An Evening With Fandango!
The
reason I didn't title this "An Evening At the Fandango" is because
Fandango takes you into its embrace and holds your rapt attention till it's
through with you. Then, you are left limp with exhaustion...and you, the
audience member, never lifted a toe, or a heel.
It is thought that Fandango is a dance native to Spain and Mexico. The word means "go and dance," and the Spanish are said to have invented it as a courtship dance. There are dances that mimic the Fandango from Italy and even Arab countries...or does the Fandango mimic them? Regardless, the dance is a fascinating spectacle of guitars of various sizes with differing numbers of strings, tambourines, singers shouting out verses, and the dancers.
As the dance began, two women danced facing each
other, gracefully stamping their feet in time with the strums of 
the
guitars and the music punctuated by the alternating voices of the singers. As
the dance wore on, men, one at a time, joined the women on the platform. One of
the women would bow out, leaving the other woman to court the man. Another man
would then interrupt the first, and another woman would join him after a while,
sometime accelerating the rhythm to a point where the audience was leaning
forward in their seats, almost breathless. Every now and again, one of the
musicians would join in the dance, keeping time with his feet while his guitar
hung quiet on his shoulder.
We watched the talent unfold, the dancers whirl and the heels pound on the little platform, and we likened it to the dances of ancient Ireland, recently revived in the stage show "River Dance." You see, the dancers of the Fandango, like the clog dancers of Ireland, don't use their arms for balance or to add to their style but the women do use their hands to hold out their flowing skirts.
It was an exciting neighborhood event. Young and old, Mexican and "non" all enjoyed themselves with equal enthusiasm.
Photos by Photo Roy - Roy B.Dudley