(Fr.: ‘five steps’; Ger. Zinck-Pass; It. cinque passi, sinqua-pace).
The basic step pattern of the Galliard and the French Tourdion. The ‘five steps’ take six minimae, or one brevis, of music. The energetic and vigorous cinque pas (or cinque passi) are found in all the 16th-century Italian dance treatises (for example, Caroso, Il ballarino, 1581, and Nobiltà di dame, 1600; Negri, Le gratie d'amore, 1602) and in the 16th-century French practice as described by Arbeau (Orchesographie, 1588). The Italian dancing-masters described many variations of the cinque passi, but the basic pattern was: hop on the right leg while kicking out in front with the left foot (one minima), step forward on the left foot (one minima), bring the right toe under the left heel and kick out the left foot in front again (one minima), kick the right foot out in front (one minima), then a cadenza or large jump while bringing the right foot behind and landing with the left foot in front (two minimae). These five movements would then be repeated starting with the opposite foot. Arbeau's simplest cinque pas consisted of four alternating kicks (left, right, left, right) and a saut majeur (large jump) and the posture. More complicated variations involved adding more steps, hops, stamps or postures so that the cadenza was delayed until the end of the second or third brevis. Negri (p.33) suggested that good dancers could add additional quick steps so that, instead of five steps, six, seven, eight or more passi were performed to one brevis of music. Brief sequences of cinque passi were also used in other Italian dances such as the balletto, especially in the sections where one partner was performing solo variations in front of the other.
JENNIFER NEVILE