A Dance Lesson at the class of Mastro Santucci, 1614
(Barbara Sparti)

The dancing lesson will include a number of Santucci's steps ("old" steps done in different ways, and "new" steps unique to Santucci); inserting the steps in parts of one or two of Santucci's choreographies;  one of Santucci's 30 Rules for cinque passi passeggi (or variations) made up of 12 parts. The presentation will enable participants to get an over-all view of how Santucci builds up the training of his male students by adding new and challenging steps.  This Rule would probably have been taught over many different lessons as the student progressed, rather than in 15 minutes!

Barbara Sparti, Rome, Italy

Barbara Sparti is a dance historian specialized in 15th-17th century Italian dance.  She founded and directed “Gruppo  Danza Rinascimentale” (1975-88), and choreographed period works for stage and TV.  She has been Visiting Professor at University of California, Los Angeles , guest lecturer-choreographer in Israel and at University of Califonia, Santa Cruz, and at Princeton University (in residence April 2002).  She has given workshops all over Europe as well as in the USA, Canada, Japan, Israel.  Besides her edition-translation of Guglielmo Ebreo's 1463 treatise (Oxford University Press) and her Introduction to the facsimile edition of Santucci's 1614 treatise (Olms), recent publications deal with aesthetics, Jewish dancing-masters, improvisation, iconography, traditional dance, moresca (15th-18th centuries), and Italian baroque dance.