Sicilian Tarantella - Italy

Sets of two couples. Men next to each other facing their parters. Meter 6/8, counted as 1, 2

Measure Count Step
Part I
1 1-2 Step on R foot in place (1), hop on R foot and clap hands overhead. (2)
2 Repeat measure 1 with opposite footwork. Snap your fingers on beat two rather than clapping hands.
3 1-2 Take 2 running steps in place, starting with the R foot
4 Repeat measure 3
5-16 Repeat measures 1-4 three more times
Part II
1 1-2 Run on R foot forward (1), run on L foot forward (2)
2 Repeat measure 1
3-4 Repeat measures 1-2 running backwards
5-16 Repeat measures 1-4 three more times
Part III
1 1-2 Head man and foot lady take two steps towards each other
2-3 Head man and foot lady hook R arms and circle around each other with 4 steps, until they face their original positions.
4 1-2 Head man and foot lady return to their original positions and turn to face forward
5-8 Head lady and foot man do measures 1-4
9-16 Repeat measures 1-8 hooking L elbows instead of R elbows
17-24 Repeat measures 1-8 but do a do-si-do passing R shoulders first instead of turning with elbows hooked
25-32 Repeat measures17-24 passing L shoulders first
Part IV
1-4 Each person face to the R and put hands on hips. Do 8 skipping steps in the circle
5-8 Turn to face to the L and repeat the footwork for measures 1-4
9-12 Face to the R, make a L hand star and repeat the footwork for measures 1-4
13-16 Face to the L, make a R hand star and repeat the footwork for measures 1-4

Note: There are other ways of doing this dance. These are the steps described in Richard Kraus' Folk Dancing published in 1962 by the MacMillan Company in New York. If you are interested in getting this book, it is frequently available on eBay


Bob Shapiro
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rshapiro11@sbcglobal.net
Copyright © 2000, Robert B. Shapiro
Revised October 2, 2000
URL: http://www.folkdancenotes.com/