An exciting collaboration brings a series of dance workshops leading up to moments of guided social dancing in pizzica and tarantelle during Rochester's Italian Heritage Festival, which takes place the the first weekend in October followed by the city's Indigenous People's Day Celebration the next weekend. 

This series is made possible by support from University of Rochester, Nazareth University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Cugini di ROC, Tom Proietti, and Linda Mitrano.

Workshops

Tarantelle: Social Dances from the South of Italy

What is a tarantella? From ancestral stories to contemporary revivals, we’ll learn how place-based pastoral dances -- often referred to as tarantelle -- come to life in social spaces across Southern Italy with specific rhythms, movement codes, and poetry recited in songs. We'll take a closer look at the playful Pizzica Pizzica today danced in Puglia, learning to follow the captivating beat of the tamburello and dance together with others.

We’ll explore both the movements and cultural contexts of dances, deconstructing the idea of a singular “tarantella” and tuning our ear to hear the qualities of different rhythm families as we learn and embody characteristics of their movements.

Throughout, we will center the fact that these songs and dances exist because they are and have been cared for deeply by people in their homes. They exist because of generations of pastoral communities who passed them on, as well as researchers and artists who have listened deeply and kept them alive in their homes through cultural revivals. We will learn and dance with gratitude, and with awareness of our lens – and the space between seeking and living.

All workshops listed here are free and open to the public -- no previous experience with dance required! 

Wear clothes you're comfortable moving in, and bring a water bottle.

Schedule

🗓️ Wednesday, September 30th 

3:30 - 5 PM at University of Rochester 

(Spurrier Dance Studio, drop-in)

Hosted by the University of Rochester Italian & Dance Programs 

and sponsored by the Center for Community Engagement

🗓️ Friday, October 2nd

1 - 2:30 PM at Rochester Institute of Technology 

(James E. Booth Hall, Webb Auditorium, drop in)

Hosted by RIT Italian Studies Program in the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts, with the support of the School of Individualized Studies 

🗓️ Sunday, October 4th

11am - 4pm - Social Dancing at Cugini di ROC

Italian Heritage Day at Rochester Public Market