Teaching Tips: Arts in the Renaissance: Bransle
Use this dance in connection with a history unit on the Renaissance.Have students research the social structure of the Renaissance period. Compare the lives of the nobility and the peasants. How are these differences exemplified in the dances popular with each group? Have students research different variations of the Bransle and perform them. Write an essay or prepare a PowerPoint presentation detailing the history of the dance and the origins of the steps and movements in the dance. Use a map to trace the origins of the Bransle, and illustrate how the dance spread across both land and sea. Research and describe the eastern influence found in variations of the Bransle.
