Review Of Il Ballarino: 16th Century Step Vocabulary And Dances By J. Sutton And J. Holub

This is the first commercially available instructional videotape on Renaissance court dance. Producer and director Julia Sutton is a renowned historical dance scholar whose recent (1986) translation of Fabritio Caroso\u27s Nobilta Di Dame (1600) is the basis for much of the material on this tape. Illustrations of appropriate paintings, drawings, texts, and musical scores of the period accompany Sutton\u27s narration and set the context for understanding these dances as an aspect of courtly conduct. First, a couple in modified rehearsal dress demonstrates typical steps and step patterns described by Cesare Negri and Fabritio Caroso, famous Italian dancing masters of the Renaissance. Step names are written on screen and a voice-over of Sutton\u27s comments concerning technique and stylistic choices accompanies the demonstration. Care is taken to point out details regarding performance practice. Later, three fully costumed reconstructions that Sutton has directed are shown. The presentation is technically simple and appropriate. Single camera recording, which includes both front and back views of the steps, is combined with regular use of close-ups to illustrate salient technical points. The onscreen labeling of steps is useful and, for the most part, does not interfere with the viewer\u27s sense of the dance as a whole. This tape will be particularly helpful to those involved in the study of dance, music, and theater of this period