How Southern Italy Found Its Groove With the Restless Tarantella


A staple at Italian American weddings, the age-old dance stepped off in the 15th century in Puglia.

By: Marianna Gatto, ISDA Contributing Editor

Folk dances tell stories and reflect a group’s diverse history and culture. While the tarantella — arguably Italy’s most famous folk dance — is best known today as a dance performed at weddings, its origins are as ancient as they are peculiar.

The tarantella traces its origins to Taranto, a city in Puglia, the “heel” of Italy’s “boot.” The dance dates to at least the fifteenth century, and began as a cure for a condition called tarantism, which was believed to be caused by the bite of a wolf spider that was the subject of considerable myth and lore. According to popular belief, the spider’s bite was particularly venomous and produced frenzied behavior in its victims, who were usually women of lower socioeconomic status.

After being bitten by the spider, the victim, who was referred to as the tarantata, would be overtaken by contortions, begin dancing convulsively, or enter a state of delirium. To save the tarantata musicians were beckoned to perform a very fast-paced rhythmic style of music, which became known as the pizzica (the word pizzica is derived from pizzico, which means “bite” in Italian). The music would “awaken” the tarantata from her stupor, or, if she was already contorting, the mandolins, guitars, and tambourines would provide the rhythm to which she would dance for hours or even days as a way to expel the venom from her body.

“FRINGE CURES”: Curing tarantism by dancing the tarantella, circa 1877.

Townspeople surrounded the tarantata as she performed the frenzied dancing ritual and sometimes participated in it. The tarantata continued dancing until she was exhausted, at which point she was considered “cured.” This type of dance mania spread across southern Italy and the combination of music and dance was widely accepted as a remedy, even among scholars, at the time.

Since the spider’s bite was not poisonous, it is likely that other factors influenced this phenomenon. The dance offered women, especially economically disadvantaged women, an opportunity to express themselves and convey the emotions they were experiencing. Tarantism also created an opportunity for the community to come together in support of the affected women, which encouraged a sense of togetherness.

Over the centuries, the tarantella evolved into a dance performed by couples. In the United States, it is often danced at weddings, while in Italy, many contemporary musical groups embrace this living tradition of dance and music, reinterpreting the tarantella and its regional variations for contemporary audiences.

Rome, Italy — The Popular Orchestra “La Notte della Taranta” performed at Porta di Roma Live 2018. On the stage a copy of Pizzica Salentina who danced the famous “Pizzica Salentina”, a notorious traditional dance of Salento, the origin of this typical Apulian folklore. Credit: Daniela Franceschelli/Pacific Press/Alamy Live News

Join the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles and Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) on January 15 at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST for Tarantata: The Dance of the Ancient Spider, a virtual concert and interactive program featuring world-renowned percussionist, singer, dancer, and ethnomusicologist Alessandra Belloni.

The free online event can be watched on the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles’s Facebook page.

Belloni has spent decades researching, performing, and preserving the rich traditions of Southern Italian folk rituals and culture. She is the artist in residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, and the Author of the book Healing Journeys of the Black Madonna. The sacred songs, chants, dances, and rhythms that are part of Belloni’s performances—represent a syncretic mix of pagan and Catholic elements—and are believed to create a magical space for healing.

The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles has also created a curriculum for educators and parents interested teaching youth about this subject. The curriculum is free and can be downloaded here. 

Marianna Gatto is the executive director and cofounder of the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA), a historian and author with more than a decade of experience in public history, non-profit leadership, museums, and education.

 

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