Bolero
It is said that
Sebastian Cerézo (a.k.a. Zerezo),
a ballet dancer of court in 1780, used the Spanish folk Boléro
as a base for his French ballet. The Boléro is one of
the oldest "school dances" known with the
name supposedly coming from "Volar" (to
fly) because the Manchenga expert had danced the
Seguidillas so wonderfully, he seemed to fly (voleras).
The Boléro is performed to
the guitar and castanets. There are many Boléro
compositions written from the 18th. century to present
time.
The Spanish Boléro (
The Bolero was a dance far more noble, modest,
and restrained as well as resembling but being shorter than the Fandango (which
the Boléro replaced in popularity), and is executed
by two persons (originally a single female). The Boléro
was danced by a lady and gentleman or by several
couples if one so desired. It was also arranged as a
Quadrille at times, and used in the Ballet as well as danced at the opening of
a ball.
The Boléro
is composed of five parts ... namely:
1) The paseo , or promenade (around the ballroom,) which was kind of
introduction.
2) The traversa (traversias) is a crossing, to alter the position of the
places of the dancers, which is done both before and
after the differencias, (a measure in which a change
of steps takes place).
3) The differencias,
or changes of steps, the dancers balancing themselves, execute their steps in
place.
4) The finales , in
which they go, they come and they pass by, which is succeeded by...
5) The bien parado , a graceful attitude, or grouping of the couple who
are dancing, in which the gentleman and his lady assume graceful attitudes, and
remain facing each other, holding their partner's hand and raising it. Then
each one rests a hand upon the waist of the other, but this movement is
followed by a profound salute from the gentleman a salut prosterné, and a deep
courtesy from the lady.
The Original Spanish Boléro was performed to a seguidilla (dance air, in triple
time or a national song, etc.), with a peculiar rhythm, in the manor method.
The guitar, or the pizzicato, is the instrument demanded by this dance. It being set to the time of 3/4. The music is extremely
varied, and full of cadences. The air or melody of this dance may be changed,
but its peculiar rhythms must be preserved, together
with its time and its flourishes, which latter are also called "false
pauses." The steps of the Spanish Boléro are
performed terre ŕ terre; they are either sliding, beaten, or retreating,
being always as it were, clearly struck out.
The Seguidillas Boléras is a name which was given
when the Boleros were "sung" and accompanied by a guitar. The great
difficulty of this dance consists in resuming the part called the paseo, which is immediately after the first part of the
tune in the prelude of the accompaniment, which precedes the estribillo. The estribillo is
that part of the couplet, not indeed where the moral is found, but which
contains the epigrammatic point or turn. The Boléras
is different from the Boléro, although the time is taken from the latter. It was generally
used in the theaters when it was wished to represent Andalusians
or gay and animated peoples. The Boléras is rather a
"dance-song" however, rather than a dance. Some authorities assert
that the Boléro is the outcome of the Seguidillas . The Seguidillas (Poem) is a quicker dance than
the Boléro and it is generally understood that when the Boléro or Fandango is danced in
ballet form by eight people, it is called the Seguidillas.
The SEGUIDILLAS
TALEADAS: This dance is a species of the Bolero, mingled with some measures of
the Cachucha performed to a Sequidilla (dance or
Song.)
The Cuban Bolero version
came to be around 1883 with José Pepe Sánchez composing 'Tristezas'.
The Cuban Boléro is a different dance than the
Spanish Boléro version, however the Cuban Boléro was very much derived from the old Spanish Boléro, but the music and rhythms changed (2/4) when it
came to Cuba and is danced closer to a Rumba style. The Mexican Bolero came to
be around 1921.
The American Bolero: was
made popular in the Unted States when French composer
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) wrote his composition in 1928 for Ida Rubenstein which was choreographed by Bronislava
Nijinska. The first performance was on
The Columbian Pasillo
colombiano: done in 6/8 time closely resembles the Boléro.
The Bolero viejo
o parado: style derived from the seguidilla.
The Valldemosa
bolero: (
The Boléro
is still danced today and is a standard dance among the
International ballroom (Dance Sport) dancers and is very exciting to
watch.
Birth Place
Creation Date 1780
Creator Sebastian Cerézo
Dance Type Spanish
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