Duchessa

Duchessa is a 15th Century Italian Dance which appears in two different manuscripts. It is classified as a bassadanza.

Reconstruction

This dance is performed by three people. The original instructions call for one man and two women.

Steps used

• continentia left and right (CL and CR)
• sempio left and right (SL and SR)
• doppio left and right (DL and DR)
• ripresa left and right (RpL and RpR)
• voltatonda left (VtL)
• saltarello left and right (SlL, SlR)
• mezavolta right (MzvR)
• riverentia (Rv)

Choreography

This dance begins with three dancers standing abreast, with the woman in the centre. Everybody performs a continentia left, a continentia right, and then advances with two sempi. The men continue with two doppi, while the woman performs a ripresa left and a ripresa right. The woman then performs two doppi while then men perform a ripresa left and a ripresa right. The woman should have made slightly larger doppi than the men did, and therefore be a little further forward. The woman performs a voltatonda right with one ripresa, while the men perform a ripresa forward to draw level. Everybody performs a volta del gioioso left, followed by two continentie, left and right.

1-2 CL, CR
3 SL, SR
4-5 DL, DR (men):RpL, RpR (woman)
6-7 DL, DR (woman):RpL, RpR (men)
8 RpL advancing (men):VtR(RpL)(woman)
9-10 VdG
11 CL, CR

Everybody performs two tempi of saltarelli advancing, then two riprese. The woman performs the second ripresa as a mezavolta. Everybody performs two doppi, the men moving away from the woman. Everybody performs a ripresa left as a mezavolta, followed by a ripresa right. In place of the ripresa right the first man (he who started on the left) performs a contintia right and a continentia left. He should now be standing directly opposite the woman. Everybody performs a doppio left, then as the first man performs a doppio right, the woman and the second man perform a continentia right and a continentia left.

Incomplete, to be continued, Conrad Leviston 06:26, 3 Nov 2005 (CST)