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Pungente Dardo (Ballarino)

Title translation: 
Stinging Dart
Dance Type: 
Number of dancers: 
2
About this choreography: 
Reconstructed 2007. Revised 2008, 2010.
Choreography: 

A couple stand facing, not holding hands but close enough to take hands easily.

First verse:

honour, change places and return

  • 1-4 Riverenza L
  • 5-8 2 Continenze LR
  • 9-12 take right hands, changes places with 2 Passi LR and a Seguito ordinario L
  • 13-16 take left hands, return to place with 2 Passi RL and a Seguito ordinario R

Chorus:

always done facing, not holding hands

1-2 2 Spezzati flankingly LR, the man advances while the woman retreats

3-4 3 Trabuchetti, LRL, and a pause

5-8 2 Continenze RL

9-12 2 Spezzati RL flankingly, woman advances man retreats, 3 Trabuchetti RLR

13-16 Riverenza L

Second verse:

take ordinary hands, walk forwards

1-8 4 Seguiti ordinarii LRLR, walking down the room together
9-12 Continenza L, 2 Riprese RR
13-16 2 Puntate LR forwards, then face partner

Chorus (turn to face, drop hands)

 

Third verse:

take right hands, change places

1-4 take right hands, change places with 2 Passi LR and a Seguito ordinario L

5-8 release hands, turn to left and separate a little with 2 Passi RL and a Seguito ordinario R

9-12 2 Puntate forwards LR, facing - you will briefly come very close together

13-16 2 Seguiti ordinarii LR flankingly backwards (don't get too far apart)

Chorus

Fourth verse:

left hands, change places

As in verse three, but taking left hands to return to place, then turning to the right. You still begin the seuqence with the left foot (as the previous verse finished with a seguito with the right).

Chorus

 

Sciolta

1-4 Puntata L forwards, Puntata R backwards

5-8 Continenza L, Finto R, ending with a small riverenza

9-16 4 Seguiti ordinarii LRLR; three circling your partner, turning to left in fourth, end facing a little way apart.

1-8 4 Seguiti ordinarii flankingly forwards LRLR to meet again

9-12 take both hands, 2 Continenze LR

13-16 final Riverenza L

 

Discussion: 

This is the Pungente Dardo that I dance most often, and like best. There is another version in Nobilta di Dame, somewhat more ornate, somewhat more symmetrical, but lacking - in my  opinion - much of the charm and wit that makes this choreography so delightful. In the later work Caroso abandoned the "chase" figure in the chorus in favour of one in which the man and the woman perform identical steps; and with it abandoned much of the conversational nature of his first dance.

Music: 

I don't have a commercially-available recording of Pungente Dardo. I use computer-generated music made for me by Alex Rossiter.