Sevillanas Boleras y Fandango de Huelva

The only clip I could find with castanets. This post is in homage to my castanets workshop I am taking right now. Sevillana is a popular flamenco dance from Seville. Its rhythm is 3/4 or better 6/8.

Sevillana does not come from Seville. It is an old folk dance, appearing always during the feasts, danced by couples of all ages and sexes, and usually danced by whole families and 'pueblos'. The choreography of Sevillana is stable, and knowing it is very useful, since it is a fiesta dance. This is why learning flamenco usually starts with this particular dance. Each sevillana is composed by 4 parts, each part divided in 3 'coplas', and each copla is made of 6 movements.

It is a very vivid dance, often excluded from flamenco. Paradoxically, during spectacles and shows it is usually Sevillana that people take for 'the real, true flamenco', as it is full of turns, flaunting and colorful skirts and in general- of joy.

In this clip they are dance the classical form which is a Jota. Jota actually originated in Spain unlike Flamenco which is an offshoot of Middle Eastern and Indian dance which was brought over by the gypsies.

Fandangos de Huelva is a 6/8 dance and belongs in the "Cante Chico" family.