16 questions · Music
People dance all over the world, but every dance says something about the place where it was born. The tango grew up in the late 19th century in the port districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, where European immigrants met the descendants of enslaved Africans. In Andalusia flamenco combines song, guitar and stamping heels, samba makes the Rio carnival shake every year, and since Johann Strauss the waltz has whirled through the ballrooms of Vienna. Some dances are older than you might think, others younger. The polka spread from Bohemia across Europe around 1840, the can-can sent skirts flying in 19th-century Paris, and the tarantella was said to cure spider bites. The sirtaki, on the other hand, which many believe to be ancient, was only invented in 1964 for a film starring Anthony Quinn. And the bolero gave Maurice Ravel the name of one of the most performed orchestral pieces in the world. Dance can also be ritual, storytelling and combat. The Māori use the haka to intimidate opponents, and today the All Blacks do the same before every rugby match. In Hawaii the hula tells legends, in India Bharatanatyam tells of gods, and in Brazil capoeira disguises a martial art as a dance. Add the fiery csárdás from Hungary, salsa from New York and the Schuhplattler from the Alps. Where do the world’s dances come from?
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Tango
It has been on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage since 2009.
💡 Did you know? Its signature instrument is the bandoneon, which originally came from Germany.
Flamenco
The culture of Spain’s Gitanos shaped it decisively; it has been UNESCO intangible heritage since 2010.
💡 Did you know? The rhythmic clapping is called “palmas”.
Samba
It has African roots and became Brazil’s national music in the early 20th century.
💡 Did you know? The parades take place in the Sambadrome, a purpose-built parade avenue with grandstands.
Waltz
It grew out of turning dances such as the Ländler in the Alpine region and was first considered indecent because couples held each other closely.
💡 Did you know? At the Vienna Opera Ball, all guests may take to the floor after the call “Alles Walzer!”.
Polka
Johann Strauss’s “Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka” is one of the best-known pieces.
💡 Did you know? In 1840s Paris it set off a real dance craze.
Salsa
The record label Fania made it known worldwide.
💡 Did you know? The name is Spanish for “sauce”: a spicy mix of many styles.
Haka
The best-known version is called “Ka Mate”, performed with stamping, chest slaps and an outstretched tongue.
💡 Did you know? It is also performed at weddings and funerals to honour people.
Hula
Missionaries banned it in the 19th century; King Kalākaua revived it.
💡 Did you know? Every year the big Merrie Monarch Festival competition takes place in Hilo.
Can-can
The best-known music for it is the “Infernal Galop” from Jacques Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld”.
💡 Did you know? Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec captured the dancers on famous posters.
Bolero
Ravel’s piece repeats one melody over an unchanging snare-drum rhythm and keeps growing louder.
💡 Did you know? British ice dancers Torvill and Dean won Olympic gold in 1984 with a routine to it.
Sirtaki
The film was “Zorba the Greek”, with music by Mikis Theodorakis.
💡 Did you know? It keeps getting faster and mixes steps from older dances such as the hasapiko.
Tarantella
The name refers to the city of Taranto in Apulia.
💡 Did you know? Chopin, Liszt and Rossini also wrote pieces in its rhythm.
Csárdás
The slow part is called “lassú”, the fast one “friss”.
💡 Did you know? The best-known concert piece of its kind was written by the Italian Vittorio Monti.
Schuhplattler
It goes back to old courtship dances in which men tried to impress women.
💡 Did you know? It is usually danced in lederhosen.
Capoeira
Enslaved Africans developed it in Brazil; it has been UNESCO cultural heritage since 2014.
💡 Did you know? The circle it is played in is called the “roda”.
Bharatanatyam
The symbolic hand gestures are called mudras.
💡 Did you know? Temple dancers once performed it; today it is India’s most widespread classical dance.
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