Anello

A dance for two couples. 

Begin with one couple about four steps behind the other. Each man stands to his partner's left, and holds her left hand in his right.

Opening: saltarello

Eight tempi of saltarello, advancing around the room together

Domenico specifies that the eight saltarelli are done in piva misura. The music (as recorded) feels more like quadernaria music to me, so I tend to perform the saltarello in that way.

During the last two tempi of saltarello, the first couple turns around: the man dances backwards while the woman dances forwards, until they are facing the couple following. The couple following may need to take smaller steps.

At the end of this passage, the dancers should be in a square, men facing each other diagonally opposite, and women facing each other likewise.

First figure: change places

• men movimento
• women movimento in response
• men exchange places with two saltarelli (LR), doing a mezavolta at the end to face into the square again

then women repeat:

• women movimento
• men movimento
• women exchange places with two saltarelli (LR), doing a mezavolta at the end to face into the square again

Second figure: turn in place

• men movimento
• women movimento in response
• each man turns in place with one doppio (left, anticlockwise)

then women repeat:

• women movimento
• men movimento
• each woman turns in place with one doppio (left, anticlockwise)

Third figure: change places

• men: 4 pive: each man goes to the right, behind his own partner, into the place of the other man, and ends facing into the square again
• women: 4 pive: each woman goes to the right, behind her own partner, into the place of the other woman, and ends facing into the square again

Fourth figure: end

• men movimento
• women movimento in response
• men movimento
• women movimento in response
• men ripresa to right (towards their partners) 
• all: riverentia

The dancers now take hands again in their couples, ready to begin again if desired.

Starting again - repeats of the dance

For the dance to repeat, the first couple will need to turn again to face forwards. I do this by having them repeat the figure they did earlier to turn to face the rear: in their first saltarelli, the man will dance backwards and the woman forwards. The second couple take tiny steps until they can fall in behind the first couple.

When the dance is repeated, the women perform all the figures first. Note that this means that in the third figure, both genders will do pive to their left to go behind their partners, not to their right as previously.

If the music is played many times, men and women may take turns leading.