Baroque dance - Definition and Overview

Dance during the Baroque era in Europe was closely linked with Baroque art and Baroque music. Numerous paintings and writings show the importance of dance, and several dance manuals survive today.

Performance dance during the Baroque era was used in theater, and during social occasions. Ballet is one example of a dance used in theater; the Minuet was a performance dance performed at the beginning of social dancing, often followed by social dancing such as English Country Dance, the Couranto, and many other kinds of dances.

Dancing masters or publishers whose manuals survive to the modern era include John Playford, Raoul-Auger Feuillet, John Essex, and John Weaver.