[Bg-dance] Italian ren in Austin

[Tim McDaniel]

On Tue, 13 Dec 2011, Charlene Charette <charlene281 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> - Petit Vriens: a lot of people know this and it's reasonably
>>   popular
>
> This one seems to be fairly popular everywhere because it's
> energetic and fairly easy. It's sort of a gateway Italian dance --
> "see, Italian can be FUN!"

And, of course, because there are few types of steps, and the piva is
the only one that you can't do like something in English Country.

[Amoroso]
> I think this is one of the standards for 15th C in the SCA. Doesn't
> take too long to teach.

I was just trying to indicate the existing level of knowledge here,
to indicate things that might not need to be taught, and might be used
as bases for further dance.

>> (BTW: BG now dances it so that a dancer need not return to the same
>> partner they danced away from. That seems more authentic to Italian
>> Renaissance mores.
>
> I'm curious for your evidence of partner switching being authentic
> to the Italian Renaissance.

Oh, I don't for a moment suggest that swapping partners was authentic
to Italian DANCE (except Gelosia, and even then it's according to
fixed rules), but to Italian MORES and reputation, as if we mimed
forming shifting alliances, backstabbing each other, and poisoning
each other.  In short, we're being silly and flirtatious and
mocking/envying the reputation of Italian lovers.  Yes, it's dance
sin, but given that those who do it know the dance well, it's having
fun like if someone were to poach in Whirlygig.

>> - Gelosia: some people know it, but we rarely dance it.
>
> While I've danced this one, I've not really learned it. This is one
> of the earliest 15th C reconstructions done (both in and out of the
> SCA) so there tends to be many variations around.

If you want a mental break in there, we could teach it to you, or at
least the version we know ...

Denyel de Lincoln
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com