Numerous documentary and graphic testimonies show that Andalusian bolero dance, established in the 18th century, was the absolute protagonist of the era's artistic expressions, both popular and theatrical.
This dance style has been linked to Andalusia since its inception. Its distinguishing features are the grace and elegance of its movements, as well as the richness and complexity of its steps and the use of palillos (castanets).
In the 19th century, this dance spread throughout Spain and Europe, thanks primarily to renowned Andalusian boleros (male dancers) and boleras (female dancers) and academies like Amparo "La Campanera's" and, later, those of three generations of the Pericet family, located in Seville.
Painting depicting a bolero dance by Manuel Rodríguez GuzmánOriginal Source: Museum of Fine Arts of Seville
Flamenco dance is the result of the encounter, around the mid-19th century, between two dance schools: that of the bolera dancers and that of the Andalusian gypsy women. They learned from each other, and together, they laid the foundations for what began to be known as flamenco dance.
Students from the Andalusian Dance Center performing the "Baile del Candil" (2008) by Luis CastillaOriginal Source: Andalusian Performing Arts Research and Resources Center (CIRAE). Andalusian Agency for Cultural Institutions - Ministry of Culture and Sport - Regional Government of Andalusia
Dances originating in Andalusia, or those from very distant lands that acclimatized and flourished in this region, form the backbone of the bolera school. These include the cachucha, sevillanas boleras, el vito, and the zapateado.
Photograph from 1854 by Manuela Perea (1854)Original Source: Andalusian Flamenco Institute (IAF)
Among the boleras who brought brilliance to this school, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest by the Junta de Andalucía, notable figures include Amparo Álvarez “La Campanera,” Manuela Perea “La Nena” (pictured), Josefa Vargas, and Pepita de la Oliva.
Baile del Candil (2008) by Luis CastillaOriginal Source: Andalusian Performing Arts Research and Resources Center (CIRAE). Andalusian Agency for Cultural Institutions - Ministry of Culture and Sport - Regional Government of Andalusia
In the 18th century, these were known as "school dances." Later, in the 20th century—around 1940—they began to be known as "Bolera School dances" due to the bolero dancers who performed this repertoire.
The repertoire consists of two types of dances: bolero dances and palillos dances. The former involves jumps, turns, intricate footwork, braiding, and highly difficult elevation steps. The latter are danced close to the ground and typically involve foot tapping (zapateado).
Excerpt from a polo scoreOriginal Source: Andalusian Flamenco Institute (IAF)
The 18th century was the century of the fandango, but other dances also graced the stages. Of all of them, the bolero can be considered the quintessential one. Among the 19th-century dances is the polo from El Contrabandista.
Its masters include Juan Esquivel Navarro, Félix Moreno, the De la Barrera brothers, and “La Campanera,” the Pericet dynasty, and others such as Francisco Vázquez, Francisco Ramos, Antonio Castilla, Maestro Coronas, José Otero, and Francisca González “La Quica.”
The Pericet family (1916)Original Source: Andalusian Center for Research and Resources for the Performing Arts (CIRAE). Andalusian Agency for Cultural Institutions - Ministry of Culture and Sport - Regional Government of Andalusia
The Pericet family has passed down the steps of the Bolera School to hundreds of disciples, keeping alive a tradition and a way of interpreting the Andalusian school dances as they were performed in the late 19th century.
Final workshop for students from the Andalusian Dance CenterOriginal Source: Andalusian Center for Research and Resources for the Performing Arts (CIRAE). Andalusian Agency for Cultural Institutions - Ministry of Culture and Sport - Regional Government of Andalusia
In 1942, the patriarch of the dynasty, Ángel Pericet Carmona (born in 1877), after the war ended, met with his son Ángel Pericet Jiménez in Madrid, and they decided, for the first time, to create a manual for Bolera School courses, which was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 2012.
"Baile del Candil" (2008) by Luis CastillaOriginal Source: Andalusian Center for Research and Resources for the Performing Arts (CIRAE). Andalusian Agency for Cultural Institutions - Ministry of Culture and Sport - Regional Government of Andalusia
Together, they compiled a manuscript, reorganizing the courses into groups, specifically detailing steps, turns, spins, and more, thus creating the first manual on the Bolera School that has survived to this day. Their family continued this legacy.
The lithographic reproductions are from Antonio Chamán's "Costumbres Andaluzas" series (1852-1854), held by the Andalusian Center for Flamenco Documentation, Ministry of Culture and Sport, Junta de Andalucía.
Photos are provided by the Andalusian Center for Research and Resources of the Performing Arts, Andalusian Agency of Cultural Institutions, Ministry of Culture and Sport, Junta de Andalucía.
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