DANCING HISTORY
Thomas Baird has taught Historical Dance for over 35 years. In master classes at The Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music, Manhattan School of Music and Purchase College Music and Dance Conservatories he has taught dances from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Ragtime Eras. Online and in open classes in New York City, he teaches four levels of Baroque Dance technique, Basic Baroque Music, Dance Reconstruction from Beauchamps-Feuillet Notation, Spanish Baroque Dance, and 18th-Century "Character" Dances. He was initially inspired by the work of Catherine Turocy and was a member of the New York Baroque Dance Company for six years, where he taught repertoire to incoming dancers, and also reconstructed and choreographed dances for operas and concerts. He currently serves as Ballet Master for the Company. For over twenty years Mr. Baird performed with Paige Whitley-Bauguess specializing in the Baroque theatrical dance repertoire, appearing with many early music groups throughout the US, Canada, and Finland. He was invited to Tokyo, Japan, and performed over many years with pianist and Baroque dancer Yasuko Hamanaka. Mr. Baird choreographed the Metropolitan Opera production of Alfano's Cyrano De Bergerac in 2005 and 2017 in Baroque Dance style. He has choreographed and performed various historical dance styles with the New York Philharmonic and their Young People's Concert Series from 2006-2012. His period-style work has also been seen on Broadway in Sheridan's School for Scandal and O'Neil's A Touch of the Poet. Thomas is also an AMSAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and brings the principals of the technique to whatever subject he is teaching. He teaches private and group lessons in New York City and Norwalk, CT, having trained at the Balance Arts Center in New York City under the guidance of Ann Rodiger.
“My classes are designed to meet dancers where they are, and to lead them toward a clearer understanding of Baroque Dance technique and musicality. I believe a Baroque dancer’s true expressivity comes from a grounded sense of balance, supple use of the insteps, and the co-ordination of port des bras with the steps, united by the rhythms of the music. Expressive Baroque dancing can become even more so with a thorough understanding of musical dance types. This leads to the skillful nonchalance[1] a dancer needs to perform any style of Baroque Dance - noble, social or comic.”
-
Abbée Pomeroy, 1671. Translation Patricia Ranum, 1986
New France Dance Project, Montréal, Canada 2025
What to Expect from my Classes
All classes begin with bows – to honor each other and the material, as well as those who came before us. We begin with a set warm-up to the most beautiful Baroque music I can find. The warm-up is followed by technique exercises that change every week with a focus on the use of the insteps, port de bras, dancing slowly or quickly, changing directions, etc.
I offer a diverse level of classes beginning with Baroque Dance Essentials. In this class you’ll begin to learn the difference between Baroque-style dance and Ballet. While they have similar foundations (five positions of the feet, co-ordination of the arms, upright carriage of the torso, etc.) what makes Baroque Dance different from ballet is the approach to the steps as an “under curve” rather than an “over curve”. Six of the seven Classical qualities of movement exist in Baroque Dance and are explored in this class – plier, éléver, réléver, glisser, sauter and tourner. As well as the five different ways of jumping in Baroque Dance – sauté (two feet to two feet), jété (one foot to the other), sissonne (two feet to one foot), assemblé (one foot to two feet) and hopping (one foot to the same foot). Classes are based on the step vocabulary, floor patterns and dance types of early French Contredanses.
In Baroque Dance A, we expand the step vocabulary to include steps found in French social dances and explore dance types such as Sarabande, Bourrée, Rigaudon, Gavotte, Gigue and Menuet. Learning a reconstructed ball dance to the music it was choreographed is sometimes a part of this class.
Baroque Dance B continues to expand the step vocabulary by including French theatre dances with French and English social dances. Dance types that are included here along with the dance types in B Level are Courante, Loure, Allemande, Forlana, Hornpipe, and Chaconne.
Finally, Baroque Dance C is an advanced level class whose focus is on the very difficult solo French theatrical dances. The step vocabulary continues to increase with pirouettes on one leg, beaten jumps and entrechats. Dance types included are Entrée Grave, Passacaille, Chaconne, Canaries, Gigue Lente or Loure, both Spanish and Pastoral types. Also included in this level are the Baroque Character dances specific to the Harlequin, Bacchantes, Peasants, Shepherds, Sailors, Turks, and Spaniards.
Aside from Baroque Dance technique, I offer classes in Spanish Baroque Dance, Beauchamp-Feuillet Notation reading and dance reconstruction, and Basic Baroque Music classes for musicians and dancers.
Rehearsal for the Ball, 2024!!
Weekly Online Schedule
Mondays
11 AM-12 PM EST Baroque Dance Level A ($10)
12 PM-1 PM EST bAlleT Class (Alexander Technique & Ballet) ($15)
1 PM-2:30 PM EST Baroque Dance Level B ($15)
Wednesdays
1 PM -2:30 PM EST Baroque Dance Advanced Level C Online ($15)
In person class at the Balance Arts Center,
151 West 30th Street, New York City ($20)
6 PM-7 PM EST Baroque Dance Essentials ($10)
Thursdays
6 :30 PM-7:30 PM EST Baroque Dance Level A ($10)
Saturdays
12:30 PM-2 PM EST Baroque Dance Level B ($15)
Payments may be made via PayPal (Louixiv203@att.net), Venmo (Thomas-Baird-20) or Zelle (Attombaird@aol.com)
Save the Date:
Baroque Dance Winter Retreat Online!! January 4th-8th, 2027!!!
Harlequino!!
Upcoming Online Workshops
Beauchamp-Feuillet Notation Refresher (9/26, 10/31, 11/21, 12/12 from 2:00-3:00 PM EST)
Reading Beauchamp-Feuillet Notation is not only a way to begin reconstructing dances, but it also lends insight into Baroque Dance technique and gives the dancer a certain air of confidence knowing the steps in a deeper way. This class is for those who are already familiar with the Beauchamp-Feuillet Notation System. (If you’d like to begin reading B-F Notation, please email me.) Each class will include a review of the symbols, floor patterns and reconstructing tips. We’ll begin with an easy example and then progress to a more challenging one. The class is one hour. $15 US
Dances from Mozart’s Time (October 17, 12:30-2:30 PM EST)
In this class, using period sources, we will explore how the menuet and the allemande were danced later in the 18th century. We will focus on the Ballroom Scene from Act I of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” and look at how Mozart composed the dance music to include three rhythms – menuet, contradance and teutscher – and was originally played by three groups of musicians onstage and off! $25.00 US
Character Dance Class: Part Deux (November 7, 12:30-2:30 PM EST)
In this class we’ll learn phrases from dances for Bacchantes, Matelots or Sailors, the Turk, the Mama Mouchi, and Harlequin! Along with the dance notation, we’ll include costume designs to make decisions on postures, and possible gestures that might be suitable to these characters. (Recording of Character Dance Class: Part Un available below) $25.00 US
Performance Practice Class (January 17, 24, 31 2:00-3:00 PM EST)
Performing Baroque Dance can be as simple as learning a dance from a teacher, putting on a “period” costume and dancing it to a recording. But how do we deepen our understanding of this ancient dance form and make it as authentic in feeling as we can – a multi-faceted performance that speaks to an audience of today? Hunting down and using original sources such as dance scores, music scores and libretti, paintings, sculptures and architecture of the period, perusing costume designs, and reading period descriptions of the characters portrayed in 18th century dances are all a part of finding the “guts” of a dance, and leads us to make performance choices. This class is for those who have a curiosity about the 17th and 18th centuries, and who want to expand their ideas of expressivity in Baroque Dance in particular. $25.00 US
Gregorio Lambranzi Workshop (February TBA)
Gregorio Lambranzi was a Venetian dancing master who published The New and Curious School of Theatrical Dancing in Nuremburg in 1716. The treatise is made up of plates of mostly comic characters that appeared in staged productions or in the intervals between the acts of plays. Some illustrate characters of the Commedia dell’ Arte, and some are stock dance characters such as sailors and Spaniards, as well artisans and craftsmen like sculptors and barrel makers or coopers. The first half of the class will be an introduction to the illustrations, characters, and other information in the book. The second half will be trying out a few of the dances. $25.00 US
Pierre Rameau Notation Part II (March TBA)
Last year we explored Pierre Rameau’s “improvements” to Feuillet’s Chorégraphie (Recording Available, see below). We compared Rameau’s symbols with Feuillet’s and looked at part of a dance by Pécour that Rameau had notated. In this class, we’ll review the notation symbols and study the existing notations that Rameau “improved” and then compare them with the originals by Feuillet and Pécour. We’ll also study one of Rameau’s choreographies in his own notation and reconstruct it. $25.00 US
Introduction to Spanish Baroque Dance (April TBA)
If you’ve never studied Spanish Baroque Dance, I find it’s a cross between Renaissance-style dance and what became French Baroque Dance. The music is rhythmic and irresistible, the step vocabulary, like Renaissance dance, is small but challenging. You’ll learn basic steps and how to ornament them, along with some ideas of arm movement. Dance types such as Pabana, Gaillarda, Espãnoleta, and Folias will be reviewed and taught. $25.00 US
Recordings Available for:
Character Dance Class
I'm offering a veritable smorgasbord of Baroque Dance characters from the French theatre and the Commedia Dell Arte. Learn phrases from Beauchamp-Feuillet-notated dances such as Le Matelot, La Matelotte, Entrée d'Arlequin, La Paysan, Les Deux Bacchantes, The Turkish Dance, and L'Espagnols. We'll have fun deciding on different postures and characteristics for these colorful characters! $25.00 US
Introduction to Auguste Ferrère's Dances dated 1782
This manuscript contains three ballets that consist of dance and gesture combined. "The Painter in Love with his Model," "The Village Celebration" and "The Woodcutters and the Cloggers" are all recorded in Feuillet Notation, Country Dance Notation, hand drawn pictures and verbal descriptions, along with their music scores. $25.00 US
Introduction to Pierre Rameau's Nouvelle Method,
his re-interpretation of Beauchamp and Feuillet's Notation System. We'll learn how Rameau simplified Chorégraphie and we'll compare a few of Pécour's dances that are notated in both systems, and one that is only notated in Rameau's system. This will be both, a sit down and an on our feet class. $25.00 US