章 143: ZEON

In her first lesson, she was taught The Basse dance, or "low dance", which was a popular court dance in the 15th and early 16th centuries, especially at the Northern courts. The word basse describes the nature of the dance, in which partners move quietly and gracefully in a slow gliding or walking motion without leaving the floor, while in livelier dances both feet left the floor in jumps or leaps.

The basse danse is based upon four steps: pas simple, pas double, démarche (also known as the reprise) and branle.

1. Pas simples are done in pairs, dancers take two steps (typically first left and then right) in one measure counting 2–2–2. The simplest one.

2. In pas double, dancers take instead three steps, counting 3–3. These steps take advantage of the hemiola feel of the basse danse.

3. In the démarche, dancers take a step backwards and shift their weight forward and then back in three motions in the feel of 3/2