Il Quartiere Italiano

Dance List


Questa pagina in italiano.

dance graphic
Italian folk dances evolved, as did most forms of dance, from the desire to express emotions and needs in a visual form. From the beginning, into the Renaissance period, and beyond, dance movements were thought to have magical properties. Courtship dances, war dances, and harvest dances were developed, for example, to influence natural phenomena. Therefore, in many Italian folk dances, one can see movements that represent magical symbols, such as the star, cross, wheel, and circle. Many well-known popular dances, like the waltz and polka, began as courtship dances in which couples perform a series of figures that symbolize flirtation, pursuit, rejection, cajoling, and finally, acceptance.


Map of Italy


The following is a list of dances that are performed by Il Quartiere Italiano, organized by regions, north to south. (Clicking on the dances which are underlined will take you to our photo page. Due to the number of photographs, this page may take some time to load.)