Tarantella at your wedding: when to schedule the show
Couples getting married in Sorrento or on the Amalfi Coast often ask us the same thing: we love the idea of a tarantella at our wedding, but when should it happen? The answer depends on the flow of your reception, the layout of your venue and the effect you want on your guests. Below we compare the five moments when Sorrento Folk performs most often, with the pros, the cons and a few practical tips.
If the name is new to you: the tarantella sorrentina is the traditional folk dance of Sorrento, a couples' dance that in eighteenth-century Naples turned into a dance of celebration and courtship. You can read the full story on our origins page.
Welcome drinks or the grand entrance
Welcoming the guests
This is when guests arrive from the ceremony, drink in hand, in a garden or on a terrace.
- Pros: it breaks the ice between guests who don't know each other, fills the wait while you are busy with photos, and makes friends who have travelled from abroad feel instantly at home in Sorrento.
- Cons: attention is scattered, people chat and move around, and the two of you will probably miss most of it.
- Tip: it is the perfect moment for audience participation. The dancers hand out tamburelli and nacchere (tambourines and castanets) and get guests to try a few steps.
The couple's grand entrance
The dancers greet the newlyweds and lead them into the reception, officially opening the party.
- Pros: real wow factor. Everyone is gathered and looking the same way, and it is one of the most photographed moments of the day.
- Cons: timing has to be precise. If the photo shoot runs over, the dancers wait in costume and so does the kitchen.
- Tip: agree on a simple cue with your wedding planner, such as a call or a text, so the music starts at exactly the right moment.
During dinner or at the cake cutting
During dinner
The show fits between two courses, while guests are seated.
- Pros: an attentive audience with a good view for everyone. It is the best slot for a full show, with several tarantellas in a row and, if included, traditional characters such as the Pazzariello and Pulcinella.
- Cons: it pauses the service, so it has to be agreed with the kitchen and the maître d', and you need clear space between the tables.
- Tip: ask the venue which break between courses suits them best, and check the dance area in advance.
Cutting the cake
A tarantella around the two of you, just before or just after the cake, as a grand finale.
- Pros: a joyful ending. Guests are relaxed and happy to join in, and it makes for great photos and video.
- Cons: late in the evening some guests (older relatives, families with young children) may already have left, and it can clash with fireworks or the start of the DJ set.
- Tip: fix the exact running order, for example cake, toast, tarantella, then dance music.
The surprise
One of you, or friends and family, book the show without telling anyone else.
- Pros: genuine emotion and spontaneous reactions. One of our favourite photos shows a groom on one knee in front of his bride, surrounded by the dancers. That is the kind of memory a surprise can create.
- Cons: you need the wedding planner and the venue on board, plus somewhere the dancers can change and wait out of sight.
- Tip: choose one trusted person to coordinate with us, so the secret stays a secret.
Practical tips, whichever moment you choose
- Timing: tell us when the show should start and when we can arrive. The length of the show is usually agreed according to the moment you choose.
- Space: the tarantella sorrentina is a couples' dance full of turns and sideways steps, like the traversè and the rondeau described on our dance page. We need a flat, clear surface. If the floor is grass, gravel or slippery tiles, let's talk about it beforehand.
- Music and sound: check with the venue whether there are volume or time limits for outdoor music.
- Coordination: your wedding planner, venue, photographer and DJ should all have the show in their timeline.
- More than one moment: you don't have to pick just one. A popular combination is the welcome drinks plus the cake cutting.
How to choose
In short: to get guests involved, go for the welcome or the cake cutting; for a show to sit back and watch, choose dinner; for maximum impact, the grand entrance; to move someone to tears, the surprise.
Still unsure? Tell us how your day is planned and Daniela Esposito will help you find the right moment. See what we offer on our tarantella for weddings page, or request a quote with your date, venue and number of guests.
