<B>A Dance Through Time</B> <BR>The first of a series of four programmes on R4. <BR>Thu 11 Jul, 11:30 - 12:00 30 mins <BR> <BR>Deborah Bull dances her way through four centuries, from the Renaissance to Romanticism.<P>Love's Proper Exercise:<P>The century that gave us Leonardo da Vinci and Christopher Columbus also produced the lesser known figures of Domenico, Cornazano and Ebreo - three great dancing masters who published manuals on the art of dancing.<P>As Deborah learns some fifteenth century dances, she discovers that class had a huge influence on the steps you took. While the poor could literally enjoy a 'knees up', the wealthy danced more stately steps with their feet rarely leaving the floor. Despite this restriction, the Bassa Danza and Balli concealed a great potential for passionate expression in their understated moves and the dances were still one of the best ways to look for a marriage partner.<P>********************************<P>I came across this programme by chance and the series will continue in future weeks with a selection of social dances from later centuries.<P>We heard a little about the lively dances of the ordinary folk in the 15th C. and then moved on to Bassa Dansa a dance for the elite, which was the focus of the programme. Diane Cruickshank a dance historian taught Deborah Bull the 5 steps and took her through some of the stylistic aspects. The associated costumes were discussed and we learned that the great amount of material used was a sign of wealth. When it came to dancing in such outfits it was necessary to carry the lower part and keep well away from other couples to avoid treading on the long trains.<P>I will always be happy listening to the lively Deorah Bull talking about dance of any sort. However the programme had two major problems. Firstly teaching a dance, on the radio, step by step, is never going to be an easy or satisfying business. We gained some idea what this stately dance might have looked like, but it would have ben so much more satisfying on TV. The second problem was that Ms Bull was rather disappointed with the dance, finding it very straightforward and requiring little energy. Elegant and serene were the words used to describe the Bassa Dansa. At one stage she commented that she would have been much happier with the skippy dances of the ordinary folk and said, “Dead common me!” <BR> <BR> <P><BR><p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited July 11, 2002).]

Stuart - will they always be on at the same time and slot on R4?

I would expect that to happen Emma.