Rigaudon
Also known as: Rigadoon, Rigodon, Rigaudoun
History & Cultural Context
Its roots are in Provence and the Languedoc, where it belonged to a lively popular tradition before being taken up in Paris around the 1680s. The court form is in duple metre — written in 2/2 or in common time — starting with a one- or two-beat anacrusis and built from balanced four-bar strains in binary form. In England it was adopted with enthusiasm as the 'rigadoon' and appears in both ballroom collections and theatrical dances there. Beauchamp-Feuillet notation preserves choreographies, and the step vocabulary includes a named figure, the pas de rigaudon, built on springs and beats that give the dance its characteristic bounce. It went out of fashion with the broader French court repertory in the later eighteenth century, leaving its name attached to a movement type that composers continued to write long afterwards.
Cultural Significance
At court and in England it read as good-humoured and comparatively unbuttoned — a dance for enjoying rather than for being seen to perform correctly, though it still demanded competent technique. Its Provençal origin was part of its identity and gave it a pastoral association that stage composers exploited. It sat comfortably in the middle of an evening's dancing rather than at its ceremonial opening.
Characteristic Movement & Technique
Springing is central: small jumps and beaten steps land cleanly on the beat, with the body held upright and the legs doing the articulation. The dance travels in straightforward symmetrical patterns, matching the regularity of its four-bar phrases, and the upbeat provides the preparation for the spring that follows. Arms are held low and quiet, in opposition to the working leg, so the elevation stays visible.
Partnering Dynamics
A couple dance in the ballroom, danced facing or side by side with intermittently joined hands and mirrored floor patterns rather than sustained hold. Theatrical settings often use several couples or a group. The interaction is brisk and even-handed, without the formal address of the minuet.
Competitive Context
There is no competitive form. Modern practice consists of reconstruction from Beauchamp-Feuillet notation and from eighteenth-century English and French sources, performed by Baroque dance groups and historical dance societies. It is a common teaching dance because its regular phrasing and clear springs make it accessible.
Regional Variations
The Provençal popular dance and the Parisian court form differ, but the earlier layer is thinly documented and the relationship cannot be traced in detail. English rigadoons follow the French model closely while producing their own body of notated choreographies. Variation within court practice appears to be a matter of individual choreography rather than of regional style.
Common Misconceptions
The story deriving the name from a dancing master called Rigaud is traditional but unsupported by evidence and should not be repeated as fact. The dance is also frequently conflated with the bourrée: both are duple with an anacrusis, but they were understood and taught as different dances, and the rigaudon is distinctly the springier of the two. Taking it at a stately tempo removes the elevation that defines it.
Peak Popularity
Signature Figures
- pas de rigaudon
Notable Codifiers
- Raoul-Auger Feuillet
- Guillaume-Louis Pécour
Track Your Rigaudon Progress
Practice Rigaudon figures between lessons with Figure Focus — step-by-step breakdowns, floor diagrams, and progress tracking. Free to use.
What to Wear
Attire guidance for Rigaudon and other Historic Baroque Court dances. Each card below is sized to the moment — class, practice, social, or competition — because the wardrobe shifts as the stakes do.
Reading the cards
In Class
Comfortable clothing with period-appropriate character shoes if available. Many historical dance classes welcome modern practice wear.
Social Dancing
Period recreation events call for Baroque-era costumes: women in corsets and full skirts, men in breeches and frock coats. Social historical dance events range from costumed to smart casual.
Competition
Rarely competed; performance events typically expect full period costume authentic to the 17th–18th century.
Shoes
Character shoes with a low (1–1.5") shaped heel. Historically accurate shoes have buckles and a Louis heel. For class: any low-heeled shoe with a smooth sole.
In Practice
Modern practice wear is welcome in most academic Baroque classes; serious reconstruction groups practice in period-appropriate footwear so the body learns the geometry the dances were designed for.
Price Range
- Budget: Modern character shoes $40–80; loose historically-styled clothing from costume retailers.
- Mid: Replica Louis-heel shoes $150–300; commissioned period-styled garments $200–800.
- Premium: Hand-stitched 18th-century reproduction costume $1,500–5,000+; bespoke buckle shoes $400–900.
Quick Tips
- •Suede-soled shoes allow controlled sliding and pivoting — essential for most partner dances.
- •Avoid rubber soles on dance floors; they grip too much and can cause knee injuries.
- •Bring a separate pair of clean shoes for the dance floor to keep it in good condition.
Sources & Further Reading
Cultural & Historical Context
Rigaudon emerged from France (Provence) during the 1600s—1780s. Understanding the cultural roots, musical traditions, and social circumstances of this era enriches appreciation for the dance's characteristics and significance.
Formative Influences
Codifiers & Standardizers:
Raoul-Auger Feuillet, Guillaume-Louis Pécour
Signature Movement Vocabulary:
pas de rigaudon
Primary Source Documents
The Library of Dance contains public-domain primary sources for dance history. Copyrighted modern syllabi are indexed with purchase links to their respective copyright owners. Search by dance name or codifier to discover primary source documents.
Last reviewed: August 2026 — This dance profile synthesizes historical research, cultural documentation, and contemporary practice knowledge to provide authoritative context.
Related Dances
More in Historic Baroque Court
Minuet
The Minuet was a stately Baroque couple dance with small, delicate steps and refined posture. It became the quintessential court dance of the 17th-18th centuries, symbolizing aristocratic elegance.
Gavotte
The Gavotte was a moderate-tempo Baroque couple dance featuring hopping steps and beginning on the third beat of the measure. It was second in popularity only to the minuet in 18th-century courts.
Bourrée
The Bourrée was a brisk Baroque couple dance featuring quick steps and a bouncy character. It was typically performed as part of dance suites and appeared in instrumental compositions by major composers.
Sarabande
The Sarabande was a slow, dignified Baroque couple dance of Spanish/Mexican origin, featuring stately movement and often performed at the beginning of dance suites. It was one of the most popular Baroque dances.
Courante
The Courante was a running Renaissance/Baroque couple dance featuring rapid, flowing steps and turning figures. It was one of the most popular dances of the 16th-17th centuries.
Canarie
A fast dance in dotted triple or compound time, current at Italian and French courts from the late sixteenth century and named for the Atlantic islands from which Europeans believed it came. Its signature is percussive footwork — heels and toes struck audibly against the floor — over a driving dotted rhythm. It survived into the Baroque mainly as a theatrical dance and as one of the quickest members of the gigue family.
Chaconne
A continuous set of variations in triple time over a short repeating bass, which entered Europe around 1600 as a fast, disreputable song-dance and left it a century later as the grandest form in the French court and theatre. At the Paris Opéra it commonly closed the work, gathering soloists and corps through a long chain of couplets. Its scale and cumulative build made it the most ambitious dance a Baroque performer could be given.
Furlana
A quick couple dance in compound time from Friuli that became strongly identified with Venice, where it was danced at Carnival and in the streets as well as in polite rooms. Around the turn of the eighteenth century it was briefly taken up in Paris, where its Venetian associations were part of the point. Unlike most court dances of the period it never stopped being a folk dance in its home region.
Passacaille
A slow to moderate set of variations in triple time over a repeating bass, closely bound up with the chaconne and often indistinguishable from it. In the French theatre it supplied the long, weighty dance number — frequently a vehicle for a single star performer — and tends toward the minor mode and a grave sustained manner. Its name comes from Spanish instrumental practice rather than from any Spanish choreography.
Passepied
A quick dance in 3/8 beginning on an upbeat, taken from Breton popular tradition into the Paris ballroom and theatre in the seventeenth century. At court it used essentially the same footwork as the minuet, carried at markedly higher speed, which gave it a light, skimming quality rather than a stately one. It was a staple of the danced suite and of French opera-ballet through the first half of the eighteenth century.
What did dancers wear?
Rigaudon belongs to the Baroque Era (1600s–1700s) era. See how attire shaped the choreography — and the other way around.
Explore Baroque Era attire →Continue Exploring
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