Cécile Laye is Chestnut's artistic director.
She studied old dance forms in England with the Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society, Nonsuch History and Dance and EFDSS (English folk Dance and Song Society). She worked in particular under such famed teachers and researchers as Anne Daye, Anne Cottis, Peggy Dixon, Ethyl Anderson, Marjorie Fennessy, Tom Cook and Alan Davies. In France she studied with Francine Lancelot, Andréa Francalancci and Barbara Sparti. At the end of the eighties, she founded AMARILLIS, a dance company meaning to bring to the public figure dances of the Stuarts’ time and the English inheritance, as well as some aspects of history and literature, with the collaboration of musicians and singers. AMARILLIS was replaced by CHESTNUT in 1998. CHESTNUT took over its predecessor’s artistic activities (creating dance and theatre shows), its teaching (preparing dancers for Balls through a rich program of workshops and classes) and its publication ones (CDs, dance descriptions, articles on Playford and modern dances). Over the years, Cécile Laye has build up a strong experience as a dancing master and ball caller (French Renaissance balls/ English figure dances balls, or a mixture of both). She can pass on her taste for and pleasure in elegant dancing to beginners as well as seasoned dancers.____________________________________________
Cécile Laye est directrice artistique et pédagogique de CHESTNUT. Comprendre les besoins d’un groupe donné et de chaque individu au sein de ce groupe, structurer un cours afin que chaque participant développe sa compréhension de la danse et de la musique, la conscience de son corps et ses capacités d’expression, que ce soit dans un atelier, au cours d’un bal ou sur scène, tel est son but et sa recherche constante. Cécile Laye étudie la danse ancienne en Angleterre avec la Dolmetsch Historical Danse Society, Nonsuch History and Dance et la EFDSS (English folk Dance and Song Society). Elle a en particulier l’occasion de travailler sous la direction de pédagogues ou de chercheurs renommés tels que Anne Daye, Anne Cottis, Peggy Dixon, Ethyl Anderson, Marjorie Fennessy, Tom Cook et Alan Davies. En France, elle étudie avec Francine Lancelot, Andréa Francalancci et Barbara Sparti. A la fin des années 80, elle fonde la compagnie AMARILLISpour faire connaître le répertoire des danses à figures de l’époque des Stuarts et de l’héritage anglais en rapport avec certains aspects de l’histoire et de la littératureeten collaboration avec des musiciens, des danseurs, des comédiens, des chanteurs, des cavaliers, des escrimeurs. AMARILLIS fonctionne plusieurs années avant d’être dissoute. En 1998, Cécile LAYE fonde la compagnie CHESTNUT qui reprend le flambeau artistique (création de spectacles de danse-théâtre) et pédagogique (préparation à la situation de bal à travers un programme très étoffé de stages et de cours) et développe la publication de matériel (CD et fiches de danse, articles concernant les répertoires PLAYFORD et moderne). Au fil des ans, Cécile Laye a acquis une solide expérience de maître à danser en situation de bal (bal de danses de la Renaissance française et/ou bal de danses àfigures anglaises ). Elle sait donner du plaisir et le goût d’une danse élégante et rigoureuse aux danseurs débutants comme au danseurs aguerris.
Chestnut Cécile Laye
- Teacher
- Performer
- Dance group
- Resource
- French Renaissance
- Playford
- Costumes
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Cécile Laye's talk "Playford 1651 ... and more !" (2/3) in English
Saturday, April 24, 2021
(France : 19h30 / UK : 6.30 pm / USA : 1.30 pm East ST / USA : 10.30 am Pacific ST)
Registration : over here
---> Please note: registration will be definitively closed on 04/23/2021 at 22:00 (Paris time)
- In this 2nd talk (2/3) on the 17th century english countrydances repertoire, using many videos filmed with the support of the French National Dance Center, I will explore, starting with the Measure, the basic stuctures of the John Playford dances.
- In the First (1/3) in this serie of three talks devoted to the repertoire of 17th Century English figure dances and its reference text, After the generalities of use and the reminder of the historical context, I proposed to guide you step by step through the English Dancing Master (Generalities, Historical background, False leads, Let's open the book: orientation, numbering, proper and improper, music, ...)
- In the last talk (3/3), I would like to mention the Revival movement for dance and its head figure, Cecil Sharp.
Cécile LAYE is CHESTNUT’s artistic director.
She studied old dance forms in England with the Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society, Nonsuch History and Dance and EFDSS (English folk Dance and Song Society). She worked in particular under such famed teachers and researchers as Anne Daye, Anne Cottis, Peggy Dixon, Ethyl Anderson, Marjorie Fennessy, Tom Cook and Alan Davies. In France she studied with Francine Lancelot, Andréa Francalancci and Barbara Sparti.
At the end of the eighties, she founded AMARILLIS, a dance company meaning to bring to the public figure dances of the Stuarts’ time and the English inheritance, as well as some aspects of history and literature, with the collaboration of musicians and singers. AMARILLIS was replaced by CHESTNUT in 1998. CHESTNUT took over its predecessor’s artistic activities (creating dance and theatre shows), its teaching (preparing dancers for Balls through a rich program of workshops and classes) and its publication ones (CDs, dance descriptions, articles on Playford and modern dances).
Over the years, Cécile LAYE has build up a strong experience as a dancing master and ball caller (French Renaissance balls/ English figure dances balls, or a mixture of both). She can pass on her taste for and pleasure in elegant dancing to beginners as well as seasoned dancers.
Besides her activities in the field of dancing, Cécile Laye studied dramatic art and staging, graduating at Cours Florent. She also graduated at Eva Ruchpaul’s Yoga Institute and the Paris school of Gestalt-therapy. She played Shakespeare, Molière and Marivaux in Paris and elsewhere in France and takes part in creating new plays and shows, for children in particular.
She draws on both sides of her extensive training, physical and artistic, to develop her teaching method.
Her constant aim is to understand the needs of a given group and of each person making up the group, to build up a class so that each person gradually understands the dance, becomes aware of his/her body and its expressive capacities, be it during a lesson, a ball, or on stage.
Playford
Dances from John Playford