Proceedings of the Known World Dance Symposium 2007 Contents | Event home

 

Beginning 16^th century Italian Dances

for Day of Dance

Annikki Raiford
(HL Adele Desfontaines)

Background

Both of these dances are from Caroso’s 1581 dance manual, Il Ballarino.  Ballo del Fiore is a slow, easy ballo that involves swapping partners repeatedly.  La Castellana is one of the simplest of cascarde, a style of quick, aerobic, bouncy dances created by Caroso. 

I teach these dances as I was taught them in other classes.  They are not my personal reconstructions, although I have found that they do make sense when compared to the original Italian.

Resources

Caroso, M. Fabrito. Il Ballarino (Venice: 1581)

*Facsimile found on Greg Lindahl’s web page: http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/caroso/

Commercial sources of Ballo del Fiore recordings

Jouissance:  Courtly Dances of Western Europe 1450-1650

Playn Fore Quartres:  Spaire Chaynge

The Broadside Band:  Il Ballarino: Italian Dances, c1600

The Marian Ensemble:  Dances by the Marian Ensemble

La Castellana

Music from Il Ballarino, arranged by Chris Mortika (HL Christian d’Hiver), performed by The Warwick Consort

 

HL Adele Desfontaines – Midrealm           MKA Annikki Raiford – annikki@comcast.net

 

Steps for Ballo del Fiore

Seguito Ordinario: This “ordinary sequence” is the main traveling step of the dance.  When it all comes down to it, is effectively a double. Three steps (double on your leading foot).

Continenza: A step to the side and close, taking the same time as a seguito ordinario.  Sinks and rises.  These are not the continenze of your great grandmother in 15^th century Italy, which rise and sink.

Riverenza: the bow of Italian dance.  Start with the left foot slightly forward, then bring the left foot back and shift weight to it.  Following that, the knees bend down slightly, and finally, straighten out to standing and bring feet together.  This is rather slow, taking twice the time of a seguito ordinario.

Scorso: Rise up on toes and scurry along with eight quick steps in the same time as a seguito ordinario, then sink back down.

 

Ballo del Fiore

Based on reconstruction by Dr. Ingrid Brainard

Lords with flowers in the center and ladies along the edges of floor

Open:                    Lords only riverenza
Lords do two seguiti ordinarii turning to the left

Verse 1:                Lords take four ordinarii to find a partner and face her.

Chorus:                 Both do two continenze. Riverenza.

Verse 2:                Face forward, taking inside hands with the lady on the right.
Two ordinarii, two scorsi.

Chorus:                 Turn to face and do two continenze. Riverenza.

Verse 3:                Four ordinarii in a “J” pattern – two to turn over your left shoulder for the hook of the J, then two more in a straight line, passing left shoulders with your partner, to complete the J

Chorus:                 Turn to face, and do two continenze. Riverenza.

Verse 4:                Four ordinarii in a zigzag to meet face to face with your partner. 

Chorus:                 Do two continenze. Riverenza as the lord passes the flower to the lady.   

Repeat from verse one with the ladies seeking a lord.  If the dance goes more than twice through, continue alternating roles.  If you think of the scorsi as scurrying doubles, each verse is simply four doubles: 

1.        Find partner

2.        Promenade

3.       “J” to leave partner

4.        Zigzag to return to partner

 

Steps for La Castellana

Seguito Spezzato: This is the main traveling step of cascarde.  Basically, it is a quick, syncopated double (I like to think skippy).

Riverenza: As before, start with the left foot slightly forward, then bring the left foot back and shift weight to it.  Following that, the knees bend down slightly, and finally, straighten out to standing and bring feet together.  It still takes twice as long as the main traveling step of the dance, but this dance is at a far sprightlier tempo!

Mezza Riverenza: a shortened version of the riverenza, taking the same time as a spezzato.

Cadenza: Jump.  The timing is the same as the spezzato.  If a particular foot is mentioned (left or right), land with weight on that foot so other foot is free for the next step.

Ripresa: A step to the side and close.  Rises and falls. Cascarde often have these in pairs, both traveling in the same direction.  Two take the same time as one spezzato.

Trabuchetto: Hop to side, no close.  This is usually done in pairs –left then right – which together take the time of a spezzato.

Passo: Just a single step, no close.  You’ve been doing them since you were about one year old.  Two take the time of the spezzato.

Passo Puntato: one step, then rise up and fall, frequently found in diagonal, flanking pairs – left and forward, right and backwards.  They take twice as long as a simple passo, so each one takes the time of a spezzato.

 

La Castellana                              

Reconstruction by Maestro Etienne de Clermont / MKA Steven Bush (sbush@post.com)

First Verse (4) Riverenza In a clockwise wheel around a common center (8) Seguiti Spezzati LRLR Counter circle by turning over left shoulder (4) Seguiti Spezzati LR Chorus Flanking forward and back (4) Passi Puntati LR (4) Trabucchetti LRLR To the left (4) Seguito Spezzato L, Mezza Riverenza R To the right (4) Seguito Spezzato R, Mezza Riverenza L (4) Riprese LL, Trabucchetti LR Turning over left shoulder (4) Seguito Spezzato L, Cadenza R Flanking (4) Riprese RR, Trabucchetti RL Turning over right shoulder  (4) Seguito Spezzato R, Cadenza L Second Verse Taking right hands and changing places (4) Seguiti Spezzati LR Drop hands.  Turning over left shoulder (4) Seguiti Spezzati LR Taking left hands and changing back (4) Seguiti Spezzati LR Drop hands.  Turning over right shoulder  (4) Seguiti Spezzati LR	First verse – each person is making a figure 8, with 4 spezzati in the first circle and 2 spezzati in the second   Chorus --  riprese, trabucchetti, spezzato, and cadenza…   … first going left…         … and then going right.
Chorus Third Verse In a clockwise wheel about a common center (4) Passi LR, Cadenza L Cutting to the right across the wheel, face to face (4) Riprese RR, Trabucchetti RL In a counterclockwise wheel about a common center (4) Passi RL, Cadenza R Cutting to the left across the wheel, face to face (4) Riprese LL, Trabucchetti LR Chorus   (#) Indicates beats for the phrase	Second half of the third verse	First half of the third verse