Dancing with the Devil: Renaissance Dance – With Jennifer Meller

The Medici were an immensely influential family in Renaissance Italy who built an empire of power through sometimes ruthless methods. Having aligned themselves with the Catholic Church, neglecting to pay what you owed to the Medici bank could cause you to be ex-communicated, essentially condemning you to hell. In this easeful and lighthearted one-hour dance class we’ll thwart the flames of eternal damnation with a 15th century dance apparently choreographed by the great cultural patron Lorenzo de Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent) called Bassadanza Lauro. This is a beginning-level dance class that is adaptable to whatever space you have at home for dancing. No shoes or special clothing required. Jennifer Meller is a musician and dancer, and enjoys exploring connections between the two disciplines. She is the founder and Artistic Director of San Francisco Renaissance & Baroque Dancers and Director of Creative Development for the New York Baroque Dance Company. She works with early music ensembles in the Bay Area to create performances, reconstruct ancient operas, teach classes and organize workshops and events centered around early dance. Ms. Meller has taught master classes at UC Davis, UC Berkeley, St. Mary’s College, Dominican University, College of the Pacific, and at the San Francisco Early Music Society’s Music Discovery Workshop. This event is FREE, but registration is required.