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Home › Italy, 16th Century › Improvisatory dances › Galliard › Gagliarde from Compasso › Mutanze Scempie

Mutanza scempio 2

Title translation: 
Compasso's second single-tempo galliard variation
Source: 
Italian sources, c.1550-c.1620
Compasso (1560)
Dance Type: 
improvisatory
Number of dancers: 
1
Choreography: 

 

  1. step a little forwards and to the left with the left foot
  2. give a sottopiede to the left with the right - place the right foot behind the left, into the place of the left,  kicking the left out
  3. step a little forwards and to the left with the left foot
  4. give a sotto piede to the left foot with the right
  5. cadenza - jump
  6. land (right foot in front?)

Reverse

  1. step a little forwards and to the right with the right foot
  2. give a sottopiede to the right foot with the left
  3. step a little forwards and to the right with the right foot
  4. give a sottopiede to the right foot with the left
  5. cadenza - jump
  6. land (left foot in front?)

The motion is largely sideways - each mutanze moves you a small way to the left or the right.

 

Discussion: 

This mutanze, like many from Compasso, doesn't seem to allow for the usual 'rule' that the foot that is in front on the fourth beat lands behind in the cadenza, and then goes to the front for the first movement of the next mutanze.

The underlying rule, however, is symmetry: what's done on the left should be repeated on the right. That's not hard to manage with Compasso, but it sometimes requires a little re-training of the feet, if one's practiced much with variations from Arbeau.

Condensed version, for calling: 
  1. step
  2. cut
  3. step
  4. cut
  5. jump
  6. land
About this translation: 

Katherine Davies, 2016.

Translation: 

The riprese in sotto piede (riprese with foot-under) to the side.

Transcription: 

2. Le riprese in sotto piede per fiancho.

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