[Cynnabar Dance] Fwd: What WAS the name of that Italian?

[Elaine Cohen]

The Italian dance you seek is almost certainly the cascarda called 
Gracca Amorosa.  It was taught at Terpsichore last year by Kieran, and 
is likely the only dance in last year's classes that fits your criteria, 
although there are many other cascarde that would otherwise fit.  It is 
also the most likely cascarda to have been seen elsewhere, as it gained 
popularity at Pennsic several years back. 

Well worth learning and spreading so that perhaps it can become a 5th 
standard Italian (there should be at least one 16th Century 
representative).  Out here, we tend to see a lot more Italian dance to 
our great happiness :)

Yay, dancing :)
Alina

Aaron Elkiss wrote:
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Tim McDaniel <tmcd at panix.com>
> Date: Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 1:22 PM
> Subject: What WAS the name of that Italian?
> To: dancing-owner at cynnabar.org
>
>
> There was an Italian dance I learned somewhat at a Terpsichore, and
> that I've been dragged into a couple of other times elsewhere, so I
> thought it might be popular enough to be worth learning.
>
> And because I've been dragged into it with "oh, you'll pick it up as
> we dance", but I didn't -- I ended up looking like a beached walrus on
> electroshock [1][2] -- means that I have a serious grudge against this
> dance and want to prevent that from EVER happening again.
>
> But the only part I remember clearly is that the chorus has the
> partners angling back from each other with a couple of spezzati
> (or the like) and then meeting again, and that again, but I'm told
> that that's like saying "that dance in Playford that has haying in
> it".  "It had a men's solo and then a women's solo" is like "the
> Playford dance where people move".  I think it may have five verses,
> but ditto.  I've danced it only in a line of men facing a line of
> women, but I'm told that was probably a concession to limited space
> and/or helping an instructor see what was happening; it is probably a
> couple dance.
>
> Anyone have any notions as to what dance I might be thinking of, or
> have a list of some dances taught last year?  The book just happened
> now to open to Gracca Amorosa, and that's looking very familiar (as
> opposed to other notions of Spagnoletta Regolata or Fiamma d'Amore).
>
> Reading this, you might think that it's a supremely silly question: if
> I know that little, I might as well point at any dance in the book and
> I'm near Square One with any of them.  Perhaps so, but it's hammered
> me twice, and since I see little Italian other than the Big Four [4],
> it might not be unpopular (by SCA Italian standards).
>
> Daniel "ork ork spasm spasm" de Lincoln
>
>
> [1] Chuck Cohen (Midair) asks "Mah nishtanah, ha-laylah ha-zeh,
> mi-kal ha-leylot?"  [3]
>
> [2] Meaning no offence to anyone going thru electro-convulsive
> therapy, or friends of pinnipeds.
>
> [3] I'd say "JFGI" [3], but Google doesn't find It at
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Nishtana>.
>
> [4] Your Mileage May Vary, but the only ones I usually see are
> Petit Vriens, Amoroso, Rostiboli, Gelosia, and that's in steep
> descending frequency.
>
> [5] This footnote has no referents.  [6]
>
> --
> Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com
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