Mallorca

"Both in private and public dances, young girls like to throw sweets at the feet of their lovers who dash them while they dance. Children and sometimes older folk take advantage of this to get hold of free candy. Musicians playing in private parties are paid 4 or 5 reales, the violinist receiving a bit more. Those playing xeremies and tamborino in public dances are also paid a bit more. Lastly, it’s common for dances to be accompanied by castanets, preferably played by the man. If one of the pair doesn’t have a set, someone else will quickly offer them one with pleasure. At times, castanets are replaced by finger-snapping. Almost all the dancers wear shoes, the girls wear a rebosillo and their dance partners a hat.

Three dances are preferentially interpreted on Mallorca: the fandango, the jota and the copeo. Their names indicate that they reached Mallorca at some time or another from the peninsula. Given Mallorca’s long dependence on the Kingdom of Aragón, we can infer the popularity reached by the jota on the island. Similarly, the introduction of the fandango is due to the lively trade maintained long ago with Spain’s southern coasts. It is also true that these dances were adapted on Mallorca to the inhabitants’ more tranquil nature, so much so, in fact that, with such different vivacity and vigor in the island versions compared to the peninsular ones, it would be difficult to consider them pairs were it not for their musical identity."

Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria. Las Baleares por la palabra y el grabado. Majorca: General Part. Ed. Sa Nostra, Caja de Baleares. Palma de Mallorca. 1982.