Proceedings of the Known World Dance Symposium 2007

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Introducing Sixteenth Century Italian Steps

Mary Peralta Railing
(Urraca Yriarte de Gamboa, OL)

There are more steps in this list than are needed for the two dances I plan to teach. These steps will get you through most sixteenth century Italian dances.

The following definitions are paraphrased from the first of the sixteenth century dance treatises, Il Ballarino (Venice, 1581) by Fabritio Caroso. Be aware that other dance treatises define some of these steps differently, and that other dance researchers interpret some of these steps differently.

Steps are described starting with the left foot, but can be done with either foot, except for the Riverenza. All of the steps are small. The motion of the body is more up and down than forward.

A note on plurals. Italian does not form plurals with "s". Words ending in "a" form plurals with "e". Words ending in "o" form plurals with "i". Thus, one ripresa, but two riprese; one passo, but two passi. Adjectives agree with nouns. Thus, seguito ordinario becomes seguiti ordinarii.

Riverenza: In the first beat, stand with the left foot forward. In the second beat, draw the left foot straight back, keeping both knees straight and shifting the weight to the back foot. In the third beat, lower the body, bending both knees. In the fourth beat, rise, bringing the left foot even with the right. [The lady can simply bend both knees, lowering her body slightly and then rising again.]

Mezza Riverenza (or Riverenza Minima): Draw the left foot back and bend both knees in a small, quick riverenza. This can be done with either foot. [This can be given time as a separate movement, or be used as an ornament on the last beat of a sequence, as in a seguito scorso ending in a mezza riverenza.]

Continenza: Step to the left four inches, then bring the heel of the right foot to touch the middle of the left foot. While stepping sideways, lower the body a little, then rise up, "peacocking" a little in the direction in which you are moving.

Ripresa: Step to the left four inches, rising on the toes of both feet. Then bring the right foot next to the left, lowering both heels. [These are often done with two or more to the same side, rather than alternating.]

Passo: Normal walking step, with the toes straight ahead and the knees straight. One ends with one's weight on the leading foot, not bringing the trailing foot forward to close. Passi presti are faster steps.

Seguito ordinario: Three steps, so that one pauses for the last beat without bringing the trailing foot forward to close. [In faster dances the first two steps are taken on the toes, with only the last step flat.]

Puntata: In the first beat, step forward with the left foot, placing it flat on the ground four or five inches distant in width from the right. In the middle of the second beat, bring the right foot beside the left, lowering the body as the right foot is brought forward and then rising and lowering both heels. [This is essentially the SCA pavan simple.]

Seguito scorso: Eight small, tiptoe steps, very quickly with the knees and body straight. [The lady should look like she's on wheels.]

Seguito spezzato: Step forward with the left foot, placing it flat on the ground. Bring the right foot close to the heel of the left, rising on both toes. Lower the left heel, leaving the right heel raised.

Seguito semidoppio: Step forward flat on the left foot, then on the right foot, then do a Spezzato. [The end result is three walking steps and a short rise at the end.]

Cadenza: Lifting the left foot forward, jump up, pulling the left foot behind, and land with both feet on the floor, right foot in front and left foot behind. Sometimes just a jump to close a phrase.

Trabuchetto: Make a small sideways jump, moving the left foot to the left four inches and landing on the toes of the left foot. At the same time that left toes touch the floor, bring the right foot beside the left, without touching the right foot to the floor. [Ideally, one remains balanced on just the left toes until one begins the next trabuchetto, jumping back to the right, but in slower dances one can end with both feet on the ground.]

Scambiata: In the first beat, step to the left with the left foot, placing it flat on the ground. In the second beat, cut under the left heel with the right foot, kicking the left forward, and then end with a cadenza. [Step, pause, cut, jump]

Sequences of Steps

There are a number of sequences of steps that almost seem like step units in their own right.

“THE Sequence”: Extremely common in Il Ballarino is the combination of two riprese in the same direction, followed by two trabuchetti. (In Northshield and the Midrealm this is sometimes referred to as THE Sequence.)

“Ritornello”: The above passage, and others, can end with a spezzato turning in place, followed by a cadenza. The cadenza in this case simply becomes a jump to finish the full turn. A slower version of this is a seguito ordinario turning in place, followed by a cadenza.

“Pavan Sequence”: Passo, passo, seguito ordinario. Actually, this is twice as fast as a true pavan sequence, but it is very common passage that shows the origin of balletti in pavane/galliard dance pairs. A livelier version is spezzato, spezzato, seguito semidoppio.

Passo, passo, cadenza: used at the end of a passage, it feels like a seguito ordinario or semidoppio equivalent.

“Spezzato half reverance”: A spezzato flanking, followed by a mezza riveranza, usually done both to the right and left.

Other Terms

Fiancheggiati (Flanking ): Moving diagonally forwards or backwards.

In Saltino: “with a hop” added to other steps, e.g., a riverenza in saltino ends with a hop.


Gracca Amorosa

A cascarda from IL Ballarino by Fabritio Caroso (1581) p. 132

for 1 couple, facing, not holding hands

         bar        steps                                                             figure

A       1-2        Riverenza Minima                                   facing

          3-4        Spezzato left & right                                in a wheel clockwise halfway around

          5-6        Spezzato left & right                                circling over left shoulder

         7-8        4 Trabuchetti (lrlr)                                   facing

B           1        Spezzato left                                               to the left flank

              2        1/2 Riverenza right                                  "

              3        Spezzato right                                            to the right flank

              4        1/2 Riverenza left                                     "

C       1-2        Spezzato left & right                                flankingly backward

          3-4        3 Riprese & 1 Trabuchetto left             turning the left flank in & travelling inward

          5-6        Spezzato right & left                                flankingly backward

         7-8        3 Riprese & 1 Trabuchetto right          turning the right flank in & travelling inward

A       1-4        4 Spezzati (lrlr)                                          in a wheel clockwise full circle

          5-6        4 Trabuchetti (lrlr)                                   shoulder to shoulder

         7-8        Spezzato left & right                                circling over left shoulder

B       1-2        Scambiato left                                           to the left flank

          3-4        Scambiato right                                        to the right flank

C       1-8        AS ABOVE

A       1-2        Spezzato left & right                                man solo flankingly forward

          3-4        4 Trabuchetti (lrlr)                                   facing

          5-6        Spezzato left & right                                circling back over left shoulder

         7-8        4 Trabuchetti (lrlr)                                   facing

B           1        Passo left                                                     to the left flank

              2        1/2 Riverenza right                                  "

              3        Paso right                                                    to the right flank

              4        1/2 Riverenza left                                     "

C       1-8        AS ABOVE                                                  both man & lady

A       1-8        lady does same solo

B       1-4        "

C       1-8        AS ABOVE                                                  both man & lady

A           1        Seguito ordinario left                              to the left flank

              2        1/2 Riverenza right                                  facing

              3        2 Riprese right                                           "

              4        Trabuchetto right & left                         "

              5        Seguito ordinario right                           to the right flank

              6        1/2 Riverenza left                                     facing

              7        2 Riprese left                                              "

             8        Trabuchetto left & right                         "

B           1        Passo left                                                     (flankingly) forward

              2        1/2 Riverenza right                                  touching right hands

              3        Paso right                                                    (flankingly) forward

              4        1/2 Riverenza left                                     touching left hands

C       1-8        AS ABOVE                                                 

Recorded music on Cornucopia, Musica Subterranea, 2000

Ordering information at http://www.musicasub.org/order.html

--Urraca Yriarte de Gamboa, OL


 

Contrapasso in Due

A balletto from Il Ballarino by Fabritio Caroso (1581) p. 173

For one couple, holding ordinary hands

         bar        steps                                                             figure

A      1-4        Riverenza                                                    holding ordinary hands

         5-8        Continenza left & right                           "

A      1-4        Passo l&r, Seguito Ordinario left        progressing, holding ordinary hands

          5-6        Passo r&l,                                                    backwards

         7-8        2 Riprese right

A      1-4        Passo l&r, Seguito Ordinario left        progressing

          5-6        Passo r&l,                                                    backwards

         7-8        2 Riprese right

B      1-4        Passo l&r, Seguito Ordinario left        circling clockwise, taking right hands

         5-8        Passo r&l, Seguito Ordinario right     circling counter-clockwise, taking left hands

        9-16        4 Seguiti Ordinarii (LRLR)                    figure 8, 2 seguiti circling left, then right

B      1-4        Passo l&r, Seguito Ordinario left        circling clockwise, taking right arms

         5-8        Passo r&l, Seguito Ordinario right     circling counter-clockwise, taking left arms

        9-16        4 Seguiti Ordinarii (LRLR)                    figure 8, 2 seguiti circling left, then right

B      1-4        Passo l&r, Seguito Ordinario left        circling clockwise, taking both hands

         5-8        Passo r&l, Seguito Ordinario right     circling counter-clockwise, taking both hands

        9-16        4 Seguiti Ordinarii (LRLR)                    Lady figure 8, Man flank backward & forward

A    1-16        8 Seguiti Ordinarii                                   progressing, holding ordinary hands

B      1-4        Riverenza                                                    facing, holding ordinary hands

         5-8        Continenza left & right                           "

        9-16        4 Seguiti Ordinarii (LRLR)                    figure 8, 2 seguiti circling left, then right

B      1-4        Passo l&r, Seguito Ordinario left        facing, man forwards, lady backwards

         5-8        Passo r&l, Seguito Ordinario right     facing, lady forwards, man backwards

        9-16        4 Seguiti Ordinarii (LRLR)                    figure 8, 2 seguiti circling left, then right

B      1-4        Riverenza                                                    Man only

         5-8        Riverenza                                                    Lady only

        9-16        4 Seguiti Ordinarii (LRLR)                    Lady figure 8, Man flank backward & forward

Recorded music on A Consort of Dances, Dragon Scale Consort, 2002

Ordering information at http://www.dragonscaleconsort.com/CD%20Page.htm

Reconstruction by Mara Kolarova, OL

Taught by Urraca Yriarte de Gamboa, OL