Spanish dance is divided into different catagories namely the Escuela Bolera, regional and Flamenco. The Escuela Bolera or the Bolero School developed in France and Italy and engraned itself into Spain thanks to its rich history. The Pericet tradition is the most commonly associated term to the Escuela Bolera school whereby strictly classical dance was transformed so as to incorporate a mixture of folk dance and classical ballet. The Pericet school, run by the Pericet family, has upheld the teaching of this tradition throughout the second half of the 20th century to date.

Regional dance, as the word implies, derives from the different regions of Spain and represents folklore dancing from each and every region. It is surprising to see the versatility and distinction between one region and another and this is also reflected in the costumes used as well as the cultural reflections of each of these dances. On the other hand Flamenco, which is the most commonly known form of Spanish dancing, in that it is the most commonly performed, is said to have come into being with the arrival of the gypsies (supposedly the Sudra tribe who travelled from India in the 16th century into Spain) who were very versatile in the world of the arts particularly music and dance.

The history of Spain is very similar to that of Malta in the sense that, like us, Spain has had various rulers and influences which have all contributed to the manner in which Malta has developed and matured throughout the ages. Likewise, various historical instances in Spain have greatly contributed to the development of Flamenco (which derives from the word Fallahmengu a Semitic word meaning “expelled peasant”) particularly the conquest of Granada and the expulsion of the Moors. History teaches us that the gypsies were not tolerated in Spain and hence they were always on the move. The highest concentration of gypsies was found in Andalucia where unlike other parts of Spain, the gypsies were accepted because their music and dance was greatly appreciated and continued to develop. In fact, to this day we find that the region of Andalucia is the most enriched with the Flamenco culture.

The beauty of Flamenco lies in the fact that every single dance performed is an expression of feeling or denotes a particular situation or circumstance. It can denote passion, joy, mockery, grief, sadness, frustration, grandure, royalty, command. It is a language in itself and the dancer performing it is sending a message to whoever is watching. The more intimate Flamenco is, the more pure it is. Flamenco is not about frills and fans and neither is it best reflected in an ensemble of performers, but it is all about inner beauty and the expression through body movements, incorporated with the appropriate song and instruments which accompany it. The cantaor or singer, the palmista or the person who accompanies the dancer with palmas (claps) and the guitarist, all contribute and communcate with the dancer performing (who more often than not would be dancing alone) in order to produce a beautiful end product which enchants whoever is watching the performance.

Spanish dancing in Malta was introduced in the later part of the 20th century (in 1985 by Deborah Mc Namara) when dance schools in Malta focused mainly on classical ballet. In March 2007, Malta marked the 25th anniversary of the Spanish Dance Society which caters for tuition and examination in all three genres of Spanish dance.

The interest in Spanish dance has grown immensly and nowadays there are various dance schools in Malta which offer Spanish dancing in its different forms. Among these we find the College of Jazz Dance (don’t be mislead by the name) which has been offering classes in Spanish dancing, mainly Flamenco, for the last 15 years. Spanish dancing in this school is currently under the tuition of Annemarie Bisazza who acquired PdB qualification from the Spanish Dance Society in 2009 as well as Lara Lanfranco, who obtained her IdBII qualification in December 2009. This enables either teacher to submit students for examinations under their name for Spanish Dance Society exams which are duly recognised worldwide. Exam sessions are held once a year depending on the level of achievement of the students concerned. During the last exam session held in July, students Sarah Suleiman and Daphne Cauchi from Tercer Anio Flamenco (third year) achieved a pass with distinction under the tuition of Ms Lanfranco and will be proceeding to further their studies next year. More exams will be held in December under the tuition of Ms Busuttil and Ms Lanfranco.

For more information about the courses offered at the College Of Jazz Dance kindly email [email protected] or call on 2137 5130, 7942 1864