cachucha

{{Short description|Spanish solo dance}}

Image:Zorn Cachucha.jpg for {{Lang|es|La Cachucha}}, by Friedrich Albert Zorn.]]

Cachucha is a Spanish solo dance in {{music|time|3|4}} or {{music|time|3|8}} time, similar to the bolero. Cachucha is danced to an Andalusian national song with castanet accompaniment.

Etymology

From Spanish {{Lang|es|cachucha}}, small boat. Possibly from diminutive of {{lang|es|cacho}}, shard, saucepan, probably from vulgar Latin {{lang|la|cacculus}}, alteration of Latin {{lang|la|caccabus}}, pot, from Greek {{Transliteration|grc|kakkabos}}, a small container.

History

The Cachucha was created in Cuba though it is now considered a Spanish dance. Fanny Elssler (1810-1884, Vienna) popularized this dance when she introduced it to the public in the ballet from Rossini's opera La donna del lago in 1830s London, and cemented its fame in Jean Coralli's ballet Le Diable boiteux (1836, Vienna).

Gilbert and Sullivan set the dance for the entire company in Act 2 of the Savoy Opera The Gondoliers as the chorus sings Dance a Cachucha.

References

  • [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cachucha Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20080226110459/http://student.britannica.com/comptons/article-9318376/cachucha Britannica Student Encyclopedia]