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It really astounds me the amount of detail that is put into the dances in Zamora. It is such a rich and deep culture that is rooted in the people, and I think some traditions are so easy to lose as the world gets more advanced and technological, but it is important to carry on those things that are a part of their identity, and that is dance in Spain. The costumes are all so creative and have such variety, and the routines and very coordinated. I wonder how much time is put into everything. It's really nice to see such preservation of dance and how important it is and how involved everyone is.

https://www.liveabout.com/castanets-instrument-3552886

Here is a link I found about castanets. The article reads that "Though many people associate the castanets with flamenco, they are not a traditional element of flamenco music or dance; rather, the castanets are an integral part of folkloric Spanish dances, primarily Sevillanas and Escuela Bolera dance." It is interesting to learn about how this instrument is not just for the flamenco, just like the flamenco is not the main dance in Spain, yet that is the perception of many.

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It is so interesting to me that individuals from Zamora are able to tell what region somebody is from based merely off of the design of their outfits. After watching the videos and looking at the readings, it was really fascinating to see the different outfits, dresses, music, and dancing. The dances and music of Zamora are all very beautiful, and the festivals seem to be really special and fun. The coordinated dancing with the coupled groups was all very exciting and impressive to watch. I loved how the women and the men had their very unique and different outfits, and the women’s dresses were used as part of the dance with how they flowed and moved. Watching the TED-Ed video was also really amazing, though the Flamenco is really only the traditional dance for the region of Andalucia, it is strikingly beautiful. The combination of the music and the dance style was so captivating and again, very beautiful. I understand what Juan Ramirez meant when he said that Flamenco brings out emotions after watching that video.

I was very curious as to what all the instruments that were used in Flamenco dance and I found a website that explained all of the instruments that are commonly used.

https://ourpastimes.com/about-instruments-used-in-flamenco-music-12213016.html

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I feel like one of the primary themes of this course is “Culture is not monolithic”. Cultural staples, particularly what are visible to the outside world, are rarely as widely permeated through a country as they might seem. On a surface level, I feel like I know this, but I always catch myself being informed of something obvious. “Oh, of course there are regional aspects of music and dance” seems like an obvious revelation, but sometimes it helps to be reminded and informed.

The thing that struck me the most were the traditional folk costume, particularly how they reminded me of other types of traditional dress from other parts of Europe. The women's dress from the Group Doña Urraca video, in particular, made me think of women's folk costume from the Krakow region of Poland. Spain has been a cultural crossroads for its history, and each culture left its mark on the country's aesthetics. Here's an article I found on that various folk costumes of the region and their origins.

https://blog.spainintheusa.org/5-traditional-spanish-outfits-to-discover-7f24dc9bd4d

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All of the videos we got to watch this week were so beautiful and nice to see. It is always great to gain exposure to traditional activities like dances, especially when it’s so vastly different than what we experience on a daily basis. I loved the traditional outfits from the region of Alba, with all of the embroidery. Stunning! I thought the dance was very nice as it featured music that was live and was a combination of vocals and the tambourine, which was a really unique sound. The video of the dances from the Saint Agatha celebration was so fun and charming! I love that people that were passing by joined the women in their dance. I think by far my favorite dance was the Group Doña Urraca dance. The music was complimented by the clapping and stomping of the dancers. It did really surprise me that at some points throughout the dance, the male dancers would flip up the edges of the dresses of their partners. It caught me off guard the first time, and throughout the rest of the dance, I could see that it was a staple move. In the context of my background and experiences, this was very interesting and unconventional.

I found this interesting article on the "hurdy gurdy,"  otherwise called the organistrum, which featured a 12th century relief indicating two players needed to play the organistrum in the Church of Toto in Zamora. Apparently it's one of the traditional instruments of the region?

https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-ancient-technology/hurdy-gurdy-was-essential-medieval-entertainment-enjoyed-merrymakers-021793

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I don't know much about dance, but all the videos displaying the different varieties were amazing to watch. They seem to be very technical and fast paced which is difficult to appreciate when you're just watching. I wonder how much time goes into rehearsing and incorporating multiple people/artists into a group dance.

One thing I always love to see is color in dress. Warm colors spark a sense of joy and relaxation for me, and signify a bright future. The costumes and dresses were beautiful and vivid. They remind me of Swedish folk dress with their style and unique attire. I hope this tradition of dance continues to flourish in our global society. its becoming increasingly important for people to have strong connections with their historical identity.

I did a bit of research on on the castanets, which for me provoke an image of Spain. Here's a link which dives into their history:

https://www.barcelonayflamenco.com/historia-las-castanuelas/?lang=en

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When thinking of Spanish culture dances I immediately thought of latin based dance forms such as salsa, samba, and even cha cha, however that is not what was presented as those styles do not originate in Spain. As a former dancer I was really excited to see more of Zamora’s dancing culture and the different styles it entailed. I realize Flamenco isn’t a traditional dance of Spain, but it was one I was familiar with. What is so eye catching about the dance forms provided in the videos this week was the intricate footwork and the tap dancing like technique. It looks like these are standard cultural routines that are learned rather than original and updated choreographed pieces. The attire for these dances is so intricate. The dresses of the girls have this beautiful embroidery and it almost reminds me of Swedish looking dresses.

On the topic of Latin based dance from other regions, here is a video that shows the evolution of Latin Dance for fun :) They all include intricate footwork I noticed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg8OJB_NpgA

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What stood out to me right away was the embroidery on the outfits as well as the vibrant colors. There is so much attention to detail and intricate design that goes into them, and each outfit is different depending on the region you are in. This type of embroidery that is displayed is even seen implemented in the fashion sphere today for daily wear.

We read about the celebrating of Saint Agatha which lasts up to a week, and what was interesting was the idea of women being celebrated as the reading describes, dressing up and dancing around the town. I haven't heard of it prior to this, but I like the idea of it and think it would be interesting to experience. These videos also really speak to the diversity and just how rich the dance culture is in Spain, that each region is able to have its own style of dance and dress that they are known for.

https://www.slideshare.net/rociogarciasouto/folk-costumes-and-dances-spain

I found this slide presentation that describes men and women’s dance attire based on different regions of Spain, as well as descriptions of various dances.

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It was very cool to see the video on flamenco and to learn more about the dance and the history behind it - especially the outfits! I absolutely loved the material for this week including the pagan rituals.

I was lucky enough to experience the pagan holiday, La Noche de San Juan when I was studying abroad in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. It is celebrated all across Spain on June 23rd to welcome the summer season on the shortest day of the summer, summer solstice. The main theme of the night is essentially fire. It is considered good luck to dance around the fire and to jump over it, and I remember seeing many interesting cultural things on that evening that I'll never forget. It was such a cool experience.

I find the pagan traditions some of the most interesting things about Spain and I hope to go back someday to experience more holidays and to also see the different forms of dancing and costumes like we learned about this week!

I uploaded a video that I took of my experience in Mallorca in 2016 to (somewhat) show what San Juan was like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouPelGqBZuw&feature=youtu.be

I thought it'd also be cool to get a clip of what the festival is like in Zamora:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt1olQG7tQY

Here's an article that gives more general information on the festival :)
https://www.livinglanguage.com/blog/2012/06/22/la-noche-de-san-juan-the-night-of-fire/

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I had a great time watching all the videos assigned this week. It's always cool to learn about another cultures music and forms of dance. I loved all of the vibrant out fits the dancers wore. For me my favorite video was the one on flamenco. https://ed.ted.com/featured/bwyiPM6F#watch  I grew up playing guitar and have played a couple flamenco guitars so it was really cool to learn more about flamenco. I had never realized how passionate people are about it. I found it especially moving when the flamenco instructor spoke of how one never truly masters the art of flamenco. She even said that man that discovered it was only just a student and not a master of it. I also had no idea there was a dance associated with the music. It was really cool to see the chemistry between the guitar player and the dancer. It was like a symbiotic relationship because they fed off of each other.

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What I immediately fell in love with is the complexity of the pattern work on the traditional outfits worn. Many garments I personally wear don't have anything this embellished and I can honestly say I'm a little disappointed in my own culture for not having clothes that are striking like the dresses shown. There's something about the traditions shown from the outfits to the coordinated dances that show a specific attention to detail and technical skill, yet it's always in a humbling manner.

http://www.zamoraocio.es/evento/festival-internacional-de-folklore-zamora-2018/

I visited the official website of Zamora's folklore festival and did my best to interpret the information through videos and pictures. I would personally like to read more about the history and the strange reasons behind some of these traditions, much like I learn from my older in your family. Hopefully I get to attend this festival one day.

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One thing that I thought was super interesting was the fact that Flamenco is not the traditional dance for Zamora. When doing my own research about traditions for Spain this was one of the topics that I had found. I found it interesting that it was only the traditional dance of one area and not the majority of the country. I also found it very interesting that they have traditional outfits for dace festivals. When I think back to my families culture in the Dominion Republic I can not think of any traditional outfits. I think this is one of the things I found most interesting. I really appreciated the images that were provided in the following link: https://spark.adobe.com/page/Xy5XM6ry2DKyP/.

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While flamenco is not a part of all Spanish culture, it goes without saying that music is. As the guitarist says in the ted talk we watched this week, “for me it’s a process of daily cleansing, distancing myself from emotion and intensify of flamenco. And after this I go out and give myself.”He describes how music is a cleansing process for him which allows him to move forward and give what he states as his best. Which to me, sounds like giving it your all, meaning music allows him to be his best he.

Flamenco is not only therapeutic to those who play it, but it is also a form of fun and therapy for dancers. Flamenco is an intricate piece of Columbian and other Spanish speaking countries. I found it fun to watch the ted talk as I am a large fan of Columbia and it’s culture. I have an odd obsession with Pablo Escobar after binge watching the Netflix series, “Narcos,” and after reading his biography written by his son. He too was a fan of flamenco and other Spanish music.

Link: http://www.andalucia.com/history/people/paco.htm

The article I found about flamenco is a simple website that discusses Paco de Lucìa. He is a famous flamenco musician that I learned about while taking a class on world music. While he is attached to flamenco, he is much more than this. He is considered one of the most important guitarist of the last century.

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I thought that it was really cool having the connecting between music and culture in Spain. I thought it was really interesting seeing the differences between regions and how they all have their unique aspects. The costumes definitely remind me of Mexican traditional dances. it seems like they Took great influence from the spanish.

https://www.mexicodestinos.com/en/blog/2014/02/spectacular-traditional-dances-of-mexico/

here are some of the traditional Mexican dances , which much like Spain are also region specific.

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I absolutely loved watching the videos assigned for this week. It is so interesting to see how similar but unique at the same time, the dance forms around the world are! The costumes the dancers, singers, the music everything was so beautiful. In my culture too, music and dance forms play a huge role and defines different communities. As I was watching the videos, I was wondering how much rehearsals are done before performing and is it a dance form which anyone can do or it takes years of practice. The synchronization of the footsteps and the music blew my mind. Also, I loved how the dances and the music showed different emotions from anger to pain to happiness.

It always surprises me when I see similarities between different traditions from all over the world. In one of the dance performances, I saw the dancers using sticks which reminded me of a dance form in my culture called dandiya. It’s a folk dance and is usually performed on a festival called Navratri in which everyone participates. Here’s a link to one of the videos I found online. I couldn’t find just the dance video, the dandiya starts at 1:05 in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW1bjUINZsc

Lastly, I watched this Bollywood movie a few years ago and after watching the flamenco video assigned to us, I realized it’s used in this song. The song is a fusion of Spanish and Hindi!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXzaJ-sXHRw

I’m really curious to know if Marta likes it! Also, Marta, I remember you saying that you love to dance as well, what type of dance form do you enjoy the most?

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Reviewing and watching the content form this week was very interesting  and entertaining. The traditional dances and outfits from each region of Zamora are very similar yet just different enough to show each regions uniqueness. It made me really reflect upon the United States and the different regions here and the traditions we have. I feel like in the south they have a lot more traditional activities then we do, say in Oregon. There are strong traditions in Louisiana and Texas with music and dance opposed to a lot of other places in the United States. I  think that the link: https://spark.adobe.com/page/Xy5XM6ry2DKyP/ provided a broad range of information regarding attire and traditional dance in a great way. I enjoyed watching videos and seeing what the dances look like and how a few regions represent themselves in the clothing. This culture and practice seems like a great way to keep long lasting traditions and celebrating each other.