Dancing the Tarantella

Throughout history, people have danced to celebrate, worship, uplift and cure. Countries around the world have folk dances that tell stories and offer insight into their past. Italy is no exception, with dozens of beautiful folk dances in its timeline. Of all of them, none is more notable than the Tarantella.

Mention the word "tarantella" in Italy today and you might hear about a frenzied wedding dance. The real story is darker, and it spans several centuries.

From a dance to cure

Also known as "the dance of the spider," the Tarantella comes from the Italian word tarantola, meaning "tarantula." The name traces back to the town of Taranto in Puglia, where the bite of the local wolf spider (the tarantula) was widely believed to be highly poisonous. It was said to cause a condition known as "tarantism."

Tarantism was an epidemic that swept through Taranto and other parts of Italy between the 15th and 17th centuries. According to legend, once bitten, the victim — the tarantata, almost always a woman of lower status — fell into a fit of heightened excitability and restlessness. Eventually, she would succumb to the condition and die.

The only cure, it seemed, was the frenzied dancing ritual of the Tarantella. Townspeople surrounded the tarantata while musicians played mandolins, guitars and tambourines at different tempos, searching for the correct healing rhythm. Each beat affected her, leading her to move in erratic ways in line with the tempo. Once the right rhythm was found, the victim danced alone until exhausted. She was thought to be cured, having "sweated out" the venom.

To a dance to court

As time faded the legend's mystique, the Tarantella changed from a cure for a deadly disease into a couple's dance, performed by a man and a woman or by two women at weddings and other celebrations. Some now consider it unlucky to dance the Tarantella alone.

The music is written in a lively 6/8 time. This rapid, whirling dance is built on light, quick steps and flirtatious gestures between the two partners. Typically, the woman carries a tambourine, and her rapid movements are meant to excite her counterpart. The man's movements are meant to charm his partner with agility and tenderness. Suave, indeed.

At your next celebration, skip the Waltz, the Tango and the Electric Slide, and take a stab at the Tarantella.