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Spagnoletta Nuova in modo di Madriglia (Nobilta)
First Verse
The couple begins standing side by side, holding ordinary hands.
AA' Riverenza, 4 spezzati forwards, 2 saffice LR
B 2 ripresa LL, 2 fioretti forwards LR, 2 passi LR, saffice L
B' repeat B on right
C spezzato flankingly backwards L, finto flankingly backwards R
seguito battuto L, 3 stamps RLR, seguito battuto L, 2 stamps RL
C' repeat C on right
Second Verse
The couple continues to progress around the room, holding ordinary hands.
A 4 spezzati forwards
A' 2 fioretti LR, 2 passi LR, 2 saffice LR
B groppo L, 2 fioretti LR, 2 passi LR, saffice L (this pattern will recur in other verses)
B' repeat B on right
C ripresa sottopiede L, fioretto L; ripresa sottopiede R, fioretto R
corinto L
C' repeat C on right
Third verse
The couple face, and dance more or less on the spot, or circling.
A take right hands, dance circling each other
2 spezzati LR, 2 trabucchetti LR, saffice L
A' take left hands, repeat A on right
B release hands, dance facing
groppo L, 2 fioretti LR
spezzato puntato L, ending in meza riverenza R
B' repeat B on right
C 2 spezzati flankingly forwards, 2 passi turning, saffice L with L hip in.
C' repeat C on right
Fourth Verse
The couple continue to dance facing, on the spot.
A take both hands, dance circling to the left (i.e. as you did when you held right hands)
2 fioretti LR, 2 trabucchetti LR; 2 passi LR, spezzato L
A' repeat A on right, circling in opposite direction
B release hands
groppo L, 2 fioretti LR
2 passi LR turning left, saffice L with left hip in
B' repeat B on right
C spezzato L flankingly backwards, finto R flankingly backwards
2 saffice LR flankingly forwards
C' 2 puntate forwards, meeting partner
take ordinary hands
riverenza, ending with feet together
This is one of the more intricate Spagnolette. It's typical of Nobilta di Dame, being a heavily-ornamented variant of what was in Il Ballarino a fairly simple dance. Unlike the Spagnoletta Regolata, also in Nobilta, this Spagnoletta has abandoned the dancing on the spot - "in a wheel" - that is characteristic of cascarde, and has adopted a linear pattern.
Structure:
This is a couple dance, in four verses. You begin holding ordinary hands; then dance the first two verses progressing around the room with your partner. The third and fourth verses are done facing, and circling on the spot. In the third, you take right and then left hands to circle; in the fourth you take both hands; opening out and the very end to finish holding ordinary hands once more.
Each verse takes one repetition of the music, which consists of three repeated phrases (AA BB CC). The steps to the first phrase - the "verse" in other versions - are quite varied. The second phrases are the "first and second chorus" in other versions: here, there isn't a chorus that repeats identically each time, but there are recurring patterns, often alluding to chorus-steps familiar from other versions of Spagnoletta.
My favourite recording of Spagnoletta is that on Celeste Giglio. It's a good speed, but has six verses, so is the right length for the Spagnoletta Nuova for three and two verses too long for this Spagnoletta. The whole CD is a little quiet, though beautiful.
I don't know of a four-verse recording of Spagnoletta. I tend to use this one anyway - either stopping the music after four verses, leaving a verse without dancing at the beginning and the end, or repeating the first two verses of the dance (i.e. 1-2-3-4-1-2)
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