The Dances Of Rose Moresk

Provenance

Dances involve mock fights - for the hand of the Lady Our dances are based upon information from three types of source material:
Dance and music manuscripts
Various descriptions of performances, costumes and events
Iconography - carvings, engravings, etc.
In particular we have drawn heavily on the Abington carving and the Gresley and arbeau manuscripts, as well as the research of Mike heaney and John Forrest.

Style and Content

Simon - being rude to one of the dancers! A series of vigorous dances, in which the knights compete for the affections of the lovely ladies. The dances are linked by a dramatic and humorous narrative that helps the audience to understand the role and symbolism of the dances. The fool and/or jester provide interaction with the audience, drawing them into the story.

The style and the content of our performances is unique. We are the only group to our knowledge that have attempted an authentic recreation of the Moresk, and to this end we have drawn together the best dancers and specialists in the field.
We have five dances:-
  • Two Lepeing Dances
  • A Grappling Dance
  • Talbot - a jester jig
  • A Dart and Target Fighting Dance

We also have a number of social dances of the period that involve both the men and women of the court.