On Thursday the 26th of May was held a small formal ball in honour of the birthdays of Master William de Cameron and Mistress Katherina Weyssin. The dancers were the aforementioned Mistress Katherina and Master William, and Lady Caterine de Vantier, Lord Ludwig von Regensburg, Lady Anna de Wilde, and Lady Eleanor Hall.*
Lord Ludwig was our herald for the evening, and Mistress Katherina was maestra da ballo.
All the dancers were beautifully attired, in silks and velvets,** with jewels of inestimable worth,*** as befit their station and the joyful occasion.
- The ball opened with Madam Cecilia's Alman, for all.
The first set was then:
- Amoroso, chosen by Mistress Katherina and danced by all
- Pungente Dardo, chosen by Master William and danced by him with Mistress Katherina
- Chiara Stella, chosen by Lady Caterine, and danced by her with Mistress Katherina, and also by Master William and Lady Anna
- Lauro, chosen by Lord Ludwig and danced by him with Mistress Katherina
- The Lorrayne Almain, chosen by Lady Anna and danced by all
- The Mixed Branles of Champagne: Cassandra, Pinagay, Charlotte, La Guerre and Aridan; chosen by Lady Eleanor and danced by all
The second set was:
- Petit Riens, chosen by Lady Eleanor and danced by all, in two sets of three
- Spagnoletta Nuova, chosen by Lady Anna and danced by her with Lady Caterine and Mistress Katherina
- A Galliard, chosen by Lord Ludwig and danced by him with Lady Caterine
- The Branles d'Escosses, chosen by Lady Caterine and danced by all
- Ginevra, chosen by Master William and danced by him with Mistress Katherina
- Bassa Colonna, chosen by Mistress Katherina and danced by her with Master William
The final dances were:
- a Pavaniglia in the Roman style, by Master William and Mistress Katherina; also by Lady Anna
- The Earl of Essex Measure, danced by the whole company
The dancing thus completed with grace, artistry and courtesy, the company changed their clothes once more, and retired for a light supper and dessert. ****
- Katherina Weyssin, maestra da ballo
More pictures in the Gallery
* Name-dropping of this sort isn't uncommon in renaissance dance-manuals. If your name is in print, you'll want to buy a copy?
** Many people who described dancing and festivities in the renaissance went on and on about the beautiful, expensive clothing worn, and the value of any jewellery. Sometimes they got around to describing the dancing.
*** I'm sure plenty of theirs were gilt-and-paste passed off as real, too.
**** i.e We got back into civvies and went to Vivace for tapas, pavlova and bubbles.