In Orchesographie, Arbeau uses the common sixteenth-century pedagogical device of dialogue to teach his avid student Capriol dances that span a century of French social dance. He supplements his teaching with witty anecdotes, using one of St. Augustine’s suggested teaching methods: working at the level of his student. Capriol, eager to enhance his formal education at university and increase his social success, asks his gracious teacher about dances and their appropriate social context. The following consists of a brief introduction to each dance type taught in Orchesographie.

Allemande

In Orchesographie, the allemande is described as a plaine (smooth) German dance of moderate tempo. Couples holding hands (the gentleman to the lady's left) form a line, one behind the other. They then stroll calmly forward using three single steps, plus a little kick, per measure. As the dance progresses, the tempo accelerates and the dancers put a bit more pep in their steps by adding little springs [petits sauts]. This dance later became a staple in the French Baroque repertoire and survives in American square dancing.

Basse Dance

Arbeau addresses the basse dance as one danced by Capriol's predecessors, yet deserving its recent resurgence. Emerging in the late fifteenth century, the basse dance has been described as sedate and stately throughout its history. It is performed in long lines of couples, who move forward continually, outlining the shape of the dance floor. Like the pavane, it is a slow-moving processional. The basse dance is one of the dances in Orchesographie accompanied by drum rhythms—the first appearance of notated drum rhythms in Western culture.

Arbeau's sixteenth-century version is similar to the basse dance of the fifteenth century: it is in triple meter, with the same number of steps, with the same names. However, the performance and organization of the steps are noticeably different. Arbeau's basse dances more closely relate to those found in Moderne's S’ensuyvent plusieurs de basse dances, the massive collection of basse dance choreographies without music from the 1530s.