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How did Renaissance dancers use letters to record basse danses?

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dance notation Comparison of five systems of dance notation. (A) Starting position: stand with feet together. (B) Step forward on the right foot (count 1). (C) Land to the left, feet together, knees bent (count 2).

During the Renaissance, dancers and choreographers recorded basse danses using a system of verbal abbreviations, where a single letter represented each specific, well-known step. This method was considered adequate for the period because the dances were relatively simple and the individual movements were widely recognized by practitioners.12

The system utilized specific letter abbreviations for five fundamental steps:1

R: révérence
s: simple
d: double
b: branle
r: reprise

By arranging these letters in sequences, dancers could record the composition of a dance. While this served as a functional shorthand, it was not a comprehensive notation system in the modern sense, as it lacked the ability to record complex floor patterns or upper-body movements, which later systems—such as those developed in the 17th century and beyond—sought to address.12