November 2016

ENSEMBLE ESPAÑOLSpanish Dance Theatre

Tales of Spain

STRATEGIES for using the Window on the Work

In the planning process, use the Window on the Work:

• To brainstorm themes for study development

• As a reference tool as questions and interests develop in the planning session

• To elaborate and expand the instructional focus that has developed out of the planning process

• To learn more about the work of art• To consider possible responses to

the question pages as the Window is read

• To discover connections to other work by the same artists and to other works in the same genre

During the unit of study, use the Window on the Work:

• To expand on a lesson idea• As a reference to respond to

students’ questions

PurposeThe purpose of the Window on the Work is to provide educators and teaching artists with contextual information pertaining to the focus works presented by the Education for the Arts Aesthetic Education Program. This information can fuel the educational process between educators and teaching artists in developing lesson plans and can offer additional pathways (windows) into the repertory and possible connections to existing school curriculum.

EditorNick Mahmat

Research and WritingKevin Dodd

DesignNick Mahmat

Education for the ArtsDirectorBryan ZocherDirector’s Executive AssistantKris DeRyder

CoordinatorDeb Strickland

Aesthetic Education Program Coordinator Nick Mahmat

Alternative & Special Education Arts Initiative Program CoordinatorAngie Melvin

• To keep the discussion about the work alive in the classroom

• For source material such as artist quotes or background information that may be utilized when incorporating contextual information experientially into a workshop

• To discover additional connections

After the unit of study, use the Window on the Work:

• To continue discussion about the work

• To compare to other works of art the class may study in the future

• To expand curriculum study in the classroom on a particular culture, period in history, etc.

• As a jumping-off point to make connections with other classroom activities, personal connections, and courses of study

is a publication of Kalamazoo RESA’s Education for the Arts, Aesthetic Education Program

Comments or questions about this publication may be directed to Nick Mahmat, Aesthetic Education Program Coordinator at 269-250-9391 or nmahmat@kresa.org

Education for the Arts Window on the Work publications are proudly printed at Kalamazoo RESA’s Print Center.

This activity is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Work

The following section contains information on the dance concert, Tales of Spain by Ensemble Español. You may wish to consider the following questions as you read and preview the work. They may also serve as helpful discussion questions with students during workshops or after viewing the performance.

TALES OF SPAIN BY ENSEMBLE ESPAÑOL

• What do you notice? • What stands out to you about the

dance?

• What do you notice about the body?

• What parts of the body are being used?

• How would you describe the quality of the movement?

• Describe any patterns you may be noticing.

THE ARTISTS

The following section contains information about the artists of Ensemble Español. You may wish to consider the following questions as you read along.

Who are the artists that make up the company of Ensemble Español?

What are their backgrounds and experiences as artists?

What are some of the awards and accomplishments of the company?

What is the history of the company?? ? ? ?

MEET THE COMPANYEnsemble Español, boasts an impressive company of over forty artists of both dance and music. Click on the image or the “Meet The Company” button above to learn more about the backgrounds of these fine artists.

ABOUT THEENSEMBLE

The Company’s mission is to present, preserve and promote the classical, folkloric, flamenco and contemporary dance and music traditions of Spain.Ensemble Español, under the artistic leadership of Founder & Artistic Director, Dame Libby Komaiko, and successors, Artistic Director, Irma Suarez Ruiz, and Executive Director, Jorge Perez, is the premier Spanish dance company in the United States! Founded in 1976, by Dame Libby, the company is comprised of forty dancers, singers, musicians and guest artists from Spain and the U.S. They boast an extraordinary repertoire of over 125 works.

Ensemble Español celebrates Spain in America by presenting and promoting cultural pluralism at the community, state, national, and international levels, and through the annual American Spanish Dance Festival administered by the Ensemble. The company shares a rich history and mission of commitment to inter-American and inter-Hispanic world cultures.

A company dedicated to the presentation, preservation and promotion of the classical, folkloric, flamenco and contemporary dance and music traditions of Spain.

Ensemble Español is praised by educators, social agencies, the professional arts world and journalists, as well as American and Hispanic world governments. The Ensemble has appeared in a broad range of television, opera, chamber ensembles, festivals, conventions, and symphonic formats, including with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. They regularly work in cultural and educational arts programs developed with local, national, and international government agencies. They have performed in theaters throughout Chicago, as well as toured major cities throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The Ensemble has performed on four continents and the countries of Mexico, Costa Rica, Poland, Australia, and most recently China, following the 2008 Olympics.

Ensemble Directors

Meet the three ensemble directors. From top image to bottom: Founder and Artistic Director, Dame Libby Komaiko, Artistic Director, Irma Suarez RuízExecutive Director, Jorge Pérez.

Click on their pictures to learn more about each.o

THE CRAFT

The following section contains information about the craft of Ensemble Español. You may wish to consider the following questions as you read along.

What traditional Spanish dance forms will we see in Tales of Spain?

What differentiates one style of Spanish dance from another?

Several dances in Tales of Spain will feature the castanets. What are castanets?

What are common Spanish dance terms?

? ? ? ?

Regional dances are folk dances; each of Spain’s 50 provinces has at least 15 distinctive dances and accompanying music.

Flamenco dance is, to many people, the Spanish dance. Flamenco is widely known for its rapid heelwork, flashing movements, and sinuous hand, finger, and wrist movements.

Flamenco is a dance form, but also a culture in itself. As in other dances around the world, in Flamenco, arm and hand movements help to tell a story. Another important aspect of Flamenco is cante (song). The singer passionately reveals many kinds of emotions; the sound is clearly influenced by the Moorish cultural history of Spain. Cante is usually accompanied by the Flamenco guitar, rhythmic clapping of the hands (palmas), finger snapping and, often, shouts of ¡Olé!

Regional DanceSPANISHDANCEDances from Spain can be classified into three types: Classical, Regional, and Flamenco.

Classical Dance

Flamenco Dance

Classical dances are schooled, highly stylized, ballet-like, set to Spain’s classical music, and can combine Regional and Flamenco dance, too.

CANTE - song

BAILE - dance

PASOS - steps

COMPÁS - rhythm

TIEMPO - tempo

PALMAS - hand claps

PALMAS CLARAS - sharp clapping

PALMAS SORDAS - muffled clapping

PITOS - finger snaps

JALEO - shouts of expression and encouragement, like ¡Olé!

Castanets are a percussion instrument used in Kalo, Moorish, Ottoman, ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish, Sephardic, Swiss, and Portuguese music. The instrument consists of a pair of concave shells joined on one edge by a string. They are held in the hand and used to produce clicks for rhythmic accents or a ripping or rattling sound consisting of a rapid series of clicks. They are traditionally made of hardwood although fiberglass is becoming increasingly popular.

In practice a player usually uses two pairs of castanets. One pair is held in each hand, with the string hooked over the thumb and the castanets resting on the palm with the fingers bent over to support the other side. Each pair will make a sound of a slightly different pitch. The lower pitch being referred to as the “male” and the high pitcher the “female.”

CASTANETS

ZAPATEADO - foot movements, or stamping; heelwork PELLIZCO - a sharp movement of the body, such as the head, shoulder, arm, etc.

JONDO; INTERMEDIO; CHICO; POR BAILE; POR CANTE - types of Flamenco song (cante)

LETRA - the lyrics or verse of the song (cante)

COPLA - a section of the cante por baile

BRACEO - arm movements VUELTAS - turns

CAJÓN - percussive box-type drum used in Flamenco; originated in Peru

CASTANETS - a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone, usually held between the thumb and fingers, that are made to click together in rhythm with the dance

MANTON - the large shawl used by female Flamenco dancers

ABANICO - a fan

TERMINOLOGY

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Compases of 12 beats generally have strong beats on the 3, 6, 8, 10, and 12 (marked bold in the diagram at the bottom of this page). The 12 beat rhythm repeats and usually ends at the 10 (e.g. when there is a break, also called corte, in the music).

ONLINE RESOURCE

PERCUSSIVERHYTHMS

Rhythms play an important part within Spanish dance. You’ll see it manifest in many forms, from the accompanying music, to the percussive feet work, clapping, snapping and the castanets. As you watch the dance notice the role of rhythm within the art form. What do you notice about the patterns? What is creating the rhythm? How do the rhythms layer and work off one another?

There are several common rhythms in Span-ish dance, however they are often in 12, 4, or 3 beat units. These units are called compás.

Visit www.flamencocompas.nl to hear ex-amples of common Spanish rhythms. This is an excellent resource for the classroom and activities.

o

campás basico

THE ORIGINS

The following section contains information about the origins of Ensemble Español. You may wish to consider the following questions as you read along.

What are the forms of traditional spanish dance?

How has Spanish dance evolved over time?

What functions has dance served within Spanish culture and community?

What are some of the common instruments utilized in Spanish music and dance?

? ? ? ?

HISTORY OF SPANISH DANCEThe concept of Spanish dance immediately conjures up images of the strumming guitars, stomping feet and bright dresses of flamenco. While many people make this common connection between Spain and flamenco, a plethora of traditional dances from Spain's various regions weave into the lengthy history of Spanish dance. For example, not many people would ever expect to visit Spain and hear the music of bagpipes and tambourines floating through the air, yet it is the traditional music accompanying Spanish dance across northern Spain.

For almost as long as man has existed he has used dance as a form of communication and personal expression. Spain is certainly no exception. Ritualistic

dances commemorating battles and other war-related themes were the first to appear, and centuries later, during the Middle Ages, structured religious-themed ritual dances were recognizable.

The 15th century saw the distinction created between the various genres. Serious and measured dances quickly grew outdated while the popularity of the happier and free-moving dances surged exponentially. With the Renaissance, popular and folk dance continued to make huge strides in the history of Spanish dance and even gained recognition internationally. These regional dances both flourished on their own and melded with other dances to birth brand new ones. You can imagine how many, at one point, there were over 200 traditional dances in the region of Catalonia alone.

During the Baroque period, gypsies arrived to the Iberian continent and the growing popularity of the gypsy music and dance, flamenco, eagerly formed part of the history of Spanish dance. The rest is history, or rather Spanish dance history, as flamenco has since become both a national and international sensation. With feisty flamenco's ever-rising fame, regional dances suffered a decline, a decline which intensified during the 20th century, when the dictator Francisco Franco actually banned all things regional, including dance, music, and languages. Luckily today there has once again been a boost in the pride and the practice of traditional dances, and the history of Spanish dance continues.

Discover More!oClick here to learn more about Spanish dance from Enforex, the source for this article.

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Kalamazoo RESA, Education for the Arts | Tales of Spain | 2016-2017