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Canario (Caroso, Il Ballarino)

Dance Type: 
Number of dancers: 
2
About this choreography: 
Katherine Davies, 2014, from Caroso. (in progress)
Choreography: 

Numbers in square brackets at the end of each section define the number of bars used, with each bar being long enough to do one Seguito battuto (so Negri's canary, for instance, is based on 16-bar phrases).

OPENING SECTION

[16 bars of spezzati, plus opening honours]

  • riverenza minima (holding ordinary hands)
  • 2 continenze
  • 4 seguiti spezzati schisciati forwards together [8]
  • 4 seguiti spezzati schisciati, separating, one to each end of the room [8]
  • facing: 2 fast steps, cadenza

FIRST MUTANZA

[8 advancing, >4 retreating, 8 seems likely]

  • eight seguiti battuti [8]
  • Retreat: four slow sliding steps 

Together: the turning passage [8, + passi and cadenza]

  • 2 seguiti spezzati schisciati turning to the left [4]
  • 2 seguiti spezzati schisciati in prospettiva [4]
  • 2 fast steps, cadenza

The woman repeats the mutanza, then both the turning passage.

SECOND MUTANZA

[advance 16 or 32, retreat 16 or 32]

  • 2 seguiti battuti on each foot [2+2], 8 times [16 or 32]
  • Retreat: 3 ripresa and trabuchetto, turning the flank outwards [4], same on right; four times [16 or 32]

Turning passage together.

Woman repeats the mutanza, then the turning passage together.

THIRD MUTANZA

[man advances 16, 8 turning together, woman advances 16, 8 turning, retreat ?]

  • 2 fast stamps, LR? [1?] , seguito battuto, L [1]
  • same on right [2]
  • do four times altogether [total 16]
  • (no retreat, yet)

Do turning passage together.

Woman does the same advance.

Do the retreat (unspecified) together.

THEY CHANGE ENDS

12 spezzati [24] consisting of:

  • four turning left [8]
  • four going forwards, changing places [8]
  • four similarly going left [8]
  • then, 2 passi presti forwards and the cadenza

FOURTH MUTANZA

[advance 16 or 32, retreat 16 or 32]

  • 2 seguiti battuti, LL, [2]
  • 3 fast stamps RLR [1]
  • seguito battuto l [1]
  • same again to the right [4]
  • he will do this four times [16 total, or 32]
  • retreat: 2 slow sliding steps backwards, then 3 fast, beginning with the left [4?]
  • repeat on the right [4]
  • do this four times [16 or 32] (if he has enough space)

Turning passage together: 4 seguiti schisciati turning to the left [8], 2 passi forwards and cadenza

Woman does the same mutanza; both do turning passage.

FIFTH MUTANZA

[advance is 16 bars; retreat 8 or 16?]

Man turns a little in prospettiva to the right.

  • 2 schisciate with the left, heel forwards then toe backwards [1 or 2?]
  • stamp L, facing woman [1?]
  • repeat on the other side [another 2?]
  • 2 slow sliding steps backwards [2?]
  • seguito battuto L [1]
  • 2 fast stamps RL and pause [1?] [total so far: 8]
  • zoppetto L raising R, 
  • turning right flank in, 4 fast stamps RLRL (i.e. a fioretto battuto) [2]
  • 2 seguiti battuti in prospettiva to the woman RL [2]
  • same again (i.e another fioretto battuto and 2 seguiti battuti) on the other side [4]
  • Retreat: 2 passi schisciati LR [2?]
  • one seguito battuto L [1], peacocking always
  • do this four times 

Turning passage together.

The woman does the same mutanza.

SIXTH MUTANZA

  • 5 fast schisciate forwards, all on left, starting with the heel
  • cross left over right: 2 more schisciate, with toe, then heel
  • raise left: schisciate with toes in a straight line
  • stamp with the left foot, flat.
  • 2 seguiti battuti, RL [2]
  • 3 fast stamps RLR [1]
  • seguito battuto L [1]
  • same mutanza again on the other side 
  • retreat: ripresa (left flank outwards) L, 3 trabuchetti LRL flankingly [4]
  • same on the other side [4]

Turning passage together.

Woman does the same mutanza.

FINALE:

  • 2 seguiti schisciati together [8]
  • 8 scorsi [8], consisting of:
    • four taking right hands
    • four separating
    • last four: woman turns left, man goes forwards
  • take ordinary hands, riverenza together.
About this translation: 

Katherine Davies, 2015; using the facsimile at http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/caroso/facsimile/399small.html

Translation: 

Il Canario (the Canary)

In honour of the Illustrious Lady, 

Lady Vittoria Santacroce Borghese, 

Gentlewoman of Rome.

 

In the beginning of this dance, the man will take the woman by the ordinary hand, and together they will do the Riverenza minima, with two Continenze, one to the left, the other to the right; then they will do eight Seguiti spezzati schisciati, four processing forwards [passeggiando inanzi], and four taking leave [lasciandosi], turning to the left, at the end of which they find themselves one at one end of the room, and the other at the other [end], facing each other they will do two fast steps [Passi presti] forwards, and the Cadenza, beginning each thing with the left foot, and then with the right.

MUTANZA of the MAN

The man alone will do eight Seguiti battuti, and he will do the retreat [Ritirata] with four slow sliding steps [Passi gravi schisciati] flankingly backwards: after that they will do four Seguiti spezzati schisciati, two turning to left, and two in prospettiva, with two fast steps [Passi presti] forwards, and the Cadenza.

The woman will do the same mutanza, and they will do the same actions together.

SECOND MUTANZA

In the second mutanza, the the man will do two Seguiti battuti on each foot eight times; then he will do the Ritirata in this way, that is, three Riprese, and a Trabuchetto with his left flank backwards: he will do the same again with the right; and he will do this four times, always flankingly: then they will do those same Seguiti schisciati together, with the Passi forwards, and the Cadenza.

The woman will do the same mutanza, and they will do the same actions together.

THIRD MUTANZA

In the third mutanza the man alone will do two fast battute di piedi [stamps], and one Seguito battuto, beginning wiht the left foot then he will do the same beginning with the right; and he will do this four times, and they will do the actions mentioned above together.

The woman will do the same mutanza, and they will do the Ritirate together; after which they will do twelve Seguiti schisciati, four turning to the left, and four progressing forwards, exchanging places, with four turning similarly to the left, and with two Passi presti forwards, and the Cadenza

FOURTH MUTANZA

In the fourth mutanza, the man alone will do two Seguiti battuti always with the left foot, with three fast battute, beginning with the right foot, and another Seguito battuto with the left, a little flankingly with the body: he will do the same with the right foot to the right; and he will do this four times; then he will do the Ritirata this way, that is, two Passi gravi schisciati [slow sliding steps], and three fast, beginning with the left, he will do the same with the right: and if he has enough space in the room he will do this four times: then together they will do the same actions described above, that is, four Seguiti schisciati turning to the left, and the Passi presti forwards, and the Cadenza.

The woman alone will do the same mutanza, and together the same things mentioned above.

FIFTH MUTANZA

The man alone will turn a little in prospettiva to the right, and he will do two Schisciate with the left foot, first forwards with the feel, then backwards with the toe, and turning himself to face the woman, he will do a battuta with the same foot; he will do the same on the other side: then he will do two Passi gravi schisciati backwards in a straight line, with a Seguito battuto, beginning with the left foot, with two battute preste, one with the right, the other with the left, stopping himself for a pause: then he will do a Zoppeto with that foot, and raising the right, and in lowering it he will turn the right flank inwards towards the woman, and he will do four battute preste, with two Seguiti battuti in prospettiva to the woman, beginning the Passi, and the Seguiti with that same right foot: he will do the same another time on the other side. After that he will do the Ritirata, that is, two Passi schisciati, and one  Seguito battuto, peacocking himself always, beginning with the left foot, and then with the right; and he will do this four times: then they will turn around together doing those same Seguiti, and they will do two Passi presti forwards, and the Cadenza.

The woman alone will do the same mutanza.

SIXTH MUTANZA

The man alone will do five Schisciate preste forwards, always with the left foot, beginning with the heel; then he will cross, or to say it better, the left foot above the right, and he will do another two Schisciate, first with the toe, then with the feel, and raising that foot, he will do with the same another Schisciata with the toes in a straight line: finally he will do a battuta spianata [flat/level stamp] holding the whole left foot on the ground. After that he will do two Seguiti battuti facing, one with the right, and the other with the left, with three battute preste, beginning with the rightm and another Seguito battuto with the left. He will begin the same mutanza another time on the other side; then he will do the Ritirata in this way, that is, a Ripresa with the left flank outwards, and three Trabuchetti flankingly, beginning with the left foot; and he will do the same another time on the other side. Together they will do those Seguiti schisciati turning to the left, with the two Passi presti forwards, and the Cadenza.

The woman alone will do the same mutanza; then together they will do four  Seguiti schisciati turning to the left, and another eight scorsi, four taking right hands, and four separating, and hte woman will turn in the last four to the left, and the man will go forwards; after which he will take the woman by the ordinary hand, and they will finish the dance by doing the Riverenza together: at the end of which the man returns the woman to her place.