It is believed that traditional Italian dances began to take shape in the 15th century. Prior to this, the dance movements of Italians did not differ in variety and did not have clear laws and rules.
The Renaissance has changed the attitude towards God and to culture as a whole. The character of Italian dances has changed - lightness, smoothness, speed in movements have appeared. Step-like smooth combinations began to pass into the so-called points - easy movements at a fast pace. Symbolism appeared in dances - holding a full foot on the floor, the dancer, as if connecting with the Earth, getting on his toes - strove for the Divine.
Noble Italians invited the choreographer Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro and Domenico della Piacenza, a famous dance theorist in the 15th century, to create the country's cultural heritage. Thanks to these people, new dance movements appeared, old dances were reworked, many pa were taken from the culture of other nations.
We present for you a list of the most fiery ancient and modern Italian dances:
Galliard
Galliarda (Gagliarda) - translated as "funny" - is considered the oldest dance in Italy. Galliardo performed in pairs or solo. The main features of the dance are horse racing and a combination of five pa. Over time, Galliard acquired the ordinary stiffness of court dances, became slow, and by the end of the 17th century turned to music. After Italy, this dance became widespread in other countries of Western Europe. Galliard was the favorite dance of the English Queen Elizabeth I, and despite the speed of the pace, she danced it in her elderly years.
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Tarantella
Tarantella (Tarantella) - an energetic energetic dance, popular in southern Italy, especially in Calabria and Sicily, although the Neapolitan tarantella is considered a classic option.
According to one version, the name of the dance comes from the name of the Italian city of Taranto. According to another legend, a tarantella was a way to recover from the madness caused by a bite of a tarantula. - "Tarantism." The fast pace, the jumps of the dance supposedly helped to disperse the blood and counteract the spider's poison. In the XVI century, special orchestras walked through the streets, to the music of which the people danced for hours on tarantella. Pairs or individual dancers form a circle during the dance, moving clockwise, then suddenly changing direction.
Dance music was played on guitars, flutes, drums or keyboards, often accompanied by a penaltym and tambourines or castanets in the hands of dancers. In the Middle Ages, the church considered dance the embodiment of female lust and forbade it. But already at the time of Cardinal Barberini, the dance was again allowed and began to be performed at court. Nowadays, tarantella is sometimes danced at Italian weddings and at Notte della Taranta. - festival held in Melpignano.
Pizzic
Pizzica (Pizzica) - one of the species of tarantella, originally from Salento, widely distributed in Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria.
So the tarantella, pizzicatzanetsya in a circle, accompanied by gestures of the hands and sharp turns. But unlike the tarantella, pizza is performed only in duet.
At family holidays, same-sex relatives can be a couple. In the old days, a shawl on a woman’s shoulders was a mandatory attribute of the dance. The dance itself is like courtship when a lady slips away, and the gentleman tried to get her position, namely pick up a scarf. There is a dance option with swords when scenes of battles and duels were played out.
Bergamask
Bergamasca was a dance of the peasants of the province of Bergamo, but quickly became popular among other classes of Western Europe.
For example, the final dance in the first scene of the fifth act of Shakespeare's comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was Bergamask. This is a rhythmic, lively dance to the corresponding clear musical accompaniment. And although the dance went out of fashion, a rich musical legacy remained in the compositions of Bach, Debussy, Rossi and other composers.
Saltarella
Saltarello is a popular Renaissance musical genre that was reborn as a dance in the 18th century. From Italian saltare translates as "jumping", which is reflected in the movements of the dance - jumping, bowing and revolutions.
The dance begins slowly, the gentleman invites the lady to dance, and she pretends that she does not want to dance. After that, a signal sounds to the beginning of active movements, and during the dance the tempo of the music increases. Since the mid-20th century, saltarella has been popular at weddings, celebrations to mark the completion of harvesting, and carnivals. Saltarella music reached us in the suites and overtures of Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Castellono.
Pavana
Pavana is a slow court ballroom dance that replaced the bass dance in the 15th century.
Pavana (La pavana) was distinguished by grace of movements, pretentious manners and solemnity. The courtiers dressed in brocade and velvet, gentlemen wore raincoats and swords, and ladies' dresses were decorated with trains. The whole dance consists of a simple or double step, or a combination of them, with periodic curtsy and a change of position of partners. They danced Pavan at the beginning of the festivities and at the balls, he did not go to the people. It is believed that the dance appeared in the city of Padova (Padova) and also its name is similar to the Latin version of the word "peacock" - "pavo".
Dances of sardinia
Folk dances of Sardinia were performed, usually during religious holidays, in honor of a successful harvest or hunt. Often danced around the fire, holding hands, thereby symbolizing unity with the team. Some dances, for example ballu antigu, danced without music, to the singing of one person. The ballu tzivile dance is reminiscent of polka or mazurka movements, and during the serpentina dance, the dancers form a kind of snake.
Ballet
Ballet (Balletto) originated in Italy during the Renaissance, although gained popularity in France. The name itself comes from the Italian verb ballare - "dance." Initially, ballet was a dance part of Italian opera. The French, conquered by the skill of the Italian choreographers, invited them to their court, as a result of which, from the 17th century, France became the center of ballet mastery.
The era of ballet began with the Queen's Comedy Ballet, staged at the French court by the Italian Baltassarini de Belgiojoso in October 1581. The first ballets were based on court dances, but from the second half of the 17th century new genres arose, like comedy-ballet. In the second half of the 18th century, ballet turned into an independent dance genre already in France.
