Pavane

The pavane is a slow, processional Renaissance dance that originated in Europe and remained popular in the 16th century. Performed by couples, the dancers typically moved in long lines or parallel pairs, maintaining formal posture as they advanced in a measured, dignified pace. The accompanying music is usually in a slow, duple meter, and the dance is commonly followed by a faster galliard in many courtly programs.

The name pavane derives from the French pavane or pavan, ultimately from the Italian pavana; the exact origin is uncertain. Musical settings are usually binary (AABB) and written for winds and strings or keyboard and instrumental ensembles; tempos commonly around 60–72 BPM. Dancers emphasized elegance over virtuosity, with gliding steps and deliberate weight shifts rather than energetic footwork.

The dance existed in numerous regional styles, but the standard form involved a sequence of steps enabling a procession, with couples promenading and signaling turns through posture and arm holds.

In early modern music, composers such as Tielman Susato published pavanes as instrumental dances; later versions appeared in art music as Romantic or modern homages to Renaissance style. The term survives in works notated as the musical piece rather than the dance; for example Fauré's Pavane (Op. 50) and Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte, both drawing on the ceremonious, contemplative character of the original dance. The pavane has influenced later courtly dances and appears in various films and literary settings as a symbol of antiquated prestige.