Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro facts for kids
Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro (born around 1420 – died around 1484) was a Jewish Italian dancer and dance teacher. He worked for some of the most important royal families in Renaissance Italy. These included courts in Naples, Urbino, Milan, and Ferrara.
His name Ebreo simply means ‘Hebrew’. The part da Pesaro shows that he was from the town of Pesaro in central Italy. Around 1463 to 1465, Guglielmo likely changed his religion from Judaism to Roman Catholicism. He then took the name Giovanni Ambrosio.
He learned to dance from Domenico da Piacenza in the 1440s. Domenico even mentioned Guglielmo in his own dance book, Liber ballorum, which was written in 1460.
His Famous Dance Book
Around 1463, Guglielmo wrote an important book about dancing. It was called De pratica seu arte tripudii, which means On the Practice or Art of Dancing. Sometimes it is also called Trattato dell' arte del ballare.
In his book, Guglielmo explained that dancing was a noble and important art. He also wrote about how music is key to good dancing. He described what qualities a dancer needed, such as good posture, understanding music, having a nice style, and remembering the steps.
The book also shared stories about huge parties at royal courts where he performed. It even has instructions and music for 36 dances created by him and other dancers of his time.
Changing His Name and Religion
Guglielmo's friend and supporter, Alessandro Sforza, helped him change his religion. Alessandro Sforza was the Lord of Pesaro and a very religious man. He might have also wanted Guglielmo to become a Knight, like his teacher Domenico da Piacenza. Between 1463 and 1465, Guglielmo was baptized and took the name Giovanni Ambrogio.
Guglielmo created a special dance called a bassadanza in due to honor Alessandro Sforza's daughter, Ginevra Sforza. In 1465, he moved to Milan. There, he was in charge of the celebrations for the wedding of Eleonora d'Aragona and the Duke of Bari.
Images for kids
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A picture from Guglielmo Ebreo's book, De pratica seu arte tripudii.
See also
In Spanish: Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro para niños
