File:Things seen in Spain. With fifty illus (1921) (14751235736).jpg

Identifier: thingsseeninspai00hart (find matches)
Title: Things seen in Spain. With fifty illus
Year: 1921 (1920s)
Authors: Hartley, C. Gasquoine (Catherine Gasquoine), 1867-1928
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Publisher: London : Seely, Service
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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irit of thepeople. The dances are Eastern in their35 Things Seen in Spain origin; they are dramas of love, and espe-cially those of the Gitanas, who have adoptedand kept living the ancient dances of thecountry. Seville, the joyous southern capital, is thecity that has given its own spirit to the mostbeautiful of the Spanish dances. Granadaand Malaga are also centres of dancing,and sometimes good performances may bewitnessed at Madrid. But the best caftscantantes^ where the true Spanish dancersperform, are hidden in back streets wherethe foreigner does not readily find them.These dances are national ceremonies andbelong to the people, and are far differentfrom the dances, often quite modern incharacter, that are given at the popularcafes. The varieties are numerous, and thenames are often confusing. Many dancesdate back far into antiquity, while almostall owe their special character to Arabicinfluences. The bolero is the most aristocratic dance. What majesty, what decorum, what dis- 36
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Stereo ilopyright, dtderiuood &■ L. London Csr .Xeir Yojk. A GIJMPSE OF GRAXADA FROM THL: WALLS OF THE GENERALIFE,THE SL3JMER PALACE OF THE 3I00RS. The Fascination of Spain tinction! cried Valera, speaking of thedances of Ruiz and his daughter Conchita.It is danced by a man and a woman, and isa kind of drama between them ; both usecastanets. It is a slow dance of deliberategrace and fascination. The jota is dancedby a woman alone. This dance, too, is alove drama of intense passion, but alwaysdecorous, always beautiful. Both thesedances are native to Andalusia, the provinceof Spanish dancing. Outside of Andalusia,the most famous dance is the Arsigonesejota.This is danced by a man and a woman, andthe castanets are used. But the drama isdifferent, the movements are quicker and lessvaried, and there is great vivacity. It seems akind of combat between the two dancers; it ismore a drama of battle than a drama of love.But the most typical of all Spanish dancingis the Jlamenco dance of

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