SCA Dance Cheat Sheets

Pease Bransle (Branle des Pois)

Source: Arbeau.

Setting: A line or circle of couples.

Version: 1.0

A:  1- 8  Double left, double right. Repeat.

B:  9     Men hop and land with their feet together,
   10      Women do the same,
   11-12   Men step to the left, then make 3 quick hops, landing with
            their feet together.
   13     Women hop and land with their feet together,
   14      Men do the same,
   15-16   Women step to the left, and then make 3 quick hops, landing
            with their feet together.

Discussion:

This is a miming bransle, although Arbeau doesn't actually include much in the way of miming instructions, despite saying that he did include them. Presumably the hops are imitating peas popping out of pods.

Dancers are often a bit confused about the sequence in measures 11-12 and 15-16. They know they are to make 3 hops, but there are 4 beats of music. The step to the left is the key to getting this timing right. You will see considerable regional variation in the SCA concerning this point.

In the SCA, this dance is often danced as a partner-switching dance, with the women going past their partners in measures 15-16 to the next man in the circle. Arbeau mentions nothing of this practice.