Italian Folk Dancers For Parties or Corporate Entertainment
Allora, picture yourself at a colorful Italian festa and let the Gypsy Folk Ensemble paint in the details with music, costume, and a set of traditional Italian folk dances from the snowy Alps to sunny Sicily. We can bring you Italian dance entertainment to enliven a private or office party. How about a luncheon for a club or Senior Center - pasta, pizza, and Italian folk dances - a veritable feast! A birthday or anniversary celebration? - treat your guests to a Tarantella or two. And what could be more romantic than Italian dancers for a wedding reception?
We can also provide dancers for an Italian theme festival or community function or as support for the launch of a business service or product related to Italy. Contact us for more information on hiring Italian dancers for your entertainment.
 Dance From Aviano | Neapolitan Tarantella  | ||
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 Gypsy performs Italian folk dances at the Los Angeles County Mall for the Federated Italo-Americans of Southern California on Columbus Day | ||
Gypsy Folk Ensemble Italian Dancers on YouTube
Who have we worked with?
The Gypsy Folk Ensemble has been providing Italian dance entertainment to the Italian-American community and other groups in Southern California for more than 20 years. In addition to private parties and business functions, we have presented Italian heritage programs for the Federated Italo-Americans of Southern California, chapters of the Sons of Italy, and the Historic Italian Hall Foundation in downtown Los Angeles.
Gypsy has also brought Italian traditional dance performances to events for the 1994 World Cup in Los Angeles, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, the Santa Cruz Brussels Sprouts and Italian Heritage Festival, the Installation Ball for the Italian American Lawyers Association (IALA) at the San Antonio Winery, and for the Franciscan Friars at the historic Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside.
 Tarantella Siciliana |  Bal del Truc |  La Lavandera |  Tarantella Napoletana |
Tarantella
What are the origins of this most famous of all Italian folk dances? Well, actually, we don't know. In the 15th century and later in Italy there was a phenomenon known as "tarantism". This was a condition supposedly caused by the bite of a spider (or scorpion) which could lead to death if not cured by music and a dance: the tarantella. But many Italian dance historians argue that this early solo tarantella done for curative purposes is a separate dance from the flirtatious courtship dance we usually think of as the tarantella, with both deriving their name from the southern Italian town of Taranto. So where did the couple version come from? Some claim it as a 17th or 18th century importation from Spain or southern France, others trace it to an old dance from Naples, the Villanella, still others say it may be a combination of all these dances.
Where Do We Perform?
The Gypsy Folk Ensemble provides Italian dancers for private parties and business entertainment in Los Angeles, Orange County and other areas of Southern California. Contact us now for availability and more information on incorporating our Italian dance programs into your special occasion. You can also hire Italian dancers in costume to meet and greet your guests at an Italian theme party, a wedding reception, a corporate event, or a company party.