Palos flamencos: Sevillanas

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Flamenco Forms
Sevillanas
by Susana Navalón
Translated by Yasha Maccanico

(Sevillanas, from Sevilla.) Traditional folk song proceeding from the seguidilla manchega (from La Mancha), which has taken on some features of flamenco. It was born to accompany the dance that is performed in pairs, in series of four sevillanas. It is the Andalusian dance that has become most popular and, at present, even people in nightclubs dance to it. Once it used to be danced in patios or houses used for neighbourhood gatherings, also known as corrales, and people have always danced to them in romerias and other Andalusian feasts. Increasingly more people know their steps, as a result of the proliferation of academies.

On the last beat of the singing, the music and dancing cease simultaneously and the performers finish off in an elegant and provocative desplante, characteristic of courtship dancing.

Dance

It is characterised by its gracefulness, liveliness, nimble dynamism and its flexibility, although the sevillanas have been getting slower over the last few years. It is a dance for pairs formed by either a man and a woman or two women. At a popular level they are executed in series of four coplas (poetic compositions, in verse, used as lyrics), each of which has a different choreography, with a brief interval between them. In earlier times, they were comprised of seven coplas, as they had a further three bolero sevillanas which are currently only performed by professionals, as they are considerably more difficult to dance to.
The most significant movements are the paseíllos (ceremonial entrance or a series of steps, somewhat like a stroll), pasadas (cross-over with the partners side by side), careos (cross-over with the partners facing each other) and remate (the emphatic final part of a movement). On the last beat of the singing, the music and dancing cease simultaneously and the performers finish off with an elegant and provocative desplante (a series of hard stepping movements that end, or climax, a series of steps, or section, of a dance), characteristic of courtship dances.
It has a 3 x 4 time, that is, in three beats. At present, the first one is strong and the two following ones are weak.

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Guitar

The sevillanas' guitar playing can be executed in any key, as this depends on the singer, but it is generally played at the top in LA minor, and in the middle in D minor. The beginning involves strumming, until the cantaor (singer) or guitar introduces the singing.
They are mainly accompanied by hand clapping, although castanets, a flute, small drums and/or tambourines can also be used to provide accompaniment.

Several variations of sevillanas can be distinguished, such as the corraleras (for neighbourhood patios), bíblicas (with biblical themes), boleras, liturgícas (with lithurgic, or religious, themes), de feria (typical of feasts) and rocieras (for the rocío feast)... Carlos Saura collected them in the film Sevillanas.

Singing

It is the most popular kind of folk song that has been aflamencada (lit. flamencoised; that is, experienced changes as a result of the influence of flamenco), and has been very widely played for several years. Several variations of sevillanas can be distinguished, such as the corraleras (for neighbourhood patios), bíblicas (biblical), bolero, liturgícas (lithurgical or religious), de feria (typical of feasts) and rocieras (for the rocío feast) ... Carlos Saura collected them in the film Sevillanas.
La Niña de los Peines, Bernardo el de los Lobitos, Manuel Vallejo and La Paquera have been some of the great figures of this cante (style of song). Starting with the Toronjo brothers and the Reyes brothers, since the sixties, there has been no stopping the emergence of groups dedicated exclusively to sevillanas: Los Marismeños, Los Romeros de La Puebla, Amigos de Gines, Brisas de Huelva, Los Rocieros and a long etcetera. Some of them have achieved great notoriety both in Spain and abroad.
Sevillanas have coplas that are similar to the classic Castillian seguidilla, although, at present, there are several variations. At times, the same chorus line is repeated in every couplet.