Fandango

All you want to know about Fandango

This article is about the dance style. For other uses, see Fandango (disambiguation).
Fandango (picture by Pierre Chasselat (1753-1814)

Fandango is a style of folk and flamenco music and dance.

Contents

Origins

Because of the meter of its lyrics and their rhythmic scansion, most scholars consider the fandango to have stemmed from the jota. Some philologists have tried to link it to the ancient Roman erotic dance known as the cordax (called iconici motus by the poet Horace and the playwright Plautus). The satires of Juvenal make specific mention of the testarum crepitus (clicking of castanets). In its earlier Greek expression, finger cymbals were used. Though these hypothetical links enjoy little evidence, they suggest a rich, ancient background. Some Portuguese dance groups claim that it arose as dance of courtship in Alentejo (Southern Portugal) early in the 18th century.

Character

After his appointment in 1757 to the Spanish court at El Escorial as maestro de capilla, Padre Antonio Soler composed a brilliant fandango. Soler's fandango has been called "an example of eighteenth century minimalism" by the harpsichordist David Schrader since it is constructed over a constant harmonic pattern. Soler's brilliant piece increases in velocity and intensity toward the end, much like Maurice Ravel's celebrated Bolero The Italian composer Luigi Boccherini subsequently introduced an idealized, slow fandango in the classical European tradition to the Spanish court. During the 18th century, fandango display dances spread along the Iberian peninsula and notably became a major flamenco variety.

Spanish dance

The current 3/4 pattern of the fandango, its distinct descending chord progression (A minor/G major/F major/E major), lyrics with octosyllabic verses and the use of castanets are well-documented from the 18th century.

The fandangos grandes (big fandangos) are normally danced by couples, which start out slowly with gradually increasing tempo. Many varieties are derived from this one.

The fandanguillos (little fandangos) are livelier, more festive derivations of fandangos. Some regions of Spain have developed their own style of fandangos, such as Huelva (fandangos de Huelva) and Málaga (fandangos de Málaga, or Verdiales). Northern areas such as the Principality of Asturias, the Basque Country and Castile have preserved a more relaxed performance.

In the Philippines, which was a Spanish colony for over 300 years, the fandango lives on in the dance called Pandango sa Ilaw (Fandango with Lights) where instead of castanets, the dancers carry glasses with candles inside and swirl it over their heads or sometimes while kept inside handkerchiefs.

Portuguese dance

Fandango is one of the main folk dances in Portugal. The choreography is quite simple: on its more frequent setting two male dancers face each other, dancing and tap-dancing one at each time, showing which one has the most lightness and repertoire of feet changes in the tap-dancing. The dancers can be boy and girl, boy and boy (most frequent) or rarely two girls. While one of the dancers dances, the other just "goes along". Afterwards, they "both drag their feet for a while" until the other one takes his turn. They stay there, disputing, seeing which one of them makes the feet transitions more eye-catching.

The fandango do Ribatejo refers specifically the form of fandango practiced in Ribatejo, Portugal.

Figurative meaning

As a result of the extravagant features of the dance, the word fandango is used as a synonym for 'a quarrel', 'a big fuss' or 'a brilliant exploit.'

References in popular culture

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fandango"

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