Mr Kellom Tomlinson, English Dancing Master

Abstract

Sonnerie, the Wellington-based baroque music and dance ensemble, designed a programme to premiere the dances from the Tomlinson Workbook, in a 1989 Wellington season which was then followed by a North Island tour. The six dances, if performed on their own, would have lasted mere minutes. (The man's solo sarabande was not used but the Tomlinson version of the minuet was included.) Ken Duncum was commissioned to write a play based on the few known facts of Tomlinson's life, incorporating the dances at key points of the script. By separating the dances and providing them with a dramatic context, the play serves to highlight the distinctive quality of each.