SPANISH FOLK DANCING
We will be learning three dances, one very easy, another a little bit difficult and one more difficult still but that can be learned provided that people take it easy. A comfortable more or less ankle-length skirt and shoes with a heel not too high would do for the dancing.
The dances are:
EL CANDIL: it comes from the EXTREMADURA region bordering Portugal. It is a nice little easy dance with beautiful music that has portuguese influence, as it comes from Olivenza a former portuguese village. It is, in a way, the anthem of EXTREMADURA. I am certain you have listened to this tune somewhere.
TANGUILLO: it is a carnival dance from CADIZ (Andalousie). The words are usually satirical and on topical subjects. Most of the steps are quite easy. It is only the style which is a little bit tricky sometimes. It can be performed without a partner.
SEVILLANAS: this type of dancing is the most popular and most frequently danced in Sevilla and Spain in general. It is also well knowm abroad. Each Sevillana has four parts (we will try to learn at least one part), each one quite different. There are two main sorts of sevillanas: ROCIERAS, named after the yearly pilgrimage to the hermitage "EL ROCIO". The music is very slow and the words are almost always religious. The second type is the "SEVILLANAS CORRALERAS", from "CORRAL" (Courtyard) which is the part of the house where Andalusian families gather to meet friends, have a drink, a bit of a chat and, Why not? some dancing.
The first evening (September the 25th) a friend or two of mine from our club of dances will come with me to show you the dances as they are, that is to say, with partner (El Candil and ·Sevillanas). We will train the main movements (surely some of them you have already done with Iveta as Arabian and Spanish dances have a lot in common) and then the choreography.