Introduction

Every nation has its own personality. These are his national existence and values. At the same time, the culture inherent in the national existence of the peoples of the world develops on the basis of folklore formed in the Middle Ages.

The art of folklore-based dance, considered one of the branches of folk culture, is a special kind of art that is formed and developed together with the people and serves the interests of the people. Spirituality, thoughts, feelings, way of thinking and culture of the people are one of the bases of folklore. One might even say that it is a mirror of the people’s soul. Dance is a part of culture that reveals the history and other features of customs, traditions and people.

Today, Spanish folk dance culture occupies a special place on the world stage. The dances of the Spanish peoples, performed in many ballet performances, have a national flavor. Its performing technique has its own unique laws. To master them requires a high level of training, performing skills, natural abilities, a sense of character and manners, as well as constant practice.

Spanish dance, which has been danced among the people for centuries and thus developed, is today the basis of choreographers' creativity. As proof of this, we know a lot of Spanish dances, which began to be used to represent the high artistic level of many ballet performances. One of the most striking examples of ballet performances is M. Petipa's play «Don Quixote», staged in the 19th century to the music of L. Minkus, based on Spanish dance. Later, under the editorship of A. Gorsky, the scenes with Spanish dances were supplemented and positive changes were made. One of the most memorable scenes of this performance in the first act, the «Seguidilla» dance, attracts the attention of the audience with an interesting choreography. «In his youth, M. Petipa traveled to Spain, studied the country's folk art and danced with castanets himself, no worse than the first dancers of Andalusia. He used this knowledge in the ballets «Don Quixote», «Paquita» and in staging the dance in the opera «Carmen». Reflecting on his future performances, Petipa got acquainted in detail with the life and culture of the country related to the plot of the ballet, and he was especially attentive and serious about its folklore» [1, p. 4]. The Spanish dance in the third act of M. Petipa and L. Ivanov's play «Swan Lake», set to music by P. I. Tchaikovsky, which has become a legacy of the world stage, gives this ballet its originality. The play «Bolero», a one-act choreographic poem set to music by M. Ravel, was first staged in 1928 by B. Nijinskaya. Later, the choreographer M. Bejar's production performed by the famous ballerina Maya Plesetskaya got worldwide fame.

However, it is known that the peculiarities of the development of these Spanish folk dances on the professional stage have not been studied to some extent. Therefore, an article entitled «Features of the performance of national dances of the Spanish people» becomes relevant.

Research methods

The following scientific research methods were used to fully disclose the topic:

— scientific-theoretical;

— collection of historical data;

— empirical method.

In applying the methods of scientific-theoretical and collection of historical data, we relied on the works of scientists who studied the art of dance. And the empirical method was conducted through the works of well-known experienced teachers and interviews.

Literature review

The works of scientists and teachers who have been writing and studying the history and methodology of the origin of Spanish dance since ancient times have been widely used. Consideration of the features of Spanish dance on the path of development based on the scientific and methodological works of Michael Miguel Bernal «Legends of Spanish and Flamenco dance» (2023), Lopukhov A. V., Shiryaev A. V., Bocharov A. I. «Fundamentals of characteristic dance» (2010), the book by Yesaulov I. G., Yesaulova K. A. «Folk-stage dance: Training manual» (2014), Alisheva A. T., Abdullina N. S., Don G. S., Sayfullina G. N. «Folk-stage dance. Theory. Practice» (2023).

Purpose and objectives of the research

The purpose of the research is the differences and scope of application of the national dances of the Spanish people.

Tasks:

— consideration of scientific and theoretical works;

— differentiation of information sources;

— differentiation of dances used among the people;

— consideration of the artistic level of Spanish folk dances in ballet performances.

Main part

During the period when traditional Spanish dances were being formed, the country was inhabited by representatives of different peoples. The formation of the dance was influenced by the Celts and Moors who lived in Spain for seven centuries, and the Pakistani and Indian Gypsies influenced the culture of the country. Catalans and Castilians themselves are also distinguished by their temperament and innate sense of music.

«The development of Spanish folk dance dates back to the Renaissance. At that time, there were no countries in Europe with such diverse types of dances as the people of Spain. According to Cervantes, only a Spanish woman was born a dancer» [2, p. 122].

Flamenco, a dance popular all over the world and beloved by many, is very popular in Spain. There is beauty and meaning in every movement and look in this dance. You can express the joy and sadness of the inner world, love and mood, tenderness and hatred, longing and hope with hand gestures in dance. All this in one rhythm, guitar chords and melodies of songs, the sound of castanets, clear rhythms of legs and curves of the body combine in unity and give beauty. This beauty enchants the soul and fills it with vitality.

Flamenco dance originated in Andalusia, the southern province of Spain. However, the debate about its origin continues. Even the meaning of the name «flamenco» is interpreted by researchers in different ways. One of them is related to the name of the flamingo bird, as the unusual movements of the dancers with the coloring of their elegant costumes resemble this bird. Others believed that the name comes from the Latin «flamma», which means «fire». Another one claims that it was brought by Gypsies who arrived in Spain in the XVI century from Flanders (the name of a certain area), the name is said to come from the word «Flanders». Flamenco (can be paired or single) is a dance that talks about the mutual conflict between men and women. The dance describes passion, jealousy, love victories and defeats. This dance is often called the «soul of Spain». Flamenco is performed accompanied by guitar melodies and castanets. «There's a singer and two guitarists on stage. The melody of the guitars creates a passionate and disturbing environment, as well as dramatic tension. When this tension reaches its peak, the dancer appears on stage. His body is like a compressed spring. Hands are hopelessly raised up. Gestures are added to the emotional melodies of the voice and guitar. The plasticity of the body, arms, and «zapateado» kicks cause increased environmental stress from a mental point of view. We seem to see a feeling that has turned from crying to anger and screaming. The dancer, facing the singer and the guitarists, begins the dialogue. This is a ruthless dialogue between a woman and her fate. And she defends her right to love, happiness, and life» [3, pp. 60–61].

The dance «Farukka», staged in the flamenco style by the famous Kazakhstan choreographer Bulat Ayukhanov, was accompanied by guitar and orchestra performances. Although the choreographic text of all the performers in this dance is the same, the feeling of solo performers filled with flaming fire is realistically expressed in the dance movements. If so, «it should be emphasized that Flamenco dance does not require a large stage space, but requires an inner space — the space of the soul. This is probably why «Hondo» literally appeared in the art of the Andalusian Gypsies, meaning a dance or song born in the depths of the soul and conveying a strong feeling», it is impossible not to agree with the opinion of Alfonso Puig Claramunt and Flora Albaysin. [4, p. 9]

However, there were dances that were danced in all provinces. Among these dances is primarily the «fandango» dance. It is based on the national existence of the people of Spain. This dance is performed by couples and describes the process of a relationship. The Fandango dance shows the period in a love story from the first meeting to the awakening of passion. The dance starts at a slow pace and gradually speeds up. Sometimes Fandango is called a kind of flamenco. Guitar and castanets are used in this dance. Along with the women, there are men dancing in pairs, demonstrating the rivalry between them. While the first dancer demonstrates the tempo and movements of the melody, the second dancer must repeat the dance, complicating the movement.

Kachucha is a solo dance that originated in Andalusia. Translated from Spanish, this word means «small boat». Like many Spanish dances, kachucha is performed with castanets. This dance embodies the grace, elegance, and tenderness of girls. At the beginning of ХІХ century, Kachucha became famous thanks to the dancer Fanny Elsler.

«Thanks to the good influence of Fanny Elsler, the characteristic dance has taken its place in classical ballet. The first performances of the Spanish «Kachucha» dancers in the ballet «The Lame Devil» in heels surprised the audience and critics (choreography was staged by Coralli; the premiere took place at the Grand Opera in 1836). First of all, critics emphasized that Elsler performed a characteristic dance in her original through her own style» [5, p. 14].

The next dance of the Spanish people, the Sardana, is danced in a group, forming a circle. To dance the sardana, the flabios (who play the flabiola and drums) invite the dancers to dance and enhance the rhythm, and only then do the dancers step into the middle. Thus, as soon as the dancers come out, they will play the first notes of the melody to start the dance. In the dance itself, all the participants dance in a circle, holding hands and raising them up and one of them dances individually.

Nothing is known about its origin, but it is assumed that group dances, dancing hand in hand, originated from Greece in ancient times. Over time, the dance gradually adapted to the culture of the region, until Sardana became popular at the end of the XIX century. This dance has not changed since then.

Well, the typical Galician dance is the muineira. It is performed in pairs, both in single and group dances. Based on folklore, this dance is performed by groups dedicated to traditional events. In the musical structure, the rhythm is performed at a very fast tempo, in a musical measure of 6/8.

Although the origin of this dance is also unknown, it is believed that in ancient times, while working in Galician mills, women used the dance as entertainment in their free time while waiting for the corn to be ready.

The national dance of the Spanish people performed together with the song, in cheerful, interesting pairs, the Seguidilla dance originated in the XV-XVI century in La Mancha (Castile). The seguidilla was originally danced during harvest festivals. The musical size is 3/4; the lyrics have mostly lyrical or humorous content. The accompaniments are castanets, guitars, mandolins and lute. Sometimes it is accompanied by flute and drums. In the dance, couples switch between each other and dance in a circle.

The next national dance is «Hota», which originated in the province of Northern Aragon in the ХVІІІ century and is danced at peasant festivals and parties. It is performed in national costumes, and the dance is always danced at weddings, birthdays, and national holidays. In addition to instrumental accompaniment, choral singing is obligatory. In dance, the dancers' movements, combined with vocal accompaniment and musical rhythm, achieve extraordinary harmony. The main movements are jumps and clear kicks.

Bolero is a slow Spanish dance that is danced solo or in pairs. Bolero originated as a result of a combination of «contrandance» and «sevillanas» dances. In the XVIII century, boleros were called «Escuela Bolera», «Baile de Palillos» and «Goyescas». According to some experts, the dance was first invented by Sebastiano Cerezo in 1780. At the junction of folk dance and classical dance, the bolero dance emerged with its slow, non-stop movements, romantic, expressive characters that have their own unique style. It has become one of the most popular dances in Spain, which is regularly danced in Madrid, Seville and the southern regions of Spain.

Bolero turned into a theatrical production thanks to Italian ballet dancers who often performed in Spain at that time.

It is known that in the process of performing a dance, clothing models also change. However, the national Spanish costume is a part of Spanish culture. Clothing has its own characteristics in each region of the country. For example, in the south, since flamenco dance is widespread, the first thing that comes to people's mind is the image of a passionate woman in red clothes. They prefer to dress according to the requirements in order to reveal the image with an expressive pattern of each movement in the dance. Bayloar (a dancer) wears national clothes called «bata de cola». This is a dress with a long hem and pleats, made of different colors (especially red and black). It looks like the national dress of the Gypsy people. Their hands are either open or completely closed. In the center of the country, girls wore traditional Spanish dresses or short light boleros over dresses with straps.

In Valencia, the women's costume consists of a dress with an apron made of light silk. A thin light headscarf with a pattern is put on the head and tied with a knot at the back.

In Catalonia, girls prefer to wear skirts with patterned aprons. They accentuate their figure with white lace clothes and cover their shoulders with a headscarf. Thin gloves reaching to the elbows are put on the hands.

Galician women's clothing consists of a long-sleeved shirt and a red dress with black stripes made of velvet. A small or large apron with lace and beads is worn on the outside of the dress. In the north of Spain, women's national clothing is made in restrained shades and decorated with a simple pattern. Today, stage Spanish dance costumes are used based on these features.

Discussion

As we learned when reviewing materials on Spanish dance, each region has its own dance culture. We have seen that these dances differ from each other in musical accompaniment and characters. These folk dances are reflected in the ballets of outstanding choreographers, contributing to the growth of their artistic level. The musical accompaniment of the dances of each region has melodic, rhythmic differences. In general, the Spanish dances were accompanied by a guitar melody, the rhythms of castanets. Sardana and Galician muineira dances, which danced both solo and in groups, are also performed in pairs. These dances are dedicated to traditional events that are performed based on folk folklore.

Conclusion

Spanish dances vary depending on the folklore of each province in which they are located. For example, the northern Spanish Basques are bold and archaic, the Castilians are restrained, and the Aragoneses, on the contrary, are cheerful and simple. However, the dances of Andalusia and Mercia in southern Spain are characterized by passion. Spanish dance styles are diverse, but they are all temperamental and memorably special. In every dance, you can see feelings of love and jealousy, passion and loyalty.

Only by performing Spanish dance at a certain level and working hard to achieve positive results you can achieve agility, strength and flexibility. The right image is the basis of any dance, especially Spanish. Usually in Spanish dance: our bodies are straight, legs together, muscles gathered, chest slightly in front, chin lowered, and proudly directing our straight gaze at the viewer.

Spanish dances performed on the world stage are especially developing thanks to the famous dancers of this country. It can be said that their performing skills play the role of adapting to this kind of art, attracting artists.

We know that it was vividly manifested on the Kazakhstan stage in the works of famous choreographers Bolat Ayukhanov and Zaurbek Raibaev. Zaurbek Raibaev's approach to Spanish dancing comes from M. Ravel's work «Bolero», which he set in his diploma work in the early 60s of the XX century. And the dances staged by Bolat Ayukhanov on a Spanish theme were distinguished by their style. These two choreographers gave rise to the creativity of Kazakhstan dance directors. Thus, it can be concluded that Spanish dance is not an alien art to Kazakhstan choreographers and performers.

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