Conferences

In the Middle Ages, sacred dance only appeared in the form of paraliturgical or devotional dances. Unlike secular dance, of which we have numerous testimonies, medieval religious dance is poorly illustrated in texts and images. Attempts to reconstruct two of these dances offer a different perspective on their study. In the 14th century, the "Llibre Vermell de Montserrat" (Montserrat's vermeil book) presents a series of dance songs created especially for pilgrims who came to pray to Our Lady. The dance of the Pilota at Easter by the canons of Auxerre Cathedral illustrates ecclesiastical dances in the late Middle Ages. These two interpretations, danced in a church in period costume, evoke the forms and specificities of medieval sacred dance.