16th C  ITALIAN  DANCE  WORKSHOP

An introduction to the dance-style of late-renaissance Italy, in particular, to the dances of Maestro Fabritio Caroso's Il Ballarino, (1581), taught by Katherine Davies and Alex Rossiter.

October 13th, St. George's Church Hall, The Terrace, Takapuna
Classes 11am-5pm; social dancing 8-10pm.
Cost: $12 (non-dancing children free)

This is the most thoroughly documented dance style of the renaissance, but it can be difficult to get into, because of the large step-vocabulary, and because the best and most influential source - Il Ballarino - is not available in English translation. We are working on a book (with dvd and cd) to cover this gap, and provide a way to learn the basics of the style, and some of the easiest, most beautiful dances without a teacher. This will be "the workshop of the book": you get a lot of teaching at minimal cost; we get to test our new reconstructions, and see which elements will require extra explanation.

No experience in any dance-form is needed; however, even dancers with some experience of Il Ballarino should find the workshop interesting, as many of the reconstructions are brand-new.

                                           Material covered:

 (What we actually did is in red)

Day - 11am - 5pm, with a break for lunch (morning and afternoon tea provided; bring your own lunch, or get it from a nearby bakery).

Wear comfortable modern clothing, and light, flexible shoes, or dance in bare feet or socks. Bring some renaissance accessories to play with if you like - fans, gloves and handkerchiefs, as well as corsets, petticoats and farthingales, for women; hats, capes, swords, gloves and handkerchiefs for men.

Ball-room etiquette, and the place of dancing in late 16th C Italy.

Core step-vocabulary:
Caroso's book begins with no less than 55 rules for performing various steps; his later manual and the works of contemporary dance masters add dozens more. This profusion can be overwhelming for a beginner. However, careful analysis of all the dances in Il Ballarino shows that ten fundamental steps are enough to perform many of the dances in the book. Most of the rest can either be considered as variations on simpler steps, or appear only rarely, and in the more difficult dance-styles. We will thoroughly learn the ten essential steps, in their most common figures and combinations.

Balletti:
The processional balletti for one couple form the largest single group of dances in Il Ballarino. They are elegant, stately dances, yet often studded with moments of playful romance. 

We'll learn one or two from: Rustica Amorosa, Villanella, Alba Novella, Bassa Pompilia and Pungente Dardo.

Cascarde:
Lively circular dances, usually for one couple; they are showy, flirtatious, and lots of fun.
One or two from: La Castellana, Spagnoletta, and Vita e Quanto Haggio

Group dances:
Most of the dances in Il Ballarino are for one couple only, however, some of the most popular dances of the period were simple 'mixers', or less-formal, game-like dances for many couples at a time.

Ballo del Fiore for two; either Fulgente Stella for four, or Contrapasso for six; and Chiaranzana

Evening:  We will break around 5pm for dinner (not provided), and meet again for a few hours in the evening, to try out the dances in a more social setting. Costume optional.

Ballo del Fiore, Contrapasso Nuovo for six, La Castellana, Pungente Dardo, La Caccia (parts 3 and 4), Gracca Amorosa, Chiaranzana

                                       Cost and bookings:

$12 per person (to cover site costs; children who don't attend classes are free). Please contact me ( katherine.may.davies@gmail.com, or 482 4399) in advance if you plan to come, so that I can choose dances suitable to the numbers I expect; payment at the door is fine.
 

We will also be selling a "taster" for our upcoming book on Il Ballarino: a thorough set of instructions for the dances that we learn on the day, and a practice-CD with music for the same, for $10. As much of this material will be reproduced in our book, we will happily refund your $10 when you buy the book (we will have a sign-up sheet for email notification when it is published).

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