Present: William, Anna, Katherina
Warm-up: Rostiboli Gioioso for three
Main session - Pavaniglia - 4th mutanza:
Learned the whole of the man's 4th mutanza, on both sides (verses 11 and 12). Katherina practiced the woman's 4th mutanza, but didn't teach it.
Much more discussion of what makes a perfect fioretto ("perfect" being defined as "technically correct according to 16th descriptions; aesthetically pleasing; while being something we can do repeatedly without breaking ourselves"). New points for tonight: make sure weight is evenly spead over both feet, or even a little more on the back foot - don't end with weight over the front; if in doubt, don't rise quite so high on the toes - use ankles as shock-absorbers.
Revision - Canario:
Revised woman's 1st and 2nd mutanza. Practiced first half of dance, with both using woman's mutanze. Did some more work on spezzati schisciati. Spezzati schisciati are now working well; spezzati schischiati in saltini still need some work.
Learned rest of "structural verses" - the change of ends at half time, and the finale. Played around with various options for the finale, and for the initial circling. The result: we like having a tight circle at the beginning, and the woman returning to the head of the dance, just like Negri does. That means another tight circle in the finale, and a really flirty, interactive final sequence (when the woman does a 6-spezzato turn-in-the-contrapasso, while the man turns only to the left, in a sort of C-shape, and catches her at the end : very cute!).
Next Session:
Next practice is on Thursday evening: learn the woman's 3rd and 4th mutanza from Negri's Canario, and incorporate those into the broader structure; revise the 4th mutanza from Pavaniglia.
Note: Regular all-inclusive renaissance dance classes have finished for the year, and will re-start in February. Over summer Katherina Weyssin runs intensive classes for a few of her advanced students, where we look at more difficult material. If this appeals to you, come to regular dance classes for a year or so to build up your skills, and you might be ready to join us by next summer!