Il Quartiere Italiano
Photo Page
Questa pagina in italiano.
These photographs were taken at recent performances of Il Quartiere Italiano. They are representative of the dances performed by our troupe.
To jump to a specific dance, follow these links:
Il Trescone
Lo Sciotis di Lucignano
La Mazurca Piemontese
Il Codiglione
La Tarantella Napoletana
La Tarantella Per Cinque
La Tarantella Palermitana
Il Ballo Sardo
To read about The Costumes
Il Trescone, is a spirited and playful dance from the region of Toscana (Tuscany). There are many versions of Il Trescone represented throughout central Italy. In this version, the couples challenge one another in a friendly competition. The women (from left to right) are Maria Alioto, Jackie Capurro, Linda Coda, and Laura Cozzarelli Wood. Their partners are Matt Capurro, Pat Cuviello, Nick Brigante, and Joe Capurro.
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Also from Toscana, Lo Sciotis di Lucignano is a graceful dance from the town of Lucignano, near Arezzo. We are grateful to Il Gruppo Folcloristico di Lucignano, a folk troupe currently performing in Italy, for sharing their dances and costumes with us through correspondence. Visible in this photo are Jackie, Maria, Nick, Laura, Joe, Patrick Capurro, and Linda.
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La Mazurca Piemontese, from the region of Piemonte on the French border, is a flirtatious waltz in which the couples use colorful ribbons both to link them and to keep their distance. This overhead view shows four couples as they prepare for the dance.
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Il Codiglione, from near Rome in the region of Lazio, is often enjoyed as a "called" dance, similar in some aspects to an American square dance except that it can be performed by numerous couples in a circle. The leader will call out a dance sequence for the dancers to follow. Here, Maria, Jackie, Linda, and Laura form a wheel in the center, while Nick, Pat, Joe, and Matt circle them in the opposite direction.
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La Tarantella Napoletana, from the city of Napoli (Naples) in the region of Campania, is an energetic tarantella danced in couples. The women play the tambourine while dancing, accentuating the movements and the musical beats. Here, Linda and Nick perform a lively twirling step.
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La Tarantella per Cinque, from the island of Sicily, is an unusual tarantella since it is performed in a line of five dancers, rather than in couples as most tarantelle are performed. Patrick, Maria, Matt, Jeannie, and Pat begin the dance, tambourines held high.
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Also from Sicily is La Tarantella Palermitana, from the area around the city of Palermo. This photo, taken during the Festa Folcloristica at the 2002 IFAFA Conference in San Francisco, shows Jeannie, Patrick, Joe, Linda, Matt, Maria, Nick, and Laura.
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Il Ballo Sardo, is a circle dance from the island of Sardegna (Sardinia). This dance might be performed for a great length of time during a festival, with people joining and leaving the circle at will. Since the steps are relatively uncomplicated and repetitive, our troupe often teaches Il Ballo Sardo as a participation dance, encouraging members of our audience to dance with us in the circle. This photo is symbolic of the essence of Italian folk dance: men and women, children and adults, enjoying each other's company in the spirit of the dance.
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The Costumes
These photos show two examples of traditional regional Italian costumes: from Tuscany and from Sicily. Historically, there were numerous traditional costumes. Each region, in fact each city or village, would have its own. Nowadays, however, they are not often seen except, perhaps on feast days, in more remote areas of the country.
In the photos above, some dancers are wearing costumes which originated in the Arezzo area of Toscana (Tuscany). The women wear white aprons and shawls over their colorful vests and dark skirts, long pettipants under their skirts, and flowered straw hats on their heads. The men wear dark knee-length pants and a full-sleeved white shirt, with or without a vest, black neck scarves and felt hats.
The other dancers are dressed in typical Sicilian attire. The women wear colored aprons and vests, with yellow shawls over their shoulders and colorful ribbons in their hair. The men are dressed in the traditional outfit of the Sicilian cart handlers, with their colorful sashes, black stocking caps and red neck decorations.
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