The Tarantella

 Day 169 of My Italian Learning Journal*

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The Tarantella is a name I do recall from as early as my high school band days. What I never took the time to learn is where the dance originated. At britannica.com I found the following: "The tarantella's origin is connected with tarantism, a disease or form of hysteria that appeared in Italy in the 15th to the 17th century and that was obscurely associated with the bite of the tarantula spider; victims seemingly were cured by frenzied dancing." An interesting story.

Ascolta Questo:

• La Tarantella è una danza italiana.
  The Tarantella is an Italian dance.

• Storie interessanti circondano la tarantella.
  Interesting stories surround the tarantella.

• Uno dei primi riferimenti alla tarantella fu la danza di San Vito nel 1374.
  One of the earliest reference to the tarantella was the St. Vitus Dance in 1374.

• I cittadini suonavano musica per una persona morsa da un ragno e quella persona ballava senza sosta.
  Town folks would play music for a person bitten by a spider and that person would dance non-stop.

• L'idea era di ballare senza sosta per sudare il veleno attraverso i pori.
  The idea was to dance non-stop in order to sweat the venom out through the pores.

Alla prossima!

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*Note: This is my personal journal of daily practice in learning Italian. I welcome Italian grammar corrections. Grazie.