Folk Group
A BRIEF HISTORY:
The Folkloric association was born in Petina (SA) back in the 1970 with the name “Innesto”, then called “’A Spiga Rossa”, because of the traditional use of cornhusking.
Our dances reprise everyday life scenes, they talk about unrequited love and describe convivial moments.
Other dances reprise ancient uses, like the “Musc’tor” dance, from the name of the amphora which was usually to take water from the source to the houses. In the same way “Il ballo degli scialli” celebrate a piece of the women’s dress, worn on celebration days.
From our songs repertory came out the same themes: from the lover’s “Serenate”, sung by the husband to the future wife, to nostalgic ones dedicated to storyteller origins.
OUR DANCES:
Ballo degli scialli: the mean character in this dance is the “shawl”, a red cloth triangle, handmade and worn by women on celebration days. The shawl is a garment that our grandmothers used as headgear to go to church, or they used to put it on the shoulders to enrich their suits. In this dance, it is possible to look at different choreographic figures in which the shawl is put in evidence to exalt its beauty.
Musc’tor: the amphora’s dance remembers the use of an old tradition where women used to carry water from the ancient source.
Polka: it is one of the first dances recovered from our ancestors. It’s a conviviality moment born after hard-working days. From a mixture of sounds and rhythms comes a bumpy dance that we nicely call “ciambottola”, a typical dish prepared with various ingredients: tomatoes, peppers, onions, eggplants and basil. It’s an uncontrolled dance of “A’ Spiga Rossa”.
Gli Innamorati: that’s our love dance. Men court their lover with a rhythmic move.
Tarantella Civile e Tarantella Paesana: tarantellas are typical dances of south Italy, especially of the Salerno hinterland. The first one, called “Tarantella Civile”, follows a fixed choreography. The main feature of the second one, called “Tarantella Paesana”, is the improvisation of the dancers. The rhythm is marked by a traditional percussion instrument called “Mangano”, which was used to beat the brooms.
Quadriglia: it is a typical dance from popular tradition, used to entertain and greet the audience.
Cicerenella: it is a popular song that comes from an ancient catchy doggerel. It talks about the adventures of a small girl called “Cicerenella”.
OUR COSTUMES:
The female suit is composed of a long and ample blue skirt, pleated on the hips and adorned with coloured and gilded ribbons at the bottom. ll bodice, narrow and button-through, is full of gilded decorations along the edges. At the back is sewn a stuffing that creates support on the hips for the big skirt. From the armholes’ edge, two ribbons go down, that need to support for two typical half-sleeves. The shirt, a precious and authentic garment, embroidered on the front, has very large sleeves and narrow wrists. The pink satin apron, which we usually call “mantsin”, gives a touch of grace and delicacy. The red shawl worn on the shoulders wants to testify to the strong and aggressive character of our women. To complete the clothing we have the white tablecloth, to testify the ability of the woman in to hold it in her head as long as possible, to show men their pride.
Typical of the south of Italy is the men’s suit, which includes long pants up to the knees made of black cloth and both sides adorned with red flakes; a vest from the same material, a red foulard and a band of red satin on the hips.
Contacts:
Ciro Marino (President) – 338 808 5392
Email: aspigarossa@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/A-Spiga-Rossa-285003909248/