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Sevillanas
(Song and dance form) A Castilian folkloric
dance adopted as the regional dance of
Seville. The Sevillanas originated from the
19th century style of classical dance known
as Seguidillas Boleras. Going even further
back, the Boleras evolved from the dance
form known as Seguidilla s Manchegas,
popularized in the southern Castilian
region of La Mancha. Sevillanas is a
popular festive dance all over Andalucia.
It evolved into a structured format
consisting of a group of four short dances.
Within each dance there is a melodic theme
which is sung (or played) three times.
These four dances are called coplas, or
verses and they each end with a sudden stop
as the dancers strike a pose. Sevillanas is
unique in flamenco in that it is the only
song/dance form I know of with a structure
that never varies no matter who plays. The
melody, key and lyrics can be different but
the basic rhythm structure never
changes.
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