The allemande originated in the 16th century as a duple metre dance with a characteristic “double-knocking” upbeat of one or occasionally three semiquavers. It appears to have derived from a German dance. The 16th century French dancing master Thoinot Arbeau and the British Inns of Court preserve the first records of the allemande, in which dancers formed a line of couples who took hands and walked the length of the room, walking three steps then balancing on one foot.
A livelier version, the allemande courante, used three springing steps and a hop. Elizabethan British composers wrote many “Almans” as separate pieces as opposed to one of a suite of dances.