Number of participants: 16
Languages: English, French, Italian
Price: 2600 CZK/Students: 2000 Kč

Letizia Dradi

Letizia Dradi is a prominent Italian dancer, choreographer and dance teacher who began her dance and choreographic career in 1992 in Urbino, Italy with B. Sparti, V. Daniels and D. C. Colona.

She studied musical paleography and philology at the University of Cremona (Italy) and in 2002 she studied folk dance at Laban Modern Educational Dance (Danzaeducatore © Mousike, Bologna).

Leticie Dradi toured several times throughout Europe, Asia and America, performing with important ensembles: La Petite Bande directed by S. Kujiken, Le Concert des Nations by J. Savall, Doulce Mémoire, Dowland Consort J. Lindberg, Elyma G. Garrido , La Follia by G. Fabiano, Micrologus, Musica Fiorita by D. Dolci, La Risonanza by F. Bonizzoni, Les Jardins de Courtoisie, Risonanze by C. Chiarappa, Norsk Barokkorkester G. von deer Gotz, R. Lislevand, Orchestra Barocca Civica Claudio Abbado Music School, Milan, R. Balconi.

She has also collaborated with Il Ballarino in several productions, most notably the “l’Harmonie du Monde”, inspired by the life of Leonardo da Vinci.

Overview of the most important professional lectures in the field of dance history: Society of Historical Dances (USA), Accademia Vaganova (Russia in St. Petersburg), Université de Paris-Sorbonne (France), International Historical Dance Symposium Burg Rothenfels am Main (Germany), University of Bologna, Teatro San Carlo-Conservatorio Napoli (Italy).

She organized lectures and dance workshops dedicated to dance on 15-18. century for children and adults in Italy (Conservatorio di Adria, Rovigo, Pesaro, Como, Brescia, Parma) and abroad (CSI Lugano, Switzerland, Rigve International Summer Course, Norway, Valtice, Czech Republic, Belgium, Slovenia, Paraguay, Indonesia).

Program of the class

Fiabe, ragni e regine – Fairy tales, spiders and queens: Dance as delight and cure in the 17th century

The 17th century constitutes a fundamental century in the history of both social and theatrical dance. In this period characterised by the search for the bizarre and the marvellous, dance, which combines different codes, offered multiple, often conflicting usages and significances. On the one hand, dance becomes an expression of refined control and good manners in the noble dances for noblewomen, but also an element of physical training for knights. Strength and health are the effects of this noble practice. Two dances by Fabritio Caroso in Nobiltà di dame are dedicated to the queens Maria de Medici regina di Francia and Margherita d’Austria, regina di Spagna: Nuova Regina and Alta Regina, dances expressing the most refined and virtuosic Italian style. Another composition by Caroso, however, takes us into a different realm, setting and context. It is the Conto dell’Orco, that signifies the tale of the ogre. This tale is narrated in Giambattista Basile’s famous book Lo Cunto de li Cunti.

Giambattista Basile (Parete -Caserta-1575 c.- Giugliano in Campania, 1632) who was an Italian scholar and writer of the Baroque era, the first to use the fairy tale as a form of popular expression, was also called the Neapolitan Boccaccio. Many of the dances in the treatises by Fabrizio Caroso and Cesare Negri are cited in his book: Basso delle Ninfe, Canario, Spagnoletta, Chiarantana, Chiarastella for exemple, along with dances whose music is known only.

From this and other tales it is clear that the dance was not only practiced by the nobles, but was in continuous dialogue with popular circles. Thanks to the studies of Athanasius Kircher (Fulda, 1602, Roma 1680) who worked in the Baroque Rome of the 17th century and travelled to South Italy, we have a very important description about Tarantella, the dance that saves from the bite of spiders. And spiders are also mentioned in the description of the Canario step in Thoinot Arbeau’s French treatise Orchésographie. Arbeau explains a step variation saying that we have to imagine crushing just one of these insects. In fact, the similarities between the two dances are evident, both musically and choreographically. The use of castanets in Italy and Spain also accompanies these compositions. Dance and cultured music intertwine and feed on popular traditions, giving us new interpretations and new insights into a rich and intriguing repertoire.