English Country Dance, History of English Country Dance.

English Country Dance :

English Country Dance, sometimes abbreviated ECD, is a form of folk dance. It is a social dance form, which dates from the late 16th century. Queen Elizabeth I of England is noted to have been entertained by "Country Dancing". Although her time was the late Renaissance, ECD was popular well into the Baroque and Regency eras. English Country Dance was derived from the interpretations of traditional rural dances by the urban elite, hence the name. Whereas several figures common to English Country Dance, e.g. arming and the straight hey, are found in the traditional dances and display dances such as morris, ECD's origins rest among the gentry, first at court, then spreading to bourgeois-London, finally moving into country manors around England.

History:

In the early 20th century, ECD was revived in England by Cecil Sharp, who also was known for collecting folksongs. ECD continues today as a social dancing form, in Britain, the United States, and around the world. There are several related dance forms, such as Scottish country dance, Contra dance, and perhaps square dance. There is also English Ceilidh style; a very energetic form that uses simple country dances, newly composed dances and traditional dances that were collected in the twentieth century.

The first published instructions for English Country Dance is John Playford's The English Dancing Master, which was first published in 1651 and was reprinted and enlarged many times, with a final edition published sometime around 1728.
Despite the title, English Country Dance was also popular in France. Raoul Auger Feuillet visited the English Court in the late 17th century and published a book, Orchesography, with instructions for English Country Dances, in 1705. This book used a novel system for notating the dances and contained some dances invented by the author. It was subsequently translated into English and printed in England. Copies of these books may be found online.

Dance Associations :

· English Folk Dance and Song Society has an online shop selling books and compact disks.
· Country Dance and Song Society is a United States umbrella organization whose members enjoy English dance.
· Society for Creative Anachronism practices many English country dances in a historical context.
· Felpham & Middleton Country Dance Club has written a history from 1933 - 1994, just about one of the oldest extant English Country Dance clubs in England.
· Country Dance*New York runs English and contra dance events in New York City.
· Country Dance Society, Boston Centre runs English and contra dances in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
· Earthly Delights run dance classes and balls in Australia.
· A list of English dance series throughout the United States compiled by Alan Winston.