Italian traditional dances: Tarantella

Tarantella, a dance typical of certain regions of Southern Italy, has over the years drawn the attention of famous musicians such as former Police drummer Stewart Copeland (after the jump you will find one of his videos).
It seems that tarantella originated in Campania between the 14th and the 15th century, though its renaissance is partly due to the famous Taranta Nights, a colourful event that each summer takes place in Salento (Apulia) and during which people seem to lose all their inhibitions and let that rather obsessive rhythm take over; the name tarantella apparently derives from the infamous Lycosa tarantula wolf spider the bite of which causes fits and tremors; but there ‘s another tradition which associates the name Tarantella with the city of Taranto and the Tara river.

By the way, I hope you enjoyed our opening video featuring a performance by Maneka, a young band from Salento!