Zapateo
Encyclopedia
Zapateo which literally means "shoe tapping", is rooted in the Spanish Flamenco
and before that, in the ancient cultural influences imported in to Europe by the Gypsies.
Zapateo which later produced the more famous Malambos dance, arrived in South America
from Spain around the year 1600 CE and was a favorite past time of the gaucho
(descendants of Spanish conquistador
es and aborigines) also known as the "South American cowboys" specially around the camp fires in the lonely stretches of the flatlands known as the Pampas.
Malambos incorporating the zapateo, the art of percussive footwork rooted in Spanish Flamenco, was traditionally performed by men. (not surprisingly as there was a severe shortage of women around those camp fires!)
The dance movements include the cepillada (brushing - to graze the floor with the sole of the foot
), the repique (striking the floor with heel and spur), and floreos (decorative movements of the feet).
This dance form was often used as a form of competition between two or more men. One man starts with an escobillado (softly brushing the floor with his foot), and then he proposes a "figure" or footwork passage to his competitor, and ends with a salute.
The other man copies the proposed figure, adding one that is more difficult, and then performs the salute.
When one of the men is unable to copy the other, the competition is finished, with the more proficient dancer the winner.
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
and before that, in the ancient cultural influences imported in to Europe by the Gypsies.
Zapateo which later produced the more famous Malambos dance, arrived in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
from Spain around the year 1600 CE and was a favorite past time of the gaucho
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
(descendants of Spanish conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
es and aborigines) also known as the "South American cowboys" specially around the camp fires in the lonely stretches of the flatlands known as the Pampas.
Malambos incorporating the zapateo, the art of percussive footwork rooted in Spanish Flamenco, was traditionally performed by men. (not surprisingly as there was a severe shortage of women around those camp fires!)
The dance movements include the cepillada (brushing - to graze the floor with the sole of the foot
Sole (foot)
The sole is the bottom of the foot.In humans the sole of the foot is anatomically referred to as the plantar aspect. The equivalent surface in ungulates is the hoof.- Human sole :...
), the repique (striking the floor with heel and spur), and floreos (decorative movements of the feet).
This dance form was often used as a form of competition between two or more men. One man starts with an escobillado (softly brushing the floor with his foot), and then he proposes a "figure" or footwork passage to his competitor, and ends with a salute.
The other man copies the proposed figure, adding one that is more difficult, and then performs the salute.
When one of the men is unable to copy the other, the competition is finished, with the more proficient dancer the winner.