Branle du Hault Barrois

• Era: mid-1500s

"This branle here seems to me more lively than the previous ones and would be proper to dance in the winter in order to keep warm."
          -- Capriol to Arbeau in a dialogue from Orchésographie; my translation. 

As described in Thoinot Arbeau's book of dances, Orchésographie (1589; available in English translation as Orchesography), the branle du hault Barrois (the capitalization only of Barrois is textual; "hault" is generally modernized to "haut") is not a specific branle choreography, but a style of dancing branles such as the Double, Simple, and Bourgoigne from his opening set of branles, previously described here.  Rather than stepping lightly back and forth, the dancers would spring from one position to the other, following the pattern of whichever branle they were dancing.  Capriol is correct about its utility; adding the little springs to the basic steps makes it considerably more vigorous, perfect for cold weather.

Arbeau states that this is a lower-class dance done by household servants (vallets et chamberieres) but that young ladies and gentlemen sometimes dance in this style while masquerading as peasants or shepherds, or in private for fun.

Performance
Please refer back to my earlier post for details of the sequences for the Bransles Double, Simple, and Bourgoigne; here I will address only how to change the steps themselves.

Translation of terms from French into English
Double: double (sideways step-together-step-close)
Simple: single (sideways step-close)
Grève or pied en l'air: kick

A double left in the haut Barrois style
1 Spring, landing with the left foot moved about a shoulders-width to the left.
2 Spring again, bringing the right foot towards the left (near but not quite together)
3 Spring again, once more landing with the left foot moved to the left
4 Spring again, closing the right foot up to end with feet together

Note that counts three and four are not modern "jumping jack" moves.  Only one foot moves to the side, rather than both feet moving outward.

A double right would be performed the same way, but moving the right foot away from the left and progressing sideways to the right.

A single left in the haut Barrois style
1 Spring, landing with the left foot moved about a shoulders-width to the left.
2 Spring again, closing the right foot up to end with feet together

A single right would have the same pattern, but would initiate with the right foot and move to the right.

A double left with a kick in the haut Barrois style
1 Spring, landing with the left foot moved about a shoulders-width to the left.
2 Spring again, bringing the right foot towards the left (near but not quite together)
3 Spring again, once more landing with the left foot moved to the left
4 Spring again, kicking the right foot gently forward.

This is the double used in the Branle de Bourgoigne.  A double right in this style would be performed the same way, with a kick of the left foot at the end. A grève is a more vigorous kick than a pied en l'air but is otherwise the same.

(right, illustration of grève gauche or pied en l'air gauche)

Arbeau does not limit this style to the opening suite of branles.  He applies the same techniques in some of his other branles, offers dancing en forme de hault-barrois as an option on others (including the branles couppez discussed here), and includes the haut Barrois in his list of basic movements from which all other branles are constructed.

Recordings for Dancing
I have not found a single commercially available recording of the tune given by Arbeau as an example of one suited to the haut Barrois style of dancing, but there is what appears to be a freely downloadable MP3 of the tune recorded by the Waytes of Carolingia, who are associated with the Boston affiliate of the Society for Creative Anachronism, which I have included below (click to play):

One can also, of course, simply use any music suited to a Branle Double, Simple, or Bourgoigne and dance to it in the haut Barrois Style.