Michael Murano is an 11 year old boy whose ancestry dates back to the year 1540 to Alfonso and Russo Murano who lived in Salerno, Italy. Salerno Italy is located in the southwestern part of Italy, off the coast of the Gulf of Salerno, in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Renaissance is popularly called the rebirth of art in Europe and it was also the case for many different types of art, including dance, theater and fine art. In the 1600s, dance was used to tell stories in the form of ballets and was used as entertainment for the public. social classes. Renaissance people danced for many different reasons, from religious prayer to entertainment at social gatherings. Renaissance dance was highly choreographed with simple movements unlike modern dance. Cohen observed in 2001: “On the beat, the dancers rose, not fell. They held their upper bodies gracefully upright, keeping their hands mostly low. The lively movements were in the legs, where complicated steps, kicks, hops, and strikes displayed style and virtuosity” (283). The costumes that the dancers adorned were very traditional where men wore leggings and tunics while women were bogged down in heavy layered dresses that covered their legs and feet. These dances were sometimes performed as a solo performance, but most of the time they were performed in pairs. The dance was always performed to live music consisting of clavichords, a harpsichord, and a small drum to keep the dancers in time. Cohen pointed out, “The elite danced to small bands of drums, flutes, and several shawms (like oboes); the peasants often resorted to the bagpipes. The tempos varied from slow dan basso to fast passatello and piva” (283). These dancers were highly skilled graceful entertainers and were in great demand for entertainment... middle of paper ...... final life or death decision. Italy has come a long way since gladiatorial battles and has changed its focus on preserving its culture in art and religion. Italy is also home to some of the finest custom glass blowing in the world. Off the coast of Venice, Italy, lies the island of Murano where the Murano glass factory is home to the artisans who use Works Cited Cohen, E.S., & Cohen, TV (2001). Daily life in the Italian Renaissance. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.Grout, J. (n.d.). The Roman Gladiator. The Roman Gladiator. Retrieved November 11, 2013, from http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/gladiators.htmlKillinger, C. L. (2005). Culture and customs of Italy. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.Wilson, E., & Goldfarb, A. (2008). Theatre: the living art (6th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill.