It’s understandable if the name tarantella sounds vaguely familiar. Tarantella is an alternate Italian spelling of tarantula, most likely referring to the wolf spider found in various parts of Italy. In its origins, the word tarantella refers to a spider, and some of the more modern pieces of tarantella music may sound like a spider, but the dance version was more often used to treat spider bites, which was a futile effort because vigorous dancing would only cause the venom to be absorbed further by the body.
The tarantella is primarily an Italian country partner dance with a lot of twirling and spinning. Madame Michau popularized it as a ballroom dance in the nineteenth century, and it was performed in France and England. The ballroom dance is quite different from the country Italian dance, but it retains the essential elements. Music for the tarantella is usually in 6/8 or 3/4 time, though some versions in 4/4 time with a lot of triplets can be found. Despite the fact that the dance is partnered, many of the steps are taken away from each other, and steps together are frequently taken side by side rather than face to face.
The steps are often in triples, such as triple gallop steps to the left and right. Women can partner with other women in the country dance version, but a male and female partner is required in the ballroom dance. The dance is always energetic, and it celebrates a woman’s dominance over admiring men (at least during the dance).
There are several theories as to where the dance came from. The dance may have originated in Tarentum, a small Italian village, though some speculate that this type of ecstatic dancing dates back even further to Grecian women’s dances honoring the god Dionysius. Women in Italy may have suffered from a malaise and illness known as tarantata, tarantismus, or tarantate between the 15th and 17th centuries. The treatment consisted of vigorous dancing (not such an unsound way to cure minor depression). Some people believe that a spider bite caused tarantate, but there’s no evidence that a spider existed in Italy that could cause depression or delusions.
Another possibility is that the dance as “treatment” was a way to get around church prohibitions on dancing, which was considered a sinful act at the time. People could rejoice in doing a dance that clearly referenced men and women’s relationships if the dance was safe for medical purposes, or so it was thought. This wasn’t sinful; rather, it was “medicine.” In modern times, you can find many different versions of the music, regardless of its origin.
The music can be heard in the opening scenes of The Godfather at Connie’s wedding, as well as in the sequels. You can also watch the ballet La Tarentule, which was choreographed and performed for the first time in 1839, if you can find it on VHS or DVD. You might see the tarantella danced if you happen to attend a very traditional Southern Italian wedding. It is believed that, in the past, most weddings in southern Italy would have included the dance, as depicted in Coppola’s films.