Italy
Tarantella
November 2006, Tarantella
Image: Tarantella
Ciao da Italia! We are staying in Sicily, an Island in the South of Italy. We are touring the south and learning all about the Tarantella which is one of Italy’s most popular dances dating back to the middle ages. The dance is often performed at weddings and local festivals.
The Tarantella is danced in couples – it is thought to be bad luck to dance it on your own so Jasmine and I are practising it together. The dance usually starts with dancers standing in a circle holding hands and sliding their feet sideways moving in a circular pattern. Tambourines are played by the dancers and the tempo speeds up and slows down depending on the musicians. Men and women perform the same steps at the same time. Try one of the steps yourself….. its great fun…..outstretch both of your arms above your head and hop twice on one foot with your other leg reaching out in front of you. Now tap the ground with your foot that is reaching out in front. Its quite tiring isn’t it!
The costumes are quite simple but brightly coloured. The women wear long skirts which have a pattern and ribbons on. They wear socks with black shoes that lace up the leg in a criss-cross pattern. They also sometimes wear a shawl, apron and a veil with covers the back of their heads. The man’s outfit consists of black trousers, a white shirt with the buttons open and white stockings with black soft shoes that are also laced up the leg. The man also wears an armband and sash around his waist which match his partner’s skirt.
We learnt a fascinating fact about the Tarantella, it is sometimes referred to as the dance of the spider because, as legend has it, it was used to cure the bite of a deadly spider. Some believe that between the 15th and 17th century an outbreak of tarantism swept through Southern Italy. This meant that poisonous tarantulas were biting lots of people who fell into a trance and could only be cured by frantic dancing. It is believed that people would crowd around the victim and musicians would play mandolins, guitars and tambourines in search of a rhythm that fit the dance. Once the rhythm was found the victim would be cured.
Sicily is a beautiful island with wonderful country side and beaches. We are hoping to visit Mount Etna which is Sicily’s highest mountain and Europe’s biggest volcano.
Must dash – we are going for a lesson in Tarentella this afternoon. Speak soon.
Arrivadeci e Buona Fortuna (Good bye and Good luck).
Take care
Peter Pan
September 2005, Rome
Image: The Colosseum
Captian Hook
Tinker Bell
We are currently in Italy performing in Peter Pan as Captain Hook at Teatro dell’ Opera. We have been eating a lot of pasta to keep our energy up! We are rehearsing for four hours in the morning and then have one performance every other evening.
Rome is a beautiful city and is home to some of the most well known art in the world. In between rehearsing and performing in the evening we visited The Vatican City. Did you know that this is the home of the Pope? The Vatican City includes the Vatican Hill and the Vatican fields upon which St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums are built. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was painted by a very famous artist called Michelangelo and it took him four years to do it!! Anyway, we must dash – we hope all is well with you.
Take care