SCA Dance Cheat Sheets

Gelosia

Source: 15th century Italian; Joy and Jealousy

Setting: a three couple set

Version: 1.0

A: (2 bars in quadernaria (4/4), played twice, plus 2 more bars)

  1-2 (three times), 3-4 8 Saltarelli, starting left.

B: (3 bars in quadernaria (4/4), played twice.)

  5-6 Man 1 does 3 contrapassii (all left) around W1 to reverence
      left to W2,
    7 Man 2 Saltarello right to M1's place.
  5-6 Man 1 does 3 contrapassii (all left) around W2 to reverence
      left to W3.
    7 Man 3 Saltarello right to M2's place.

C: (1 bar in quadernaria (4/4).)

    8 Man 1 Saltarello right behind W1 to M3's place.

D: (2 bars in quadernaria (4/4), played twice.)

 9-10 (twice) (take hands) 8 Pive (starting left) (note double speed).

E: (1 bar in quadernaria (4/4), played 3 times.)

   11 (drop hands) Couple 1 piva left to mezavolta (turn 180 degrees to left),
   11 Couple 2 the same,
   11 Couple 3 the same, while all men mezavolta left to face up.
      (The women are now facing down, the men up.)

F: (3 bars in piva (2/4), played twice.)

12-14 (hold right hands) 3 sempii (starting left) to trade places,
12-14 (hold left hands) 3 sempii (starting right) to return to place.
      Men end with mezavolta to face forward.

Repeat dance twice more, until each man returns to his starting place.

Discussion:

Note that this version of Gelosia is by Domenico. Another Gelosia commonly danced in the SCA is the variant by Guglielmo Ebreo. It has a different number of starting saltarelli (12?), and part F is repeated a 3rd time, giving the men additional time to turn around.

Disclaimer: a cheat sheet does not do justice to explaining how to properly do a 15th century Italian dance.