Courtly Dance in Seventeenth-Century Spain

The raison d'etre of this outstanding volume is a unique and highly informative text written by avid seventeenth-century Spanish student and accomplished dancer, Juan de Esquivel Navarro. Little is known of author's life beyond that he was born in Seville, that he moved to Madrid, where he lived for several years before returning to city of his birth in 1637, and that he was a dedicated participant in culture of both cities-although never as a master, that is, a professional teacher (pp. 43-44). Brooks notes that his Discursos sobre el arte del danzado (Treatise on Art of Dancing) is the only known published book on dancing that dates from seventeenth century in Spain (p. 16), and that, for her, it has been a springboard for a broader study of Spanish dance in that era (p. 19). The central element in this volume is, of course, 1642 text, which is given in both modernized Spanish (pp. 197-254) and English translation (pp. 255-310). If this were all, book would still be a significant contribution, but of equal

Art · Art history · Dance · Visual arts · Diversity and Impact of Dance · History · Spanish Literature and Culture Studies · Sports and Physical Education Studies

• Body, Movement, and Culture

  Sally Ann Ness•Body, Movement, and Culture•1992

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