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Mutanza scempio 4

Title translation: 
Compasso's fourth single-tempo galliard variation
Dance Type: 
Number of dancers: 
1
Choreography: 

This mutanze is danced on the spot.

Start by hopping on your right foot and swinging your left for one tempo; then reverse it by hopping on your left foot and swinging your right for one tempo.

  1. raise the left foot in the air, backwards, while hopping on the right foot
  2. raise the left foot in front, while hopping on the right
  3. raise the left foot behind again, hopping
  4. raise the left foot in front again, hopping
  5. cadenza - jump 
  6. land on both feet (left foot behind)

Reverse

  1. raise the right foot behind, hopping on the left
  2. raise the right in front, hopping on the left
  3. raise the right behind, hopping
  4. raise the right in front, hopping
  5. cadenza - jump
  6. land on both feet (right foot behind)

 

Discussion: 

Compasso doesn't define a campanella, but other authors do.

"Campanella" means "little bell" - your leg is the clapper.

Style in the Campanelle

I'm not certain how much of the swing should come from the hip, and how much from the knee, when kicking backwards. From the knee can look cleaner: if from the hip, be sure the motion doesn't get any higher than the hip - don't waggle your upper body to counterbalance. 

This step is like a series of zoppetti, alternating forwards and backwards.

Caroso often calls in his choreographies for "so many beats of the campanella in the manner of so many mezze riverenza": in that case I assume that both knees bend on the backwards beats, so that one lowers one's body a little. That needn't apply here, but the comparison to a meza riverenza gives an insight into the style of the step.

Alternating feet

The cadenza after Campanelle works best if the last "beat" is done with a kick forwards: so campanelle with even numbers of beats should start by going backwards, and those with odd numbers should start by going forwards. In this case, with four beats, we start with a kick backwards.

That can make swapping feet after the cadenza slightly odd. As always, the underlying rule is symmetry: what's done on the left should be repeated on the right. 

Condensed version, for calling: 

On the spot, hopping on the right foot, kicking with the left foot.

  1. kick back 
  2. forwards
  3. back
  4. forwards
  5. jump
  6. land

And on the other side, kick right

  1. kick back
  2. forwards
  3. back
  4. forwards
  5. jump
  6. land
About this translation: 

Katherine Davies, 2016.

Translation: 

Campanelle (little bell) in place.

Transcription: 

4. Le campanelle ferme.