Spanish dances are widely popular all over the world. Their names are known to many. At the same time, few people thought about where they originate from. But the names of Spanish dances (listed below) people knew in ancient times. Even the dance forms that existed during the Hellenistic era have survived to this day.
General information
For many millennia, Spain was known as Iberia. Its first inhabitants were characterized by a very diverse ethnic composition, which made Spanish folk dances, whose names are very sonorous, so unique and diverse. The dance art was largely influenced by the Celts who lived in Iberia in the year 500 BC, as well as the Moors, who occupied Spain for seven hundred years.
Even greater diversity in the ethnic composition was made by Jewish immigrants and Indian and Pakistani gypsies who arrived in Spanish lands after it was conquered by Castile. Connection of ethnic forms and new immigrant cultures inart led to the fact that unusual Spanish dances appeared. Their names are familiar to everyone today. Each dance has unique features according to the region where it originated. This is not surprising, because each region of Spain has its own cultural roots and specific features.
Spanish dances: names
Historically, the most temperamental and passionate women and men live in Andalusia and other provinces of Spain. They know how to love passionately, without looking back, and suffer bitterly. Such an uncontrollable passion revealed to the world the beloved Spanish dances. Names such as flamenco, bolero, paso doble are on everyone's lips today. Undoubtedly, these dances are the most emotional in the world. They combine the rhythms of castanets, the southern temperament, the sounds of the guitar, the honed movements of stately brunettes and brunettes.
Not everyone knows that Spanish dances include many stylistic incarnations and varieties. Consider individual species.
Flamenco
If you ask any person to say the name of the famous Spanish dance, with almost one hundred percent probability he will pronounce the word "flamenco". And indeed it is. This most popular dance in the world originated in the lands of Andalusia, when the gypsies arrived there in the fifteenth century. It was they who formed a special dance caste.
There are many theories as to why flamenco got its name. Some consider it synonymous with the word "gitano", which translates from Spanish jargon as "gypsies". Others identify the origin of the term with the Flemish soldiers who guarded the Spanish-Belgian territories. They wore special clothes that emphasized ostentatious pride and self-confidence. The same qualities were inherent in the character of the gypsies.
Thus, it is impossible to know for sure where the name of the famous Spanish dance - flamenco - came from. But if you study all the available sources, they will lead us to Seville, Cadiz and Jerez. In general, flamenco includes two schools: Castilian and Andalusian. The first is characterized by poorer and dry postures and movements. The second one is somewhat pretentious.
Gypsies say that flamenco expresses their soul. Now this dance is popular not only in Spain, but all over the world. It is probably even a mistake to position it as exclusively Spanish or Gypsy - this is a unique combination of dance forms of all the peoples who have lived in Spain throughout its history.
Fandango
This Spanish dance, whose name comes from a Portuguese folk song, originated in the region of Huelva. Flamenco had a significant influence on the development of fandango. It is based on the typical courtship dance spins and figures. In the provinces of Andalusia, various variations of the fandango are now popular, but only the special features of the old style that originated in Huelva make this dance unsurpassed. However, it must be said that the fandango is little known outside of Spain.
Paso Doble
In fact, this dance originated in the south of France, but its movements,drama and sound reflect the bullfight - the Spanish bullfight. From Spanish, the word "paso doble" is translated as "double step". The dance is based on music that sounds at the time when the bullfighters enter the arena, or just before the bull is killed. Paso doble is characterized by speed of movement - it consists of turns and steps. Currently, the Latin American dance program is indispensable without it.
Bolero
This is the national dance of Spain, originated by a court dancer named Sebastian Cerezo. He invented it back in 1780 for his French ballet. Dance forms from Morocco were taken as a basis. Bolero can be called one of the oldest "school" dances. Presumably its name comes from the Spanish verb "volar", which translates as "fly". This is due to the fact that during the performance of the bolero there is a feeling that the dancers seem to be floating in the air.
Since the eighteenth century, a lot of dance compositions have been created. The guitar is used as an accompaniment. This national dance is one of the most beloved among the Spanish people. Thanks to interesting dance steps and beautiful rhythms, he became famous all over the world.
Bolero can be performed by one pair of a man and a woman or several pairs at once. There is a version of the dance in the form of a quadrille.
Sarabande
This dance has been known in Spain since the twelfth century. Once upon a time, the Catholic Church even insisted on itprohibition, since some frank movements were used during the performance, the grace and curves of the female body were too openly demonstrated. The songs under which the sarabande was performed were also considered indecent. Then a conscious rethinking of the dance began, as a result of which it became more solemn and serious. They even began to perform it at funerals, and the music was written to order in a minor scale.
All this led to the fact that in the seventeenth - eighteenth centuries an ennobled version of the sarabande spread throughout Western Europe as a ballroom dance. However, by the middle of the eighteenth century, it had lost its popularity.
Ethnic dances
In general, the first dances that appeared in Spain were based on the theme of magic. They were based on a variety of religious rituals that were inextricably linked with the cycles of nature. For example, witch dance has been popular in the Basque Country since the times of paganism. Its name is Sorgin Dantza. In addition, the Basques have a sword dance, symbolizing the arrival of spring, the Galicians. Also, this people is known for its martial dance art. These dances involve two competing dancers using sticks or swords. Their jumps look breathtaking and grandiose.
In Spain, folk dances in a circle are popular, in which both men and women participate. People stand in a circle, join hands and perform certain steps simultaneously. There is a Catalan sardana dance, when men and women also stand in a circle,take the neighbors by the hands, lift them up and begin to move with slow steps.
Each Spanish dance is a story of its people and shows the colorfulness and individuality of its soul.
