Handel's "Water Music" - English Baroque Festival (Whitehall London 1987)

A 1987 Trilion Pictures production presents George Frederick Handel's "Water Music" from The Banqueting House - Whitehall London. Musicians and dancers perform at the Banqueting House in Whitehall, London in authentic Baroque costume and with period surroundings.

English Bach Festival Dancers
Choreography by Belinda Quirey
Costumes (from original designs) by Derek West
The English Bach Festival Orchestra
Conducted by and Solo Violinist: Christopher Hirons
Director: Derek Hanlon

The Water Music (German: Wassermusik) is a collection of orchestral movements, often published as three suites, composed by George Frideric Handel. It premiered on 17 July 1717, in response to King George I's request for a concert on the River Thames. The Water Music opens with a French overture and includes minuets, bourrées, and hornpipes. It is divided into three suites

About the Baroque Dance: When we think of "baroque dance", we often think of enormous wigs and frilly dresses, a rond de jambe and graceful entrechats. This is of course true, to a certain extent: as the Belle Danse developed during the 17th century, it was a dance reserved for the nobility and gentlemen, wearing their finest clothes.

However, under the reign of Louis XIV, the baroque dance was not only a source of entertainment or a simple pass-time. Quite the contrary, it was a veritable art-form, with a social and political impact. In 17th century France, dance was an integral part of a gentleman's education. The nobility learned to read and to write, to handle weapons, and to dance. But what did baroque dance actually look like? "This dance is built upon the premise that if you can walk, you can dance", explains choreographer Béatrice Massin, advisor to director Gérard Corbiau for the film Le Roi Danse (2000).

"Everything is built from very simple elements since the ball dances were necessarily accessible to all, nobody was a professional at this time. The baroque body was a round one, fully capable of taking advantage of the space. A body that takes pleasure both in volume but also in height. On every strong beat, for example, the body rises. There is a particular way of using the arms since the shoulders were not free when wearing court costumes. In the baroque dance, the ports de bras (name of a general arm movement in dance and ballet) thus remains oriented towards the pelvis and the lower part of the body, whilst the bust stretches upward, as if to assert grandeur and ease. As for the steps, the premises of classical dance with entrechats, chassés, and pas de bourrée... All variants that were built from a walking step."