The country of Italy lies in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and in the south of Europe. It has 59 million inhabitants (2022) and shares borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, the Vatican, and San Marino.

The Tarantella dance

The Tarantella dance is a folk dance that originated in the southern part of Italy. It is a common dance for weddings, where it gets danced in 3/8- or 6/8-measure. Its origins date back many centuries. The Tarantella dance can be translated as “Dance of the Spider,” and the term “Tarantella” is closely related to the word “tarantism,” which describes the state of a person who got bitten by a tarantula. Its name is also linked to the city of Taranto, which is located in Puglia. In the fifteenth century, it was the general assumption that the bite of the tarantula is specially venomous, and that had a change of character as a consequence.
After a person got bitten by a tarantula, the locals tried to cure the victim by calling a musician and letting the victim dance the Tarantella dance. In many cases, the person would only stop dancing when the venom had left its body or he or she was too exhausted. Even though, in reality, the venom was expelled naturally after some time, locals and scholars credited the curing powers of the dance for it. Only when the victim was considered cured again did the people stop their dance. The music that accompanied it was usually very rhythmic and was referred to as “Pizzica” which originates from the Italian word for “bite” that is “pizzico”. Instruments that were used for it were guitars and mandolins, but also tambourines.
Over time, this dance evolved from the supposed last resort of a spider bite to a popular folk dance that can be danced individually, in small groups, or with a partner. There are many different variations of the Tarantella dance that can be danced differently. One of them is a partner dance that involves tambourines that are played by the two partners. Both of the dancers start by looking in the same direction and standing next to one another. Then they both do a so-called cross-step, while the woman also shakes the tambourine in a clockwise circle in the tact of the music. The dance also incorporates the special “tarantella step” which is performed by both dancers by placing their hands on their hips and doing a low kick with their right foot. This movement gets repeated, but with the left foot. This step gets repeated many times during the dance.

Ballu Sardu

Another popular folk dance is “Ballu Sardu” whose origins are mostly unknown. However, it is assumed that it originated from holy, prehistoric ceremonial acts that were created in order to show gratitude, but it was also an expression of cohesion. Unfortunately, this information is not transmitted on paper but only verbally.
The dance of Ballu Sardu is usually performed by couples who position themselves in an open or closed circle. The individual dancers are connected to each other by holding their neighbors hands. This should mirror their feelings of cohesion and solidarity.

Sources:
https://danceask.net/5-most-famous-italian-folk-dances/
https://iamla.org/docs/IAMLA_TarantellaLesson.pdf
https://www.wikihow.com/Dance-the-Tarantella
https://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+new+type+of+physical+activity+from+an+ancient+tradition%3A+the…-a0428181441
https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=HRCA&u=googlescholar&id=GALEA428181441&v=2.1&it=r&sid=googleScholar&asid=bf9120cc
https://de.statista.com/themen/119/italien/#dossier-chapter2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy