King Henry's youngest daughter, Elizabeth, stayed at Nonsuch
Palace frequently, when she ruled as Queen of England (Elizabeth
I: 1558-1603). Her courtiers filled the palace to such an extent
that some of them were forced to set up tents in the courtyards.
Nonsuch Palace was an ideal location for Elizabethan recreations,
including riding, hunting and, of course, music and dancing.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth I, Nonsuch Palace fell into
disuse and disrepair, and was entirely neglected by the Stuart
monarchs (King James I: 1603 - 1625; King Charles I: 1625-1649).
A dance named Nonsuch appeared in the 1651 First Edition of
John Playford's THE ENGLISH DANCING MASTER: Plaine and easie
Rules for the Dancing of Country Dances, with the Tune to each
Dance. The dance called Nonsuch is a longways dance for four
couples.
Following the Restoration, King Charles II gave Nonsuch palace
as a gift to one of his discarded mistresses, Barbara Villiers.
Barbara Villiers had Nonsuch Palace demolished for its scrap
value in 1682, wanting to rebuild a much more fashionable palace
for herself, using the old materials to create new buildings
in the current style of architecture.
Today, there are no identifiable physical remains of Nonsuch
palace. We only have a few artists' impressions and references
in letters and diaries with which to construct a picture in
our minds of what Nonsuch must have been like. So, Nonsuch History
& Dance takes its inspiration from a lost past.
We can be inspired by the imagined glory
of the courtly life at this lost royal palace and, more importantly,
by the challenge of reconstructing dances from scattered pieces
of evidence found in each historical period. These collected
pieces of historical evidence contribute to an understanding
of how and why people danced the way they danced. However, we
recognise, above all, that the reconstruction of dances from
history is a physical activity requiring the imagination to
recreate a feeling of how these dances were danced.
The Nonsuch History & Dance Company strives to perform these
recreated dances in a style that matches the quality of excellence
with which the Nonsuch Palace was first held. We aim for a style
of performance that can demonstrate how the dances connect to
their historical context. Historical dance is presented as an
entertainment in itself, for both participants and audience
of today to enjoy.
