segunda-feira, março 31, 2008
Quentin
Tarantism: a dancing mania or malady of late medieval Europe
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Taranto, in Italy, was hit by a malady that would come to be known as "tarantism" and was characterized by a hysterical impulse to dance. Victims were said to dance ecstatically until they collapsed in total exhaustion.
Some people claimed tarantism was caused by the bite of the European wolf spider - which is also known as the tarantula (and is also named after Taranto) - and that dancing off the venom was the only cure.
Musicians supposedly traveled to the region to help cure the epidemic, and some believe that the Italian folk dance called the "tarantella" resulted from the craze.
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Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Taranto, in Italy, was hit by a malady that would come to be known as "tarantism" and was characterized by a hysterical impulse to dance. Victims were said to dance ecstatically until they collapsed in total exhaustion.
Some people claimed tarantism was caused by the bite of the European wolf spider - which is also known as the tarantula (and is also named after Taranto) - and that dancing off the venom was the only cure.
Musicians supposedly traveled to the region to help cure the epidemic, and some believe that the Italian folk dance called the "tarantella" resulted from the craze.
