Anonymous, The Art and Instruction of Good Dancing (1488)—This text was printed in Paris and was the first dance manual written for urban townspeople, rather than the nobility. It inspired a host of similar texts written in the native languages of European countries.

Thoinot Arbeau, Orchesography (1588)—Written in a dialogue between the dance master Arbeau and his student Capriol or Caper, this dance treatise provides invaluable evidence for many of the dances that flourished in late Renaissance Europe. It is important, too, because it includes many of the melodies and rhythms to which dances were performed.

Fabritio Caroso, The Nobility of Ladies (1600)—Caroso's second edition of his Il Ballarino or The Dancing Master includes a greater range of choreographies than his first work. It also outlines the rules of deportment that are essential to men and women on the dance floor. Dedicated...