Danza delle ore - the Gioconda Smile

Lisa del Giocondo

For no purpose as the "hours" aren't
about an hourglass. I just liked the picture

You'll recognize the beginning of this music as "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh" sung by Allen Sherman about a million years ago.(to be exact, "s 50 years ago). Actually it is from the Third Act of the Opera "La Giocanda" by Ponchielli.  La Giocanda is, of course the Lisa del Giocondo of Mona Lisa fame .... but you knew that.

There is a ballet in the third act and that's the music.  Its about 10 minutes of really good stuff.

"The ballet, accompanied by an orchestra, appears at the end of the third act of the opera, in which the character Alvise, who heads the Inquisition, receives his guests in a large and elegant ballroom adjoining the death chamber. The music and choreography represent the hours of dawn, day, twilight, night and morning. Costume changes and lighting effects reinforce the progression. The dance is intended to symbolize the eternal struggle between the forces of light and darkness."

Have some fun.  Get out that Giocondo smile.  Take your shoes off to dance and don't scuff the floor.