WHEN WOMEN DANCED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1688, 15 October 1887, Page 3

WHEN WOMEN DANCED

» It is only within the past 600 years that women danced publicly with men. In Italy, however, as early as the thirteenth century promiecuous dancing was tolerated, although the church sternly condemned the innovation aa immodest and unbecoming, and it was not at all general. When Henry 111 of France visited Venice, early m the Sixteenth century there was a grand ball given m his honor, to which all the noble ladies m Venice were invited. Nothing conld exceed the splendour of their dreßses and the Incradibie number of enormous pearls which they wore ; but whereas 300 of them danced m the presence of the KtDg, not one of them was assisted by a male partner. However Sanudo, m that part of his diary In whioh he gives minute details of the progress of Lnorezla Borgia from Rome to Ferrara on the occasion of her marriage with her fourth husband, informs ua that she was particularly fond of dancing the ■aita and the bosola. Thus he tells ua on one occasion; My Lady Luorezia, the bride, being dieeaed m the French style, In crimson eatln, striped with fish scales of beaten gold, each stripe being two fingers m breadth, and wearing on her head a coif of pearls of great price, 1 danced the salta with the Frenoh Ambaa--1 eador until it waa time to attend the performance of the ' Miles Gloriosus' of J Plautua.' This aalta is the original of our ' wait is and was first introduced into these islands on the occasion of the marriage of ' Magdalene de Valois with Jamea V, of Scotland, and gave terrible scandal to the ' pious folks of Edinburgh. The pretty young Qjeen died a few yeara later, and her demise, which was really the result oi i consumption, waa attributed to a celestial ) punishment upon her for the iniquity of having ' gyrated m this naughty Frenofa dance.' The salta was very popular at * the court of Henry VIII, and was quite as fashionable then as the waltz, with which it is identical, is at the present time. Possibly it waa while dancing a salta oi f volta, as it was indiscriminately called, t that this uxurlousmonaroh fell la love with Aanp Poleyn,— "Saturday Review"