An antimasque (also spelled antemasque) is a comic or grotesque dance presented before or between the acts of a masque, a type of dramatic composition.
[1] The antimasque is a spectacle of disorder which usually starts or precedes the masque itself and was played by professional actors while members of the court primarily performed the roles of the masque.
[2] It is characterized by impropriety and is transformed by the masque into goodness, propriety, and order, typically by the King's presence alone.
In later years, the antimasque developed into a farce or pantomime.
[4] The concept of the antemasque, or anti-masque, was originated by Ben Jonson.