Bolero - The Dance of Romance

A slow, lyrical ballad, usually about romantic themes, love and yearning... being an ideal dance for a flirt... The pain and pleasures of love are the subject of bolero, a style of popular song and dance practiced through much of Latin America for more than a century. In Cuba there is no love without a bolero (love song).

Bolero is considered as the first major vocal combination of the African and the Spanish elements. In its early stages its lyrics were famous poems (Aquellos ojos verdes, Adolfo Utreta and music by Nilo Menéndez). It became universal in the voices of relevant figures in Mexico (Agustín Lara) and Puerto Rico (Rafael Hemández). The Bolero was made popular in the States when French Composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) wrote his composition in 1928 for Ida Rubenstein which was danced by Bronislava Nijinska. Some of the most renowned boleros nowadays are Longina, by Manuel Corona; Ausencia, by Jaime Prats and Perla Marina, by Sindo Garay.

Bolero is a smooth, sophisticated, sentimental love dance. The emphasis is on smoothness and graceful turns with much communication between partners. The slower music to which it is performed enhances the feeling of romance. Bolero has the same Afro-Cuban roots as the Rumba and is thought to have originated from Cuba or Spanish folk dances such as the Danzon and Beguine. Originally a Spanish dance in 3/4 time, it was changed in Cuba initially into 2/4 time then eventually into 4/4. It is now present as a very slow type of Rumba rhythm. The dance looks like a slow salsa, with a taste of tango, and has got easy patterns.The music is frequently arranged with Spanish vocals and a subtle percussion effect, usually implemented with guitar, conga or bongos.

The original dance was invented in about 1780 by Sebastian Cerezo, a celebrated dancer of Cadiz, in Spain. It was danced singly or in couples, the dancers exhibiting complex and intricate movements, while maintaining a steady rattle with their castanets. The Boléro is one of the oldest "school dances" known with the name supposedly coming from "Volar" (to fly) because the Manchenga expert had danced the Seguidillas so wonderfully, he seemed to fly. There are many Bolero compositions written from the 18th. century to present time.

In ballroom dancing the Cuban bolero is called "rumba" (although this has nothing to do with Cuban rumba!) The dance should tell a story of approach and turning away, a story of a couple falling in love. The figures are corresponding to this; the partners change from a very close posture to solo dancing, come together again and so on... Sometimes when watching very good dancers (like in Latin American dance competitions) it seems as if the woman would enjoy playing a game with her partner while the poor man is running after her and trying to conquer her.

In Cuba, you rarely see a couple dancing the ballroom way, with complicated figures and telling a story. They keep together very close (in "normal" dancing posture or just glued together hugging each other) looking in each other's eyes...

Cuba hosted every year the Boleros de Oro Festival, the most important international event for interpreters of this form.

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