oloriel: (iNulindale)
[personal profile] oloriel
Ok. This is completely silly. And pointless. And - well.

So I was listening to my Medieval Dancing CD on the way to work. And because my brain is fandom-infested and I didn't have anything better to do, I started assigning the different dances to the different Elvish peoples. (Well, one or two didn't fit at all, but you'll see that.) And it was good.

And because it amused me to no end and I want to pin it down somewhere, you must all suffer to take part in the outcome of my considerations. Well, if you click the cut.

- - -


To be fair, most of these dances are Renaissance and later rather than medieval, but.

So!

Chapelloise
Round coupled dance. Fairly quick, fairly simple. Sindarin. Probably stolen by the Noldor later on because it's fun but still dignified.

Indian Queen
I'm much too fond of calling this one "Sindarin Queen" anyway, so the decision was sort-of moot. Even though it's a contra danse, and rather courtly. I suppose it may have been brought to Doriath by the children of Finarfin, and Daeron made it his own, or so...

Indian King
... and this would've been the original Noldorin version. (If I were writing in German, I'd add the joke about how one knows this one is the King rather than the Queen: It doesn't need an introduction. But to understand that, one must know that in German the introduction to a piece of music is called Vorspiel - which can also mean foreplay. ... yeah, I know. Sorry. Moving on.)

Traubentritt
Coupled line dance, vaguely mimicking the process of stomping grapes for wine. The longer the line, the greater the fun, because at the end of one stanza the men have to move to the right, and the one that ends up without a partner has to run through the middle to catch up with the lady at the very front before the line closes again. I had too much fun imagining how people like, say, Fëanor would close the line extra-quick when people like, say, his half-brothers had to do the running, so - Noldorin. Developed probably in the more rural regions from where it was imported to Tirion where it became fashionable among the decadent aristrocracy. (*snickers*)

Bransle des Sabots
Open round dance. Stompy, simple, Sindarin.

Bransle des Hermites
Coupled round dance. More courtly, still Sindarin.

Bransle des Chevaux
Silly elf-children of any kind. And, naturally, Rohirrim.

Bransle des Rats
Coupled all-over-the-place dance not-so-vaguely reminiscent of dodging Rugby players. No self-respecting elf would ever dance something like this. Must have been invented by Hobbits.

Bransle Cassandra (douce)
Nice, simple open round dance. Sindarin or Telerin.

Bransle Cassandra (bruyante)
And the loud braying Noldorin variant of the same.

Courante
Formal and fairly complicated. The slow French variant would be of the Vanyar or Noldor; the quicker Italian variant might be Sindarin.

Hole in the Wall
Alluding, of course, to the Calacirya. Ridiculously complicated contra danse; doubtlessly Noldorin or Vanyarin.

Pavane/ Belle qui tiens ma vie
Formal-ish coupled round dance. Hard to assign. Possibly developed before the Sundering so I don't have to decide.

Pavane la Battaglia
The royal pavane. Coupled line dance. Beautiful. Complicated. Noldorin.

Pavane d'honneur (I don't have a recording of this; [livejournal.com profile] elfy has *hinthint*)
Slow, formal line dance with a rather noticeable rhythm. Of Dwarvish origins.

Allemande (shorter version, but less fuzzy)
Coupled circular dance (fixed couples). Formal with little quirks. Probably the Vanyarin idea of fun.

Gathering Peascods
Fun round dance with lots of place-switching and clapping hands and hopping. Sindarin.

La Cochinchina
See comment and judgement on Bransle des Rats.

Folia (in all sorts of variants)
Circular chain dance; fairly simple, yet bewitching. Probably so old that it exists among Moriquendi and Calaquendi alike, hence the many variants.

Upon a Summer's Day
Nick-named "The Egyptian" for the refrain figure. Formal coupled line danse for three couples per figure. Probably developed to honour the three sons of Finwë, who hated it because they had to team up for it. Ew, Nolofinwë cooties! Mwahahah. So, Noldorin.

Circussium Circle
Nicknamed "Concussion Circle" because that's what you get when you don't have a firm enough grip on your partner, or your partner on you. Coupled round dance. Very fast and dizzying. Sindarin.

Ungaresca
If this was danced by any Elves, it was probably the Laiquendi. Otherwise, I'd rather push this one in the mortal corner. Simple, fun coupled round dance.

Sciarazula
Likewise originated among the Laiquendi, imported to Doriath. Ignored by the snobbish Noldor who took it as sure proof of the Moriquendi's savagery instead of realizing how much fun it is.

Lulle Me Beyond Thee
The "Rausschmeißer" at Valinorean balls. You know what a "Rausschmeißer" is? The last song (usually slow and tiring) the DJ - or, in this case, the orchestra - plays to show people that this is it, please go home now. As often as necessary. ;) Probably known in different variants among all elf peoples.


- - -
... yes, I am insane. What else is not new?

Date: 2006-08-31 07:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elenbarathi.livejournal.com
Hey, y'know, I'm right there with you in your insanity - I've danced some of these, and I agree with the categories you've assigned them. Ahh, how the Sindar do love to dance in a ring...

LOL, and also love jokes like yours about the King having no Vorspiel. I'm glad my housemate hadn't yet arrived back from the store with my chai when I read that, because if he had, there might well have been chai spattered on my monitor.

Have a great day, or night, or whatever you're currently having where you are!

Date: 2006-08-31 08:38 pm (UTC)
ext_45018: (grins)
From: [identity profile] oloriel.livejournal.com
I'm not alone? YAY!

Night, and thank you! :)

Date: 2006-09-01 12:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ladyelleth.livejournal.com
You're not alone. And I'm blaming it on the late hour and general lack of sleep that I am not getting the joke about the King and the Vorspiel. Maybe tomorrow.

Date: 2006-09-01 11:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] eruannath.livejournal.com
AWESOME! I do the same everytime I can. I will most definitely listen to all the songs you posted when I come back from uni *is excited*

Date: 2006-09-02 11:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] naurring.livejournal.com
Nice songs. thanks for sharing. Though some have a very strange format and I can't open them. You don't happen to know how to change that?

Date: 2006-09-02 12:57 pm (UTC)
ext_45018: (Default)
From: [identity profile] oloriel.livejournal.com
Hmm. What player are you using? (I can convert them to mp3s, yes. Hurray for iTunes...)

Date: 2006-09-02 05:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] naurring.livejournal.com
Mostly Windows Media Player. So the MP3 files are alright, just the M4A files don't work. I already tried to change the format but as my skills in this area are very low I have no real idea what to do and nothing came out of it.

Date: 2006-09-02 05:56 pm (UTC)
ext_45018: (iNulindale)
From: [identity profile] oloriel.livejournal.com
Bransle des Chevaux (http://www.sendspace.com/file/cz28gc), Belle qui tiens ma vie (http://www.sendspace.com/file/ghn3mh), abd Courante (http://www.sendspace.com/file/5sjz80). I hope these are all?

Date: 2006-09-02 06:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] naurring.livejournal.com
Bransle des Chevaux works, but Bransle Cassandra does not, the one with number 9. Could you turn that into an MP3 file as well?

Date: 2006-09-02 06:52 pm (UTC)
ext_45018: (headdesk)
From: [identity profile] oloriel.livejournal.com
Well,I fail! There you go. (http://www.sendspace.com/file/4lx2ke)

Date: 2006-09-02 06:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] naurring.livejournal.com
Yay! Thanks so much! *huggles* The songs are great.

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