The farandole is an open-chain community dance popular in the County of Nice, France. Believed to derive from the medieval branle, it bears similarities to the gavotte, jig, and tarantella. The carmagnole of the French Revolution is a derivative. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A branle (also bransle, pronounced brawl) is a 16th century French dance style which moves mainly from side to side, and is performed by couples in either a line or a circle. ... A gavotte dance in Brittany, France, 1878 The gavotte (also gavot or gavote) originated as a French folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap region of Dauphiné, where the dance originated. ... The jig (sometimes seen in its French language or Italian language forms gigue or giga) is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type, popular in Ireland and Scotland. ... The tarantella (tarentule, tarentella, tarantel) is a traditional dance 6/8 or 4/4 time characterised by the rapid whirling of couples. ... The Carmagnole was a song and dance of unknown authorship popular during the Reign of Terror, which took place during the French Revolution. ... The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. ...

Traditionally led by the abbat-mage holding a beribboned halberd, the dancers hold hands and skip at every beat; strong beats on one foot, alternating left and right, with the other foot in the air, and weak beats with both feet together. In the village of Belvédère, on the occasion of the festival honoring patron saint Blaise, the most recently-married couple leads the dance. Swedish halberds from 16th century This article is about the weapon. ... Blaise confronting the Roman governor: scene from a stained glass window from the area of Soissons (Picardy, France), early 13th century. ...

Musically, the dance is in 6/8 time, with a moderate to fast tempo, and played by a flute and drum. Georges Bizet included a farandole in his L'Arlésienne suite. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Drum carried by John Unger, Company B, 40th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Mozart Regiment, December 20, 1863 Several American Indian-style drums for sale at the National Museum of the American Indian. ... Georges Bizet. ... The LArlésienne Suites were a series of musical works composed by Georges Bizet, first published in 1872. ...

In Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty's ballet there a farandole in the Second Act in the Fourth Scène, where the dames propose a farandole.

Iconography going back to the Middle Ages shows figures similar to those of the modern farandole[1], justifying the frequent use of farandoles in reconstructions of medieval dance. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The first detailed descriptions of dancing in Europe date from 1450 in Italy, which is after the start of the Renaissance. ...

External links

• Dances and traditional musics used in the county of Nice (France)
• A more extensive description of steps