GYPSY TRANCE DANCE
Come and join our Nomadic Transfigurating Dance Tribe
It’s a dance style, a fusion of music, dances, genre and cultures migration of ancient form of folk dances and rites,
revisited and transformed into a global modern language to be used on the dance floor.
In our modern world the state of ecstatic dance or simply dance on the dance floor it is exclusively known as a solo individual dance. Gypsy trance dance it is a dance of contact and partnership an engaging dance of liberating therapeutic, body communication. We want to fall into a state of within trance with a partner, into a captivating, passionate connection.
GYPSY TRANCE DANCE
A central part of the workshop will be to learn how to fully express yourself with a liberating dance language that can be share with a partner anywhere on the dance floor.
Through continuous rhythm, beautiful repetition of circular movements and choreographic figures, together with a partner will liberate and invigorate the energy within. The dancer will transcends into a trance-like state, much like the trance-inducing movements of the Sufis. In this workshop we’ll experience how movement, dance, drumming and music help us to release anxiety and stress, dissolve sexual blocks and open us up to receive from the heart, by bringing the mind and body into a total state of relaxation and joy.
True liberating experience!!
Workshop: The workshop is one weekly session of 2 hours.
Preparation of the Magic Circle:
-We will begin the session with the space’s purification for casting the circle, in which rituals, magical work and ceremonies are conducted, meditation, visualization, breathing, drumming and "other esoteric methods" used to raise consciousness of participants.
Learn the dance:
-The first part is dedicated towards teaching and experimenting with the movements from Pizzica & Tammoriata with traditional, original music, tambourine and castanets.
-The second is an open jam session during which participants dance and improvise with modern house trance tribal music set the learnt movements along with live rhythm and music to lead them into a trance-like state of joy and freedom.
Participants will learn the unique style of:
TAMMORRIATA - This is a beautiful, sensual dance from Naples, Southern Italy, danced with castanets to the rhythm of the large drum, called Tammorra. The movements and rhythm are set to an African beat played in 4/4 time. The dance is actually related to ancient fertility rites. This powerful dance is done during the rituals held in the summer in honour of the black Madonna (Mother Earth), originally ancient rites for the Earth Goddess Cybele. The therapeutical effects of this pagan ritual, came to us spontaneously.
THE PIZZICA TARANTATA - The wild 6/8 rhythm of the Pizzica, played on medium size tambourines and accompanied by dance and song, was performed as an exorcism ritual that produced a trance-like state beneficial for healing many mental-health disorders and imbalances. This dance from Puglia originated from the ancient Greek rites that women performed in a collective euphoria in honour of the God Dionysus.
Note: Women should wear skirts and everyone should bring a scarf. Castanets will be provided.
GRETA CAPONNETTO
GYPSY TRANCE DANCER AND TEACHER
Greta Caponnetto-
I belive that art save my life and for all my life I have been experienging art in so many form of expression, but dance has been alwais present in any of my artwork embodies and celebrates dance as ritual and release.
I learned and practiced how to express my self through many other art forms, which involves movement, rhythm and dance. I’m a fire dancer, theatrical stilts dancer, pizzica, tammoriata and contemporary dancer. I play guitar, tambourine and I sing. I love sharing my skills to those who want to discover and feel the movement of spirit and experience the freedom within dance. I believe and it is my living experience that Art can act as a cure and inspiration for our spirit.
I studied pizzica, tammoriata and the “circular” fire dance techniques over the past 5 years. Through these techniques I immediately recognized the therapeutic and enjoyable power that comes from these art forms. Since then, I began research and learnt everything regarding the music, the song, the dance, and the history of these benefic dances. In 2007 I wrote my graduation thesis in anthropology, which was about the study of the anthropological roots of pizzica & tammoriata. The thesis elaborated on how these dances were strongly based in to pagan ritual which has similarites all around the world in any shamanic, magic, ancient ritual in the name of fertility and mother earth.
I have been dancing, singing and performing fire dance, theatrical stilts dance, pizzica and tammoriata in many public venue in Italy, Germany, Egypt and Thailand both as a solo performer and with the all community of artists whose interest in ancient tradition is growing around the globe."
My desire is to share these practices, arouse passion, and recover our sacred feminine ground with people from all around the world.
Since then I have been studying and practiced dance as a form of Yoga, placing emphasis on the importance of alignment and clarity in each movement, and taught dance as a way of life and liberation, not a mere vehicle of performance.
Gypsy dance in Labour
The Gypsy
Tammoriata
Pizzica taranta
