Branles of Champagne

The Mixed Branles of Champagne:

Cassandra, Pinagay, Charlotte, La Guerre, Aridan

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Step abbreviations

Dl double sideways to the left; similarly Dr

Sl simple, or single sideways to the left; similarly Sr

kl small kick with your left foot (pied en l'air); Kl large kick left (grève)

j little jump (petit saut), often done as an ornament within other steps

J large jump, straight up, landing on both feet (saut majeur); Jc a large jump with a capriole

- pause

A 'mixed' branle is one in which some bars are like the double branle, and some like the single, and some are mixed up with kicks. It's not clear whether the branles after Pinagay belong to the suite of Champagne, or to another suite. In Lochac these five are usually performed together.

These branles begin with couples in a line or circle, holding hands. He who has his left hand free leads the dance. They may be danced as they are written, or with little jumps, as in the Haut Barrois.

Steps given in italics in the table below are to be done twice as fast as elsewhere in the same dance.

Cassandra	A: Dl Dr B: Sl Dr	Usually played AAB, sometimes ABB
Pinagay	A: Dl kl Dl kl kr kl B: Dl Dr	Usually played AB, sometimes ABB
Charlotte	A: Dl kl kr Dr B: Dl kl kr Sr kl kr kl Sl kr kl kr Dr	Usually AAB, sometimes AABB
La Guerre (War)	A: DL Dr B: Dl Dr Sl Sr Dl Sr Sl Dr Sl Kl Kr Kl - Jc	AAB . The steps in the B section are twice as fast as in the A section, so make them correspondingly smaller. We often drop hands in the B section, though Arbeau doesn't mention it.
Aridan	A: Dl kl kr kl B: Dl Sr Sl Sr Dl kl kr Dr, fast Dl ending Kr, Sr ending Kl	Sometimes AAB, sometimes AABB

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