Vers le bal Louis XIII d’après Apologie de la danse (1623) de François de Lauze

This research on the origins of the ball under Louis XIII—on “what it might have looked like”—reveals that the “French ball” spread throughout Europe under the name “branle,” alongside other dance forms such as the famous contredanse, danced in lines or squares. The ball incorporates elements that draw on Renaissance circle dances, Italian and Spanish influences, as well as refined couple dances (the courante réglée and the gaillarde). New movements—including the “en dehors,” the “élevé,” or movement on pointe, and the “plié”—along with rhythmic and spatial nuances, shaped a new physicality for men and women at court. A fluid, gliding style emerged, undulating between the ground and above it, which would later take on greater definition—culminating in the style inspired by the founding of the Royal Academy of Dance in 1661 and by the new dance masters, known as the Belle Dance.