Fedelta

A dance for as many couples as will, from Fabritio Caroso's Il Ballarino.

Sheet Music, available for free use within the Society for Creative Anacronism, is available as a PDF file, NWC file or Midi file.

This reconstruction is essentially the same as the one by Diana Cruickshank*1, with one significant change, as the Cruickshank reconstruction leaves out the Riverenza in the Third Section. When you put the text and the music together, there isn't much room for different interpretations.
 

The dancers begin in two circles, Gentlemen on the inside, Ladies on the outside, partners facing each other. At the end of the third section the dancers change partners and the dance can be repeated for as long as they wish. The musicians will almost certainly be able to go on for longer than the dancers.
 

First Section

All Riverenza minima.    [4 bars]

They then make individual circles by the left shoulder (anticlockwise) returning to place with:

4 Seguiti Spezzati LRLR  [2 bars ea]


Then they approach their partner with:

2 Passi presti LR            [1 bar ea]
1 Cadenza L                   [2 bars]


They then make individual circles by the left shoulder (anticlockwise) returning to place with:

6 Seguiti Spezzati LRLRLR       [2 bars ea]


Then they approach their partner with:

2 Passi presti LR     [1 bar ea]
1 Cadenza L            [2 bars]

Chorus

The Gentlemen only turn 3600 to the left with:
1 Seguito spezzato L      [2 bars]
1 Cadenza L                   [2 bars]


The Ladies then do the same.    [4 bars]
 
 

Second Section


The dancers then take the right hand of the person standing to the right of their partner (each to their own right, not their partner's) and go around one another with:

2 Seguiti semidoppii LR  [4 bars ea]


The Ladies are now back on the outside and the Gentlemen on the inside, both somewhat to the right of their original position. They now move back until they face their partners with:

2 Represe L          [1 bar ea]
2 Trabuchetti LR   [1 bar ea]


Then turn 3600 to the left with:

1 Seguito spezzato L       [2 bars]
1 Cadenza L                    [2 bars]


The dancers then take the left hand of the person standing to the left of their partner (each to their own left, not their partner's) and go around one another with:

2 Seguiti semidoppii RL  [4 bars ea]


The Ladies are now back on the outside and the Gentlemen on the inside, both somewhat to the left of their original position. They now move back until they face their partners with:

2 Represe R          [1 bar ea]
2 Trabuchetti RL   [1 bar ea]


Then turn 3600 to the right with:

1 Seguito spezzato R  [2 bars]
1 Cadenza R               [2 bars]

Chorus

The Gentlemen only turn 3600 to the left with:
1 Seguito spezzato L      [2 bars]
1 Cadenza L                   [2 bars]
The Ladies then do the same.  [4 bars]
 
 

Third Section


All turn 900 to their left and go around the circle (of Ladies or Gentlemen, as appropriate) with:

1 Seguito semidoppio L   [4 bars]


Then all turn 180o to their right and return to place around the circle with:

1 Seguito semidoppio R. [4 bars]


They then approach their partners with:

2 Passi presti LR      [1 bar ea]
1 Cadenza L             [2 bars]
and retreat from them (backwards) with:
2 Passi presti RL    [1 bar ea]
1 Cadenza R           [2 bars]


They then do:

2 Scambiate*2 LR  [2 bars ea]


Then they move to the left to face a new partner with:

2 Represe L          [1 bar ea]
2 Trabuchetti LR   [1 bar ea]
Then turn 360o to the left with:
1 Seguito spezzato L  [2 bars]
1 Cadenza L               [2 bars]


Then both Ladies and Gentlemen do a Riverenza.   [4 bars]
(Thus greeting their new partner)
 
 

Chorus

The Gentlemen only turn 3600 to the left with:
1 Seguito spezzato L  [2 bars]
1 Cadenza L               [2 bars]
The Ladies then do the same.  [4 bars]
 

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*1 Cruickshank, Diana: Fabritio Caroso, Balletti & Cascarde, (vol 1) Selva Amorosa. Hunter's Moon 1991, ISBN 0 951373323

*2 Step Description - Scambiata.

I have been taught a couple of different ways to do this step, so I decided to translate Caroso's description myself. Now I think it should be done in the way described below. If you want to know why, e-mail me at JoannaandMurray@homemail.com.au. If you want to do it one of the other ways in the competition, that's alright.
 

A Left Scambiata

A step done over 6 beats i.e. 2 bars of the attached sheet music. According to Caroso, it starts with the feet together. In this dance the left Scambiata follows  a Cadenza where the right foot ends up behind, but not enough to be a problem.

First beat:
Step forward onto your left foot with the heel level with the toe of the right.

Second beat:
Move the right foot sideways until the toe of the right foot is just behind and to the left of the heel of the left.

Third beat:
Lift the left foot up and forward (Caroso says 3 fingers up and 3 forward) while transferring your weight on to the right.

Fourth beat
Bring the left foot back level with the left while bending and parting the knees a little.

Fifth beat:
Do a little jump off of both feet. (Around 2 fingers high, according to Caroso)

Sixth beat:
Land on both feet a little to the left.

This step doesn't travel very far sideways - roughly the width of your left foot plus the small two-footed jump to the left.


 

Bibliography


Caroso, Fabritio Il Ballarino  1581
Facsimile and transcription.

Collins Pocket Italian Dictionary, Harper Collins Publishers 1996

Del's Dance Book

Florio, John  Queen Anna's New World of Words or Dictionarie of the Italian and English tongues  1611. Facsimile.