Spanish Dance

Spanish Dance, the classical and folk dance of Spain. The roots of Spanish dance reach to antiquity, including the famed Andalusian dancing girls of Roman times; the court entertainments of the Moorish caliphs; the theatrical dance dating from the reign (1474-1504) of Ferdinand and Isabella; 16th-century courtly dances such as the zarabanda, chacona, pasacalle, and folía; and the liturgical dances (los seises) that are still performed in the cathedral at Toledo.

Modern Spanish dance falls into four main categories: (1) Regional dances, such as the jota of Aragón, the sevillanas of Andalucía, the sardana of Catalonia, and the widespread fandango. (2) Flamenco, the dance of the Roma (Gypsies) of southern Spain, with possible roots in Indian dance. (3) School dancing, or classical Spanish dance, which developed as a staged stylization of individual regional dances. Taught formally by dancing masters, school dancing reached its zenith in the early 19th century, acquiring specific techniques and terminology alongside its proud, sensual character and distinctive carriage of the torso, head, and arms. (4) Neoclassical Spanish dance, a renaissance of classical Spanish dance during the late 19th century.

Drawing on flamenco, folk, and school dance roots, neoclassical Spanish dance developed through the genius of the Argentine-born Spanish dancer La Argentina, who was the first to dance to music of leading Spanish composers, such as Isaac Albéniz. Noted later exponents of the neoclassical style include the Argentine-born Spanish dancer La Argentinita (Encarnación Lopez, 1895-1945), the Spanish dancer Vicente Escudero, and the American dancer and choreographer José Greco.