L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano ELIZABETH SALTHOUSE The mesmerising spider dance of Galatina ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES H er foot taps, slowly at first but then more insistently. The beat quickens and her legs begin to twitch. And as the rhythm builds to a frenzied crescendo the young woman writhes and thrashes, possessed and entranced by the poison coursing through her veins. Only Galatina's mesmerizing danza delle tarantate, or dance of the spiders can release her from the misery. If you're heading to Puglia this summer, here's what to expect. La danza delle tarantate The first you'll know of a tarantata dance is when the pizzi- ca band approaches and begins to build the atmosphere. First the violin takes up the melody, then the chitarra battente, or local 5- string guitar, joins in, followed by an organetto accordion or two, adding folksy harmony. As they fuse together the music gathers pace. And then the insistent, relentless, clamorous beat of the tamburello framed drums and tambourines really kick off the dance and drama. Meanwhile, a barefoot young woman, or occasionally a man, dressed all in bridal white draws close, crawling on her hands and knees. She sits at the feet of the musicians, listening intently to the music, soaking up the energy and growing frenzy. Gradually the beat seems to enter the dancer, setting her foot tapping and her knee trembling. It cours- es through her body like electrici- ty, making her writhe as if pos- sessed or crawl across the stone floor, clapping her hands to the tamburines's rhythm. But this is only the first phase of the hypnot- ic drama. The band's mesmerizing music urges the dancer or taran- tata on as she gingerly rises to her feet to join her dancing sisters circling around her. She grasps a colored veil or scarf from one of the women and begins to draw wild wide silken shapes in the air with a wonderful fluidity. But despite dancing alongside the others, she is still somehow dis- tanced and separate from them, clearly troubled and agitated by something. And the tension is palpable as the dance reaches its third and final phase. The tarantata spins and reels, profoundly powered by the pizzi- ca music as the frenzied fiddler drives everyone to the dramatic crescendo. She lurches, collaps- ing to the floor to crawl on her hands and knees into the chapel of St. Paul in Galatina that acts as the theatre for the finale act. And as the young bride-like dancer clings to the altar, sits underneath it and prays over it, the pain, dis- tress and agitation that had been coursing through her body finally seem to subside. At last the tarantata is calm and the dance is over. It is a pure, unadulterated spectacle and won- derful to watch. But there is far more to this than just music and dance. The origins and history of it add yet another layer of fasci- nation, drawing visitors from all over the country every year. So what does it all mean? The history of the dance of the spiders Born way down in the Apulian heel of the Italian boot, the danza delle tarantate is clear- ly a heady mix of music, religion and peasant culture all rolled into one. It is thought that the origins stretch back to the pagan Dea Madre, or the Great Mother, who represented motherhood, fertility, birth and the earth's fecund abun- dance. Today two main theories attempt to explain the current form of the dance that sees a bride writhing on the floor before being "healed" in the church of St. Paul. And each is persuasive. Many believe the dance to be an ancient folk ritual to cure poi- sonous spider bites. Certainly it's one theory that carries some weight, especially when you real- ize that taranta is the local dialect for spider - and by the way, is also where we get the name tarantula - while pizzica means bite. So is all the twirling, twist- ing and thrashing simply meant to cleanse the victim's body of the noxious spider venom? Are dancers caught up in a trance or hypnotic stupor brought on by nature's toxins perhaps? Or does the poison cause the writhing? No one is quite sure and thankfully today the dancers merely play out the symbolic story without real spider bites. So they swoon from the figurative poison and slump to a dramatic depiction of death before recov- ering by the curative rebirthing powers of the dance. But there is another interpretation to the dance to consider. Tarantata dancers dress all in white just like brides. But they're not brides of the spider, or even brides unlucky enough to be bit- ten on their wedding day. No, these are would-be brides of St. Paul and many believe their dance is a metaphor of society's ills: depression, anxiety and even sexual frustration, all of which need to be exorcised by the old saint at his tiny chapel in Galatina. Or maybe this extraordi- nary drama isn't of Italian ori- gins at all. Puglia has old, strong links with the Middle East via old sail- ing and trade routes. So some think the dance came in from the East. And certainly there is a his- tory of similar sorts of dances existing in what was once Persia and is now modern day Iran, so it's not implausible that the Saracens brought more than just trade goods with them at the height of trade. Ultimately, however, as with much folklore, we may never know why the spectacular danza delle tarantate first started or what it really means. But whether spiders, saints, Saracens or a mix of all three are behind it, it has a truly spellbinding effect on all those involved. So if you're heading for Puglia this summer keep your eyes peeled for the mesmerizing spider dance of Galatina; just be careful you're not bitten by the bug. Born way down in the Apulian heel of the Italian boot, the danza delle tarantate is clearly a heady mix of music, religion and peasant culture all rolled into one Many believe the dance to be an ancient folk ritual to cure poisonous spider bites

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