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La figlia di Guglielmina (for two)

Also known as: 

L'altra fil guielmina, figlie guilielmin, foglie di guiglielmo, figlia di Guielmo, La figlia gugliemin

Source: 
Italian sources, c.1400-1520
Domenico
Cornazano
Guglielmo
Dance Type: 
ballo
Number of dancers: 
2
About this choreography: 
This is the working choreography used by my dance troupe, Capriol. Where there's ambiguity in the texts, many decisions were made to reflect what other dancers in New Zealand were doing.
Choreography: 

A couple stand side by side, holding inside hands (man holds woman's left hand in his right), facing forwards.

The dance traces the diagonals of a very long, narrow triangle. You'll need a long room, or tiny steps. Note that if you wish to perform the dance twice, you should only use the first 2/3 of the space in the first rendition, so you can advance again in the second time through.

Quadernaria

Advancing together - quick steps

  • 3 fast sempii (LRL)
  • 2 fast continenzie (RL)
  • repeat sempii and continenzie, starting with the right foot

Several of my dancers say that continenzie done this quickly feel more like 16th century Italian trabuchetti or riprese than like the familiar, relaxed 15th century move. 

Parting and coming together again - steps slow down

  • 2 sempii (LR) - man goes forwards, woman turns and goes backwards
  • riprese in gallone - man and woman do a ripresa flankingly forwards and to the left, end facing each other
  • doppio - return to place; at the end, the man does a mezavolta on the right, to face forwards again, beside the woman

Repeat the entire section in quadernaria: the advance together, separating and returning, etc. The repeat is identical until the end: start on the left foot as before. 

Finish this second section facing each other, instead of facing forwards

Bassadanza?

There are two ambiguous tempi here. The dance texts say it's bassadanza, but separate it from the 8 tempi of bassadanza following. The best musical source we have seems to have this part still in quadernaria. Recordings vary.

Take right hands. 

Circle with two sempii, then a riverentia.

At the end, you should have swapped places. The woman will be facing forwards, and the man backwards.

Bassadanza

Separating, woman to end of hall, man back to where they started. Move in straight lines - parallel with the walls.

  • 2 sempii, 2 doppii, the second ending in mezavolta on the right
  • ripresa left (facing) ending in mezavolta on the left, ripresa left (facing away)
  • 2 doppii, the second ending in mezavolta on the right
  • riverentia (facing, from the far corners of the dance space)

Quadernaria

Returning to meet in the middle of the dance space: directly towards each other on diagonals, rather than parallel with walls.

  • woman alone: advance towards the man with a doppio left, ending in a movimento
  • man alone: reply with a doppio (L) towards the woman, ending in a movimento
  • woman: doppio (R) and movimento
  • man: sempio (R) and movimento
  • woman: sempio (L) and movimento

Then

  • man: voltatonda, using one saltarello (L)

Piva

Complete the passage to meet, circle and re-set to begin the dance again.

  • woman: large voltatonda, using 3 pive (LRL)
  • man: salto (at end of woman's voltatonda)

Then both advance, meeting right shoulders

  • both: 2 pive (RL) (note start on RIGHT), sempio (R)
  • woman: movimento (at end of sempio)

Circling by right shoulders, to end in place:

  • both: 2 pive (RL) (start on RIGHT again), sempio (R)
  • man: mezavolta to face the front

Couple are now side by side, facing the front, ready to start the dance again if desired. Their roles don't appear change if the dance repeats.

 

 

Discussion: 

Not the easiest dance, but well worth it: quirky, playful and flirtatious.

Many dancers find it hard to fit the steps to the music at first (and even to hear the tempi in the music). 

Music: 

I usually teach to the music on Eschewynge Of Ydelnesse by Misericordia and Gaita. 

Equally lovely, but more challenging to dance to, is the version on Forse che si, forse che non, by the Ferrara Ensemble.

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