How to Dance Greensleeves Medieval Court dance for Sleeping Beauty, 
a historically accurate cartoon princess dance
The original Disney film Sleeping Beauty was set in 1300’s France, in the medieval period, and released in 1959. The Disney artwork was biased off medieval unicorn tapestries in the Metropolitan museum of art in New York, and the music was biased on the Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty” ballet. With all this lush history woven into this Disney classic, I worked to find an elegant court dance from the middle ages to be as graceful as Briar Rose, known as Aurora (Latin for Dawn, and is the same in the original Perrault.) Enjoy this historically accurate cartoon princess dance.
How to dance Green sleeves medieval dance for 3 couples
Greensleeves- Court Dance 3 couples 1’s, 2’s, 3’s (Hesitation is one step held for a triplet, or 3 beats)
- 1-All couples in a line ladies facing Lords position held – couple 2 opposite of 1&3
- 2-Couples 1&3 offer Right hand to Right hand ( couple 2 position held )
- 3-Couples 1&3 Hesitate forward in to each other ( couple 2 curtsy & Bow man’s right hand to his heart)
- 4-Couples 1&3 Hesitate backward out away from each other ( couple 2 recover from curtsy & Bow)
- 5-Couples 1&3 Ladies Under arm turn to her left under Lord’s right hand ( couple 2 offer Right hand to Right hand)
- 6-Couples 1&3 release joined Right to right Hand ( couple 2 Hesitate forward in to each other )
- 7-Couples 1&3 curtsy & Bow Lord’s right hand to his heart ( couple 2 Hesitate back out away from each other )
- 8-Couples 1&3 recover from curtsy & Bow (couple 2 curtsy & Bow Lord’s right hand to his heart)
- 1-Couples 1&3 Hesitate forward in to each other left hand to left hand (Couple 2 recover from curtsey & Bow)
- 2-Couples 1&3 Hesitate backward out away from each other ( couple 2 offer Right hand to Right hand)
- 3-Couples 1&3 Ladies Under arm turn to her right under man’s left hand ( couple 2 Hesitate forward in to each other )
- 4-Couples 1&3 release joined left to right left hand ( couple 2 hesitate turning to left facing each other)
- 5-Couples 1&3 curtsey & Bow man’s right hand to his heart ( couple 2 hesitate turning to left facing each other opposite side)
- 6-Couples 1&3 recover from curtsey & Bow (couple 2 Hesitate back out away from each other )
- 7-Couples 1, 2 &3 curtsey & Bow man’s right hand to his heart shaping to a circle
- 8-Couples 1,2 &3 recover from curtsey & Bow now in a circle with lords on one side, ladies on the other
- 1-4 Lord 3 and Lady 1 join Right hand to Right hand hesitate 1 forward, 2 hesitate turning to left facing each other, 3 hesitate turning to left facing each other opposite side 4 Hesitate back out away from each other.
- 5-8 Lord 1 and Lady 3 join Right hand to Right hand hesitate 1 forward, 2 hesitate turning to left facing each other, 3 hesitate turning to left facing each other opposite side 4 Hesitate back out away from each other.
- 1- Couples 1, 2 &3 curtsy & Bow man’s right hand to his heart
- 2- Couples 1&3 recover from curtsy & Bow
- 3- All turn to left
- 4- All place Right hand it the center
- 5-8 Hesitation walks forward begin with the left foot
- 1-2 continue Hesitation walks forward
- 3- Drop hands and face the center of the circle
- 4- curtsy & Bow Lord’s right hand to his heart recover, All Turn to right
- 5-6 all place Left hand it the center
- 7-8 Hesitation walks forward begin with the Right foot
- 1-4 continue Hesitation walks forward
- 5- Drop hands
- 6- face the center of the circle curtsy & Bow Lord’s right hand to his heart
- 7-8 recover from curtsy & Bow
- 1-4 Lord 3 and Lady 1 join Right hand to Right hand hesitate 1 forward, 2 hesitate turning to left facing each other, 3 hesitate turning to left facing each other opposite side 4 Hesitate back out away from each other.
- 5-8 Lord 1 and Lady 3 join Right hand to Right hand hesitate 1 forward, 2 hesitate turning to left facing each other, 3 hesitate turning to left facing each other opposite side 4 Hesitate back out away from each other.
- 1-curtsy & Bow Lord’s right hand to his heart
- 2-recover from curtsy & Bow
- 3-Offer Lord’s right hand
- 4-Ladies accept with left hand
- 5-8 hesitation walks off left then right
Curtsy and bow to audience at the end.
About where we filmed:
The Colorado Castle that we filmed in is the Cherokee Ranch and Castle in Sedalia. It is a a 1450’s style Scottish Castle, built between 1924-1926.
A side note on Greensleeves. Some feel is was a song for Henry the VIII for Anne Boleyn, others say it is a song about a jilted lover, or about the lightness of love. It was included as a medieval yuletide dance, and has a history as a folk song pre-dating 1580, and later in collections of carols in 1686, and the current “what child is this” penned in 1865.
For more fun learning, check out the companion book,
Experience history through the wedding of Sleeping Beauty
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Historically Accurate Princess Dances,
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