The volta: myth and reality

Do you know the volta? It is without doubt the most striking dance of the Renaissance.

It’s an impressive couple’s dance, in which the dancer lifts his partner while twirling her around. So it’s hardly surprising that it left its mark on people’s minds… including yours.

With its acrobatic lift, the volte is particularly photogenic. So it’s often seen on cinema and television screens. And even in its day, it was often depicted in paintings.

But what do we really know about the volte? Where does it come from, and how exactly was it danced? Why is it so well known? Where does the sulphur and scandal surrounding this dance come from?

Let’s retrace the history of the volte together!

Being a French native speaker, I write in English as good as I can. Please let me know if you sot any error. thank you!

The origins of the volta

The volte, volta or lavolta (from the Italian voltare, to turn), is a sixteenth-century dance. It is related to the gaillarde and the tourdion.

Initially, the word ‘volte’ came from the vocabulary of the equestrian arts, like many other dance terms (quadrille, cabriole, galop, etc.). It refers to ‘the movement that the rider makes his horse perform by leading it in circles’ (Larousse).

The volte originated in Provence, where it is still danced today as a traditional dance. See for example “Les enfants d’Arausio“.

In the 16th century, the dance was very much in vogue. Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) and Queen Margot (Marguerite of France, 1553-1615) were among the most famous.

The staple of Renaissance dancing, Thoinot Arbeau, gave us a detailed description of the volte.

Thoinot Arbeau, Orchésographie, 1589.

What does the volta look like?

The volte is a couple’s dance in which the dancer lifts his partner by carrying her on his thigh while he turns on himself. Yes, I know, it’s still not very clear. That’s why the image is there! Apart from the iconography, the most precise description we have is that of Thoinot Arbeau, who wrote for the step :

Thoinot Arbeau, Orchésographie, 1589.

The volta has two main characteristics:

A spinning dance

It’s a dance where you turn a lot: about 3/4 of a turn every six beats. So much so that the dancers get dizzy:

« Et aprés avoir tournoyé par tant de cadances qu’il vous plaira, restituerez la damoiselle en sa place, ou elle sentira (quelque bonne contenance qu’elle face) son cerveau esbranlé, plain de vertigues & tornoyements de teste, & vous n’en aurez peult estre pas moins »

And after twirling around in as many rhythms as you please, you will return the young lady to her place, or she will feel (no matter how well she holds herself) her brain shaken, full of dizziness and head spinning, and you will perhaps have no less.

This dance-induced dizziness is considered dangerous by contemporary authors, as it allegedly causes miscarriages and impairs health. It’s an anti-dance argument that can be found throughout the history of social dance.

A scandalous dance

The volte is considered daring and scandalous. There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, the position of the dancers during the lift. The damsel can either sit or straddle her partner’s thigh. The dancer can also grab his partner by the crotch to lift her up more easily – something we would still find rather… provocative.

On the other hand, there was a real risk of seeing the dancer’s shirt (i.e. her underwear) or even her bare thigh during the dance. That’s why Arbeau warns her:

And finally, it was considered inappropriate for a young girl to take big steps. Or in Arbeau’s words:

Je vous laisse à considerer si cest chose bien seante à une jeusne fille de faire de grands pas & ouvertures de jambes: Et si en ceste volte l’honneur & la santé y sont pas hazardez & interessez

I'll leave it to you to decide whether it's proper for a young girl to take long steps and open her legs, and whether doing so does not compromise her honour and health.

The ancestor of the waltz?

Some authors have seen the volta as the ancestor of the waltz. It is true that the two dances have a similar name: volta / waltz (both meanin “to turn”). They also both have a ternary rhythm.

The waltz and the volta also share a daring reputation. Indeed, when the waltz arrived in Western Europe, it was very much frowned upon: partners too close together, dangerous rotation of the couple, this dance was only really accepted by the most frivolous dancers of the decadent French Directory .

However, the waltz and the volta are fundamentally different and are not related. On this subject, see the excellent article by Jean-Marie and Yvon Guilcher : L’Histoire de la danse: Parent pauvre de la recherche (full references in bibliography).

The waltz and the volta steps have different structure, and the rhythm is not the same. The waltz emphasises the first and fourth beats, while the volte emphasises beats 3 and 4. The position of the dancers is not the same.

And, for the less observant among you, the basic step of the waltz does not involve lifting your partner, unlike the volte 🙂

The volta on screen

The volta has been brought to the screen many times. Let’s compare a few choreographies and see how they interpret Thoinot Arbeau’s instructions.

Elizabeth, by Shekhar Kapur (1998)

This is undoubtedly the most exciting scene for the viewer. The scene is a knockout, but there are a number of points that leave something to be desired.

Arbeau indicates that the dance begins with a curtsy, followed by a preparation. The dancers take ‘a few steps around the room’, then take a few ‘cinquepace’ steps each (tourdion or gaillarde) to get into their stride. So far, nothing special; the film follows Arbeau’s advice.

But the actual volta part doesn’t work: Ralph Fiennes doesn’t lift Cate Blanchett with his thigh, he lifts her with the strength of his arms. As a result, the female dancer remains very upright (with her legs in line with her body), rather than ‘sitting’. There’s no risk of seeing the slightest bit of shirt in this choreography, because the turn is done quite slowly. I don’t think they will feel any dizziness after that…

The two dancers don’t do much with their feet, focused as they are on the turn. But Arbeau says that there are specific steps (foot in the air, step forward, major jump, posture).

So an incorrect lift, with no spinning or step: the contract is not fulfilled.

Shakespeare in Love, by John Madden (1998)

The volte starts at around 00:58, before which there’s a sort of figure dance. I’ll start with what’s wrong with it: the music doesn’t have a ternary rhythm. It’s not volte music, and that changes the whole mood of the dance.

You’ll also notice that the male dancers lift their partners by leg power: legs slightly bent in preparation for the porté, and legs straight during the turn – which effectively lifts the lady. However, Arbeau says:

We can indeed understand ‘push’ as ‘push the lady upwards by stretching her legs’, but then why would Arbeau specify ‘with your left thigh’? I think Arbeau is talking about lifting his partner by sitting her on his left thigh.

Finally, in Shakespeare in Love, the volta was made progressive (with a change of partner) for the needs of the script.

On the positive side, the position of the dancers (and their arms) seems to me to be correct. Also, it turns, and turns well! You can also see the slightly licentious side as the dancers stand very close to each other.

Elizabeth: the Golden Age, by Shekhar Kapur (2007)

This film is the sequel to the first on the list. Contrary to what one might think, the choreography is quite different from that of the first instalment.

On the negative side, there are no steps or turns. The dancers spin, of course, but not to the point of “shaking their brains” 🙂 . There’s a return to the legwork we saw in Shakespeare in Love.

What works is the music – ternary rhythm, good speed. And the position of the lift, a little daring: Sir Raleigh passes his hand between his partner’s legs or over her lower belly.

The Tudors, ép. 7 , season 2, by Michael Hirst (2007 – 2010)

What can I say? The shameless, indecent side of the volta is there, but as for the rest… The steps are non-existent and the lifts whimsical.

The music is not a volta: it is the canticle 166 Cantigas de Santa María, dating from the from the thirteenth century. The music is therefore anachronistic by more than 200 years! And I’m not even going to mention the costumes… A sleeveless dress, really?

While the scene conveys the sexual tension between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn very well, the dancing is just a big joke.

Conclusion on the volta

The volte is highly visual, thanks to its lifts and turns, and has greatly inspired the cinema. It lends itself well to expressing feelings of love, and even sexual attraction between the dancers.

However, it is often put to all sorts of uses to serve the needs of the script: a play on glances for a volte that’s all about restraint in Elizabeth, a parallel with the sexual act in The Tudors or the creation of a love triangle in Shakespeare in love…

To finish on a positive note, here’s a perfectly reconstructed volta, set to the music of the Playfords Ensemble:

Sources

Thoinot Arbeau, Orchésographie, 1589

Articles « Volte », « Cantigas de Santa María » on Wikipédia (in French, English and Italian)

Dossier pédagogique « Danser au temps des chevaliers » par B. Jacquet et S. Quéant

Youtube for the videos

Jean-Michel et Yves Guilcher, L’Histoire de la danse: Parent pauvre de la recherche, Conservatoire occitan, Toulouse, 1994.

Your opinion

What do you think of the choreography in ‘Shakespeare in Love’? Have you ever danced the volta? I’m interested in your feedback on this dance. If you have any questions or comments, let me know by writing a comment!

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