|
|
The Torch or Torchlight dance was related to the old Sword
dances and is considered a German dance but it hails from Scotland
and was refined in France, then finally Germany. It was introduced
in 1463 at the Court of Burgandy.
Often the tapers carried by the noblemen were many-colored, this
was specially usual at weddings. A 'royal dance of torches' was
revived and held at Berlin in 1821. Wax torches were used, and
the Prince and Princess walked round the room, followed by councilors
and ministers, marching according
to rank.
According to the Portuguese, King Dom Pedro de Alcântara I'
(1798-1834) of Brazil, mad with sorrow at the loss of his beloved
wife Inez de Castro, sleepless
with gnawing pains of his bereavement would in the middle of the
night order a troop of soldiers to form a hedge from his palace
and hold lighted torches, so that in the moonlight he might dance
between them, and thus give bodily expression to the vehemence
of his grief. |
The 'Branle
of the Torch' was said to have been danced admirably by Marguerite
de Valois (1553-1615) and the 'Alençon', 'François'
duc d'. Also, the 'Branle
des Brandens', was danced on the first Sunday in Lent,
with a lighted torch in the dancer's hand. Probably this was a
remnant of an old superstitious practice of the ancient
Gauls. During the month of February, which was the last of
the solar year, the ancient inhabitants of France ran about the
forests at night with lighted torches and danced a rite which
was supposed to be one of purification, and also a ceremony which
was meant to bring rest to their departed relatives and friends.
This custom was founded in a utilitarian spirit by the Druidic
priests, who knew that to run about with lights in the woods
would free the trees from caterpillars, which generally emerge
from their eggs in Spring.
Many Countires had various torch dances such
as a the Samoans who also had Torch and Fire dances as well. When
a neighboring village would arrive at a Feast (The poula), the
Samoan Dancers would pass the Torch to them. Another Samoan Torch
dance was done by Samoan Tatto Artists. The Fàckeltanz
is a music for the German Torch dance done by two rows of ministers
at Royal weddings while the bride and groom paraded with the wedding
party. Another Torch dance in the Jewish faith is called the 'Simchat
Bet Hasho evah' held during the 'Feast
of Sukkot', took place in the Court of the Women in ancient
times. Another dance from Portugal known as "Fogueiras
de S. João" was however a type of Fire
dance where as the dancers would jump through fire rather
than use torches. |
|
Birth Place | Creation Date | Creator | Dance Type |
Scotland | 1463 | n/a | War/ Religious |
|
Posters, Lobby Cards etc. | Sheet Music Covers |
Music Titles |
n/a | n/a | A Torch I'll Carry (Guidry) |
| | | | | | $ Bring a Torch? |
| | | | | | Candlestick (torch) Bransle |
| | | | | | Chandelier Bransle (Arbeau) |
| | | | | | $ Fackeltänze, Torch Dance #1 |
| | | | | | $ Op 15 Torch Dance |
| | | | | | Torch Bransle (Arbeau) |
| | | | | | $ Torch Dance (act 1 Henry VIII) |
| | | | | | TorchDance (German) |
| | | | | | Torch Dance no 1 in B flat major |
| | | | | | TorchDance no 2 in E flat major |
| | | | | | Torch Dance no 3 in C minor |
| | | | | | Torch Dance no 4 in C major | |
Night Clubs | Theaters | Locations |
n/a | n/a | Brazil |
| | | | | | Del
Mar, the (Scotland) |
| | | | | | France |
| | | | | | Germany |
| | | | | | Greece |
| | | | | | Hawaii |
| | | | | | New
Grange (Ireland) |
| | | | | | New
Orleans (Flambeau) |
| | | | | | Scotland |
|
Films / Movies | Television | Ballets / Stage |
n/a | n/a | Henry VIII
|
| | | | | | Romeo and Juliet |
| | | | | | Spectacle
in Milan |
| | | | | | Thamar (1907) Euvika |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | Publications |
| | | | | | 8/1924 - Dance Lovers Magazine |
| | | | | | | | |
Dancers, Choreographers etc. | Political |
duc d Alençon François | n/a | Catherine de Medici |
Iacchus (Greek mythology) | | Dom Pedro de Alcântara I' (1798-1834) |
John Playford (1623-1687) | | Duchess duBerry |
Marguerite de Valois (1553-1615) | | Frederick the Great (Brunswick Knights) |
Thoinot Arbeau (1520-1595) | | Henry
VIII |
| | Inez
de Castro |
| | Louis
d'Orleans |
| | Marguerite
de Valois (1553-1615) |
| | Prince
of Wales |
| | Wilhelm
II |
Books, Magazine Articles on the dance... |
Title | Author | Published | Publisher |
Spectacle in Milan; Cesare Negri's Torch Dances | Jones, Pamela | 1986 | n/a |
| | | |
Musicians | Artists | Poets / Writers |
Cesare Negri | Bruce Turnbull | Jean Froissart (1337-1410) |
Thoinot Arbeau (1520-1595) | | | | |
German, Edward (1862-1936) | | | | |
Giacomo Meyerbeer | | | | |
Misc. Research Words that may be related ... to help your searches |
Archon (magistrate of Athens) |
Flambeau carrying
|
Samoan poula (Night Dances) |
Artemis & Dionysos (Greek Mythology) |
Flares |
Simchat Bet Hasho evah (Jewish TD) |
Candlestick |
|
torch-light parades |
|
|
|
|
BASIC STEP...
Arbeau's 'Branle of the Torch' (very similar to Arbeau's 'Ballo del Fiore').
|
This dance starts with X number of men on the floor, holding a lighted candle/stick, representing a torch. In the Ballo del Fiore, flowers were used instead of a Torch. Both Men and Women dances through the hall using the following steps (Works well when there are more Men than women present or during Cotillions) |
Figure 1: |
1) | 8 Double steps forward, alternating Left and Right. (doubles are done with a slight hop at the end.) |
|
Figure 2: |
1) | At the end of Figure 1, the man should come to a stop near a lady. He performs a short reverance (Bow) and then advances towards her: |
taking 4 single forward steps, alternating Left and Right), Repeat. |
3) | Repeat the dance from the beginning, again dancing together. But this time use the last two steps while doing the reverence (Bow) and hand the candle over to your partner. |
4) | In the next repeat, the new holder of the candle (lady) dances off to find a new partner, and the dance can repeat from there til end of music. | | |