Work Demonstration – “Stories of Tarante and knives”- Songs, dances and rituals from Southern Italy
Friday 10th October 2014, 20.00 – CafèThea, Przejście Żelaźnicze 4, Wrocław
Work demonstration based on the research developed by Diego Pileggi and Jubilo on the ritual of Tarantismo, Pizzica (traditional italian dance) and Pizzica a Scherma (traditional knife fight). During this evening we will present videos of the expedition in Salento (part of the Puglia region, IT), songs and dances that the actors gathered and developed as performative training of Jubilo.
The starting point of this “travel” through Southern Italy will be the sonorities and stories encountered along the way.
About the expedition:
In August 2010 Diego Pileggi organised an expedition to the italian region of Salento in order to develop his interest in music and learn about ancient rituals of his homeland.
A group of actors and musicians joined him. The aim of the expedition was an attempt to discover the ritual of Tarantismo on a physical and musical level as well as its connection to Dionysian cults and Greek mythology.
This ritual is a frenzied dance popularly believed to heal the deadly bite of a tarantula (spider present in the fields in Salento).
Practical research of this expedition revolved around physical and musical improvisations and while outside the studio, the artists met and interviewed old singers and “story carriers”, young singers and musicians, academics including as well as an ethnomusicologist and a researcher of Tarantismo. In the process of participating and witnessing local events and conducting interviews, the group created an archive composed of polyphonic songs, canti alla stisa, stornelli, lullabies, work songs, stories, dances and knife fight recordings. All of these materials then became a source of inspiration for pedagogical and performance purposes.
