This book itself is divided into sections for each of the major dance styles of the renaissance as done in the SCA, that is (in rough time order): French and Burgundian dance (including bransles and basse danse), 15^th century Italian dance, 16^th century Italian dance, Allemandes, English Country Dance, and SCA invented dances.

The layout of the step notation works like this:

Part Name/Number

Bar/Beat

Step Notation

Description and any additional notes.

Part A

1 - 4

DL KR KL KR

Double left and three kicks.

5 - 8

DR KL KR KL

Double right and three kicks.

So, in the above example, the steps “DL KR KL KR” are done in bars 1 – 4. In most cases I have tried to stick to bar numbers where I have included sheet music for the dance, but in some cases I have referred to beat numbers for historical reasons. I am attempting to convert all of the descriptions to bar numbers.

In some cases, where it is more logical to do so, I have reset the bar numbering at the beginning of each part or figure.

Throughout this book I have used notation for the dance steps, and also a particular layout for the dance descriptions. The notation is described at the beginning of each section.

Generally speaking, I have tried to use mnemonics for each of the steps, so that a “double left” is represented by “DL”. This should make things easier to remember, and means that if you want to scribble out the notation on a quick reference card then it can be carried with you while learning the dance.

There will be steps that use the same notation in different parts of the book, however, so be aware for example that “DL” means a “double left” in the French and Burgundian section, however it means a “doppio left” in the 15^th century Italian section, and these are not the same step.

In addition to what you are reading, which is “Del's Dance Book”, there are several other bits and pieces that go with this book:

Del's Dance Teaching Book

This book contains some sections on dance teaching techniques, as well as a set of lesson plans that I have found to be quite effective in teaching renaissance dance. These plans divide each of the major dance styles into 3 – 6 weeks of lessons, detailing what should be taught to a group in each week. It should take about one hour to go through each lesson, although the amount of time will vary from group to group. It covers a smaller repertiore than this book does, but presents things in a manner designed for getting a dance group off the ground. It also contains the student handouts from this book.

Student Handouts for Del's Dance Book

Continuing with the theme of long book titles, the student handouts book contains just the student handouts that also appear in this book and the teaching book. These are presented in two different formats – a one page cheat sheet, with a summary of each dance suitable for experienced dancers who just need a quick reminder, and a one page per week format useful for handing out while teaching an individual dance.

Additional Student Handouts

These are usually one handout per dance, for the more complex dances that require more than a single page to describe.

The Music For Del's Dance Book

Unsurprisingly enough, this contains sheet music for the dances presented in this book.