Medieval English dance choreographies

These pages (pages 66 and 67) from John Banys notebook detail how to perform a dance. There are choreographies for twenty six different dances in the book, and melodies are also supplied later in the book. The name Johannes Banys is written at the bottom of the left hand page.

We do not know who John Banys was, although he seems to have been associated with South Derbyshire families including the Shirleys and the Gresleys; it is possible he was a dancing master. The Wars of the Roses ended in 1485, so around the time when this book was written, England was experiencing peace after lengthy civil wars. There was now time to enjoy more artistic and courtly pursuits, such as music and dance.