[Sca-cooks] Re: Spain and Dance

[Huette von Ahrens]

When I first joined the SCA in 1974, the Baroness
of Angels was Mistress Ximena Aubel de Cambria.
She and her sister, Viscountess Arabella Lyon de
Rohese had SCA personas from Spain, but,
mundanely, were of Castillian Spanish heritage.
[Their parents fled Spain in the 1930's.] 
When they were young ladies, they had been
professional flamenco dancers in Jose Greco's
dance troup.  They were very thoroughly
knowledgeable in the history and lore of
flamanco dancing.  They told me that the
two major roots of flamenco dance were Spanish
court dances, like the Canario, and gypsy or
Rom dancing.  If a move or two has similarities
to a move or two in Middle Eastern dancing, it
is because it may have been picked up in the
many travels of the Rom.  While there is a
thread-like link between the two, I would
not call it a root.  And I definitely would
not call flamenco dancing "Middle-Eastern
influenced".

As for castanets being related to zills or
finger cymbals, again you are not entirely
correct.  Both can be traced to pre-historic 
times all over the world. Similar sound makers 
can be found in Ancient Egypt, Greece, China,
the Ukraine,and Spain, this does not mean that
they influenced one to the other.  The only
relationship they have is that they are rhythmic
noise makers held with one in each hand.  With
zills, you have a [usually] metal cymbol attached
to a finger and another to the thumb.  With
castanets, you have wooden, stone or shell
clappers attached together with a cord and
held between the fingers and the palm.

Huette

--- wildecelery at aol.com wrote:
 
> > 2. Dance, with a focus on the difference
> > between the Celtic-influenced
> > jota and the Middle-Eastern influenced
> flamenco
> > (Which also has some
> > celtic-like elements)
> 
> Middle-Eastern influenced flamenco?  The
> flamenco
> is a modern decendent of the Renaissance dance
> called the Canario.  I know of no
> Middle-Eastern
> dances that are stamping related.  Perhaps you
> could tell me where you found this information?
> 
> 
> As a beginning Spanish teacher, I had the
> priviledge of watching the 
> Renaldo Rincon dance company perform.  They did
> several versions of the 
> Jota...noting that its roots are in the
> northern regions of Spain 
> (heavily influenced by the celts and the
> celtiberos [there may be 
> another word for this in English, but it's
> stuck in my head in Spanish 
> at the moment])
> 
>   The also performed several Flamenco pieces. 
> As the school was in the 
> immigrant magnate city for the state, I had a
> particular student in my 
> class who was of Kurdish, Turkish, and Iraqi
> descent.  As we discussed 
> the dance presentation in class, she got very
> excited, yet quiet.  
> After class, she came up to talk to me, knowing
> that I was a beginning 
> student of Middle Eastern dance at the time...
> though the "stamp" if 
> not found in often in Middle Eastern (though it
> is found in some Gypsy 
> or Romani dance), some of the hip motions are
> very similar (for 
> instance what is called in modern Middle
> Eastern the Maya{aka make the 
> Mc Donald's sign with your hips} )  Also...the
> castanets are very 
> similar to zils or finger symbols.  {side note,
> there are some Stamp 
> -like moves found in Turkish dance...though not
> used in the purcussive 
> style found in flamenco}
> 
> 
> It's not information that I have written
> anywhere specific...perhaps 
> somethign that I should look into more
> indepthly...
> 
> -Ardenia


Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for 
they shall never cease to be amused.


		
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