dance treatise from 1455. Dance Books Ltd, London. 1981

Smith, A. William, Fifteenth Century Dance and Music. Stuvesant NY.Pendragon Press. 1995. The single most important book for those serious about reconstructing 15thc. Italian dance.

Contains transcriptions and translations of all extant 15th c.manuscripts, plus a table comparing differences in reconstructions of particular dances among the manuscripts!

Sparti, Barbara, On the Practice or the Art of Dancing ,by Guglielmo Ebreo. A complete translation of Ebreo's De practica seu arte tripudii dated 1463. Oxford. Oxford University Press.1993.

Chiaro, Rosina del Bosco (pseud.) Fifteenth Century Italian Balli, appearing in A KnownWorld Dance Compendium. edited and compiled by THL William Redcape of Iron Mountain. Birmingham, AL. Private Publication. 1997.

 Mesura et Arte Danzarre. Balli Italiani del Quattrocento. Academia Viscotnea I Musicanti. Ducale CDL 002. This is themost important CD to own for music to teach these dances. It contains music for all dances from this article except "Lauro".

 Music in the Age of Leonardo da Vinci. Ensemble Claude-Gervase. CBC Enterprises MVCD 1022. Has an especially good recording of"Rostiboli Gioioso".

 Forse Che Si, Forse Che No. Ferrara Ensemble. Fonti Musicali.fmd 182 67.07. Contains music for "Lauro" and several other hard to find tunes for the various bassadanze.