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***** Tarantella
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The tarantella (tarentule, tarentella, tarantelle, tarentelle, tarantel) is a traditional dance 6/8 or 4/4 time characterised by the rapid whirling of couples. There are several local variations of this dance, including the Neapolitan, Sicilian, Apulian and Calabrian tarantellas. It is led by a central singer/speaker. A tarantella is also a song that can be played by instrumentalists. Sometimes the word used for the song is taranta ("tarantella" is in fact a diminutive dialectal form for "tarantula", a common kind of spider).

The time signature, the fact that it is led by a caller, and several of the figures suggest that the tarantella may be related to contra dance.

It is named after Taranto in southern Italy, and is popularly associated with the large local wolf spider or "tarantula" spider (Lycosa tarantula) whose bite was allegedly deadly and could be cured only by frenetic dancing (see tarantism). In actual fact the spider's venom is not dangerous enough to cause any severe effects. The spiders, far from being aggressive, avoid human contact.

The tarantella can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and may have evolved from an even older dance. According to legend, an epidemic of tarantula poisonings spread through the town of Taranto. The victims (tarantata) were typically farm women or others whose daily life might reasonably bring them into contact with the kinds of spiders that run in the fields. These supposed victims of spider bites would dance while villagers played mandolins or tambourines. Various rhythms were used until one worked, vigorous dancing ensued, and eventually the tarantata was cured. Many people have suggested that the whole business was a deceit to evade religious proscriptions against dancing. Others, more accurately, state that it was a metaphor regarding female sexual desires and that by dancing frenetically these subsided and avoided problems in an era and area of Europe where sexual freedom wasn't particularly encouraged

Regional variations on the tarantella abound, with the versions from Naples and Sicily probably the most widespread. This dance is a staple of some old-fashioned Southern Italian weddings.

Despite some speculative accounts, there are no arachnids known to have hallucinogenic venom. Instances of dancing mania however, have been explained as ergot intoxication, or ergotism, known in the Middle Ages as "St. Anthony's Fire" which is caused by eating rye infected with Claviceps purpurea, a small fungus that contains toxic and psychoactive chemicals (alkaloids), including lysergic acid (used in modern times to synthesize LSD). Whether unusual psychological states caused by these or other agents were sometimes mistaken for the effects of spider bites is unknown.

Dancing the tarantella alone was said to be unlucky, and thus it was always a couples dance, involving either a man and a woman, or two women. The tarantella is a circle dance, performed clockwise until the music in the set changes to become faster, after which everyone changes direction. This cycle occurs several times, eventually becoming so fast that it is very difficult to keep up with the beat. The music is generally led by a mandolin.