CANARY DANCE- SPAIN

Canary Dance or Canary Island dance is a Spanish dance that gained popularity across Europe during the late 16^th and early 17^th century, mainly during the Renaissance period. Also known as “frog legs”, this dance style possess an extremely strong “Spanish” flavour. Apparently, this dance has been mentioned in many manuals/books available in European countries such as France, Italy, Spain, and England. Furthermore, this dance has also been mentioned in plays written by William Shakespeare.

a. History/origin of the Canary dance:

According to the cultural history of Spain, this dance is said to have originated from the Canary Islands, an archipelago located on the Atlantic Ocean. Apparently, this Spanish dance form was first discovered by Spanish explorers who traveled to the island regularly. Furthermore, they thought that it resembled “a hopping canary bird” and hence named it “Canary Dance”.

b. Costumes involved in the Canary dance:

A traditional costume known as “Traje De Mago” is mainly used by the performers in this dance style.

c. Music involved in the Canaray dance:

The musical instruments used in this dance form are as follows:

String instruments: Guitar, tiple, lute, mandolin, brass, and violin.
Wind instruments: Flute, whistle, and a conch.
Percussion instruments: Drums, and triangle, an idiophone form of percussion instrument.

d. Training availability and technique involved in the Canary dance:

In terms of technique, this dance basically involves the use of “quick heel and toe stamps”. In addition, due to the frequent use of “jumps and stamping of feet” this dance form is commonly referred to as “frog leaps”. As for training centers/schools, there none available around the world since this dance form is mainly performed in and around Spain.

image credit