Dances With Spiders: Crisis, Celebrity and Celebration in Southern Italy

With its roots in one of the most well known and long-lasting healing rituals to be found in Europe, the tarantula s music and dance has returned to the limelight. For centuries, the rite of the tarantula was the only cure for those bitten or possessed by the mythic Apulian spider. Its victims had to dance to the pizzica pizzica (the local tarantella) for days on end. Today, the pizzica has become a popular music and dance craze. This book explores how and why it has boomed in the Salento, creating repercussions on a national and international level. The author asks whether this current popularity has anything to do with the historic ritual of tarantism and whether the intention of recovering well being still comes into play. While personal stories and experiences confirm this, a vital shift appears in the Salento: from the confrontation of life crises to the vibrant promotion and celebration of a local sense of identity and celebrity.