[SCA-Dance] Suggestions for 2 couple dances?

[White, John]

> From: Elisabeth Fairchild
> 
> Would anyone have a suggestion for a 2 couple dance or two that we
> could do? Preferably English Country. We're also in need of finding an
> Italian dance to do as the presentation dance. 
> 
> Any suggestions would be wonderful!
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Lady Elisabeth (Lynnaea) Fairchild
> Oaken Chronicler
> 
For ECD, there are a finite number of 2 couple dances, and they've
all been mentioned.  Parson's Farewell is pretty showy, as is St
Martins.
Cuckolds All a Row is cute, especially if people get the reference.

For Italian, I was going to suggest Mercantia especially as a showpiece
-
it tells a very clear story, and can be hammed up really well.  There
are
also a large number of 3-person 15th Century Italians - as suggested,
Belfiore is really easy, and Vita di Cholino has a verse-chorus
structure
(as popularly reconstructed) that makes it easy to learn as well.
There's
also the 3-person Rostiboli which is very showy.  And then there's also
the
16th century Bella Gioiosa which in its popular reconstruction is very
showy
as well.

     \\Dafydd Cyhoeddwr

PS  Joy and Jealousy will get you instructions for Mercantia, Belfiore
and
Vita.  My website (http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~white/ddance.html) will
give
you the various ECD reconstructions (though these are generally
available
throughout the web) as well as the 3-person Rostiboli.