Renaissance Dancers

Renaissance Dancers is a UC Davis student club that teaches dances from Elizabethan England, circa 1650. These dances were recorded by John Playford in The Dancing Master. Each dance is a structured set of steps to a given tune. Dances are for 2-4 (or more) couples, in squares, lines, and circles. "If you can walk and count to four, you can dance," they promise. There are no dues or fees to join this club. In fact, every and anyone is encouraged to come and try it out!

Dance practice is currently held every Thursday from 7 pm until 9:00 PM in 130 Physics Building. The location changes quarterly according to room availability, so check back for updates or e-mail sarahgmd@live.com and she'll confirm the location. They dance at events on UC Davis campus including the campus activities fair in the fall and Picnic Day in the spring. In addition, several members also dance at Renaissance Faires throughout Northern California in association with the Merrie Pryanksters. The group is recreational, social, as well as a performing troupe. The main focus is early ECD as collected by John Playford, but the group has been known to indulge in Scottish, Irish, and Morris dance as well.

This club's meeting space changes each quarter, due to its need for open floor space/movable desks, and may be difficult to find in the first week if it has been spontaneously reassigned meeting space by the staff in the Campus Events office. Find the English Country Dancers in 2016 Haring Hall Thursdays, come watch them at Picnic Day, or leave a comment here!

The Davis Enterprise:

• 2007-06-11 Enterprise Vol 205 (broken link)

Comments or questions?

Note: You must be logged in to add comments

2008-08-28 23:00:31   This is a lot of fun. Come and give it a try! We're friendly and don't bite. —RianMcMurtry

2008-08-28 23:05:24   Much... :-) —IDoNotExist

2009-02-27 08:48:00   Great way to get a little exercise, make friends and live history! —Skay