El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-03
The Dances and
Dancers OF Mexico


When, In 1865. during the period OF
French Intervention in Mexico, the
Empress Csrlota inaugurated the series
of court balls at the capital city, for
the expressed purpose of training her
new subjects in the way of social &C.
complisnments, she is accredited with
having exclaimed to her imperial con-
sort at the height of her initial enter
| tainment:
"What presumption, to think of
teaching q people such as this to dance:
Why, there is naught in all Europe to
com pare with their marvellous grace of
movement. It is 1 who yet have to
| learn the true art OF dancing as these
Mexicans know it,"
In Mexico the people are not taught
to dance. The accomplishment comes
to them in the same manner and In
deed at quite the same
period in their lives as
does walking. 1t is as eminent q
characteristic of their land as is the
bit as keenly relished. In Mexico
everyone dances, and though the ex-
pectant foreigner may miss 1t on the
streets, could he but penetrate into the
seclusion of the hOmes-particularly at
the country homes, he would find 1t the
aIl-prevalent recreation. 1t belongs es-
sentially to the country, like the rocks
and orange groves and vineyards. But
difident though the Mexicans naturally
are. there is little exaggeration In the
travellers assertion that, if at any mo-
ment one entered one of their churches
or law courts, playing fandango those
present would forget their prayers or
business, however grave the meeting,
and fall dancing. All who have visit
ed Spain, know how contagious be-
comes the excitement of the dance. and
the same rule applies to Mexico. Once
within the sound of the native glide
waltz the listener, however puritsnic, |
ia morally certain of incubation, and
the most pious has been known to sway
his body rhythmically to the bolerO |
quite unaware of his performance.
Mexico is to the western world what
Spain is to the Orient-the true home
of the dance. The bodies OF the native
dancers are as flexible as reeds. They |
dance as the sunbesms dance amid the |
sweet-scented orchids: as the wave |
dances on the green plain of the ocean.
The dance in Mexico ia an unaltered |
custom of antiquity handed down out
of the remote past by ancestors on the
Spanish side, and varied only in ultra |
fashionable circles by the substitution |
of the more modern international fig |
ures. The performances of Spanish |
d ancing girls of the earlier centuries |
are often described by Roman authors.
At that time, as today, Betica, now
was the classic home of the
art. In spite of all the invectives
hurled against women dancers, we are
informed that in Rome men
forgot their cares--consuls, pro-consuls
and wise senators forgot their meals
even-when their hearts were held
L. 81 sir mt
Pliny's friend Claro leave his olives
.ndhis funny in order to go and applaud
he Andalusisn dance?. However, while
here are in Mexico to this day traces
If the ancient steps formerly tripped
It the courts of Rome and Athens,
here is noticeable scarcity through
Tut the land, of professional dancing
iris. The average maiden of Mexico
prefers to roll cigarettes at
xclusively as an amusement, rather
han resort to the latter as profess
ion. At the bales of the middle
lasses the popular costume worn by
be women is the China poblans and
y the men the charrO, repres-l
nting the national dress of the pub
Although the Mexicans perform v
lany dances which are unknown to
l.
tiles, they have but one that is dis
notify national. It is called the c
.rsbe, and is to Mexico what the jots q
to Spain, embodying many features
the. picturesque fandango. The
.rabe, like the fandango, is danced by e
vo people, and differs from the former r.
1 that the feet stamp the time accents, o.
nd in the absence of castanets the ,
ngers and thumbs are snapped. Every
;, in o. ia In | IL
eginning tenderly and gently and
radually reaching the highest pitch =
exaltation. Exery part of the body
alive. One of the unique features of G
he srabe is thecsm biar de som breros. d
, this figure the man, after several Of
spid revolutions of his body, removes fe
Is som brero and lays it upon the floor, e.
hereupon both dance about it for sew p
al moments, when the senorita grace tt
lily stoops and picks up the hat, plac- te
g it upon her own head, the dance lie
-oceeding the while without the tt
1ghtest interruption. la
The fanoangO is PROBABLY the most tt
)pular OF the dances executed by the A
lral classes .of Mexico. The word pl
ndango signifies "go and dance" 1t tt
OF extreme antiquity and may be as tt
med to be the prototype of all Span pl
b dances. The movements have been d,
,scribed by Buretti as ''a regular and Ir
convulsion of all parts of &C
e body" and DR.. Yriarte speaks of M
e ''melod'ous fandango, which CO
farms the souls of natives and of pi
rangers OF wise men and of old men," 81
hen the first couple are tired their Sc
ace is Immediately taken by a sec or
I'd. The fury and ardor for the dance TO
tn which the Mexican mountaineers no
e possessed on hearing the fandango an
aged suggest the impatiepce of the tn