Galliard
Also known as: Gaillarde, Volte
History & Cultural Context
The Galliard developed in Italy during the early 16th century and spread rapidly throughout European courts. The dance featured athletic jumping steps (capers), quick footwork, and acrobatic elements that showcased individual skill. Unlike the stately Pavane, the Galliard demanded athleticism and virtuosity. The dance varied in structure—some versions were couple dances (such as the Volte with its turning lift), while others featured solo improvisational passages. By the late 16th century, the Galliard had become the most popular court dance. Famous composers including Byrd and Dowland wrote galliard music. As Baroque styles emphasized more controlled movement, the Galliard's popularity declined in the 17th century.
Cultural Significance
The Galliard represented Renaissance celebration of individual skill and vitality. It dominated court entertainment and became a favorite of nobility and royalty. The dance's athleticism and excitement made it popular with young dancers. Its decline marked a shift in Baroque aesthetics toward more controlled, ensemble-oriented movement.
Galliard — In Depth
Origin & history: The galliard is a vigorous Renaissance court dance popular throughout 16th-century Europe - documented in dance manuals from England, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Germany. It was commonly danced as the lively "after-dance" following the stately pavane.
Cultural & social context: A staple of aristocratic ballrooms. Queen Elizabeth I was famously fond of it, reportedly dancing "six or seven galliards in a morning, besides music and singing" at age fifty-five.
Character & feel: Athletic, springy, and showy - an energetic contrast to the processional pavane.
Technique / movement: Built on the cinque-pas ("five steps") - right, left, right, left, and a cadence - occupying six beats, with the fifth step a large leap (the cadence) landing with one leg ahead of the other, typically preceded by three quick alternating hops. Flashy variants include the lavolta (an intimate close-hold lift with a 270-degree turn) and the tassel kick (spins of up to 540 degrees while kicking a suspended tassel).
Music & rhythm: Late-Renaissance instrumental music in triple meter, often notated in 6/4, frequently filling the role of an after-dance that mimics a preceding pavane written in duple time.
Notable manuals & composers: Documented in Thoinot Arbeau's Orchesographie (1589), Fabritio Caroso's Il Ballarino (1581), and Cesare Negri's treatise (1602); galliard music was composed by William Byrd, John Dowland, and others.
Track Your Galliard Progress
Practice Galliard figures between lessons with Figure Focus — step-by-step breakdowns, floor diagrams, and progress tracking. Free to use.
Galliard Playlists
Curated collections on the LODance YouTube channel — performances to watch, lessons to learn from, and the right music to practice with. Tap a collection to play.
▶ Performances · Open on YouTube →
Galliard Music & Tempo
Drawn from 25 Galliard tracks in the LODance music library.
Example tracks at practice tempo
- The Flat Pavane and Galliard — Robert Johnson116 BPM
- Bergerette Sans Roch — Tielman Susato116 BPM
- Galliard — Thoinot Arbeau136 BPM
- Ronde et Saltarelle — Tielman Susato120 BPM
- The Frog Galliard — John Dowland116 BPM
- My Lord of Oxford's Galliard — Mignarda120 BPM
Galliard in performance
3 staged works in the Limelight catalogue contain Galliard, 1896–1957 — 3 of them in a named act or number.
- Barbe-Bleue1896Ballet · Marius PetipaAct III · Scene 2 · Grand pas de deux électrique
Act III, Scene 2 — the Temple of the Past ('Le temps passé') — Characters representing an ancient period of France perform period dances explicitly named as the Gaillarde within the historical-tableau divertissement. Source: "who render several early dances…
- BalletScene VIII · Pavane of the Sons of the Morning
Scene VIII, the Galliard of the Sons of the Morning — The Sons of the Morning dance a galliard, a livelier paired Renaissance court dance, as part of the ballet's joyful closing sequence. Source: "Galliard of the Sons of the Morning"
- Agon1957Ballet · George BalanchineAct II · Gaillarde
Part II, the Gaillarde within the first pas-de-trois — A duet for two female dancers named for and modeled on the galliard, one of the named court dances underlying the ballet's structure. Source: "A number of the movements are based on 17th-century French…
Every claim above is quoted from a cited source and names where in the work the style appears. Claims we could not place or could not quote are held back from this list and shown on the work’s own page instead. Browse the full performance catalogue →
What to Wear
Attire guidance for Galliard and other Historic Renaissance 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 shoes with low heels, regular practice wear. Some instructors encourage long skirts for women to practice managing fabric.
Social Dancing
Renaissance faires and historical dance balls: period costume expected (gowns, doublets). Academic reconstruction groups range from full costume to smart casual.
Competition
Performance-only; full Renaissance period costume for staged demonstrations.
Shoes
Flat or low-heeled soft shoes. Renaissance dance shoes were essentially soft leather slippers. Modern equivalent: jazz shoes or soft ballet shoes with leather soles.
In Practice
Long skirt practice teaches fabric management; many groups keep one practice skirt available even for participants who normally wear pants.
Price Range
- Budget: Soft ballet shoes or jazz shoes $30–80; long practice skirt $40–100.
- Mid: Reproduction Renaissance footwear $120–250; commissioned period gowns $300–1,000.
- Premium: Hand-stitched reproduction costume $1,500–6,000+.
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
Galliard emerged from Italy/France during the 1530s—1590s. 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:
Thoinot Arbeau, Fabrizio Caroso, Cesare Negri
Signature Movement Vocabulary:
Caper, Kicke, Greyve, Fall
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 Renaissance Court
Pavane
The Pavane was a slow, stately processional dance of the Renaissance courts, featuring symmetrical figures and noble bearing. Paired with the galliard in the pavane-galliard suite, it dominated aristocratic dancing from the 1520s through the 17th century.
Branle
The Branle was a French group dance featuring side-to-side stepping in formations, often performed as a processional or chain. It became a versatile social dance popular across all social classes.
Almain
The Almain was a stately Renaissance couple dance whose name means "German," built on walking and double steps in duple meter. First recorded in the early 16th century, it was danced in courts across Europe through the early 17th century.
Volta
The Volta was a late-16th-century couple dance, related to the galliard, whose defining figure is a turn in which the leader assists the follower's lift. It was documented at the French and English courts and described by Arbeau (1588), Caroso (1581/1600), and Negri (1602).
Allemande
A grave duple-time couple dance in which a file of couples travels up and down the hall, built on a plain pattern of three steps and a lift, usually with a quicker section at the end. It is one of the simplest social dances of the period, which is precisely why it was danced by everyone in the room rather than only by the trained.
Basse Danse
The stately couple dance of fifteenth-century court life, danced with the feet kept close to the floor, which is what low means here and what distinguished it from the leaping dances that usually followed it. It is the earliest European social dance whose step sequences were recorded in a form that can still be read, so it marks the beginning of the documentary record for social dance.
What did dancers wear?
Galliard belongs to the Renaissance Courts (1400s–1600s) era. See how attire shaped the choreography — and the other way around.
Explore Renaissance Courts attire →Galliard in art
Browse the gallery →Public-domain works our catalogue identifies as depicting galliard.
How to Read a Dance Manual | Articles and Essays | An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction
Unknown artist · 1490
Dancing Couple
Unknown artist · 2015
Dancing Couple
Unknown artist
BMVB - Desconegut - Escenari de 2 ballarins i públic - 9232
Anonymous · 1895
Interior with Dancing Couples and Musicians MET DP871798
Willem Pieterszoon Buytewech / Cornelis Coning · 1620
Caroso — Dance Plate (plate 2)
Fabritio Caroso da Sermoneta
Caroso — Dance Plate (plate 3)
Fabritio Caroso da Sermoneta
Caroso — Dance Plate (plate 4)
Fabritio Caroso da Sermoneta
Caroso — Dance Plate (plate 8)
Fabritio Caroso da Sermoneta
Caroso — Dance Plate (plate 13)
Fabritio Caroso da Sermoneta
Caroso — Dance Plate (plate 16)
Fabritio Caroso da Sermoneta
Caroso — Dance Plate (plate 19)
Fabritio Caroso da Sermoneta
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