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The Jota

The Jota is a genre of Spanish music and dance that is widely present all over Spain. Some people believe its roots actually originated in the Spanish section of Aragon. In fact, there can be no definite opinion as to its origin, but one theory holds that it is named for the Moor, Aben, and Jot, whose fast, suggestive dances scandalized the Spaniards in the twelfth century. In Spain, the people still move in solemn prayer for their newly-planted fields, and dance for joy and thanksgiving at the harvest. All forty-nine Spanish provinces have developed styles and movements determined by climate, costumes, and customs. Jota is derived from xota, meaning jump and also comes from the Latin word saltare, meaning to dance. Starting as far back as the 18th century, the complex dance moves and singing have evolved being used in movies, contests, festivals, and other entertainments. Similar to most Spanish music and dances in this modern day age, the jota varies by different regions, including versions that stem from from Navarra, Galicia and Murcia, among a multitude of others. The Jota, which is considered a courtship dance is traditional in northern Spain, particularly Aragon. The dancing couple hold their arms high and click castanets as they execute lively, bouncing steps to guitar music and singing. You put your arm round your partner's waist for a few bars, take a waltz round, stop, and give her a fling round under your raised arm. Then the two of you dance, backward and forward, across and back, whirl round and chassez, and do some twirling, accompanying yourselves with castanets or snapping of fingers and thumbs. The steps are a matter of your own particular invention, the more outrés the better; and you repeat and go on till one of you tire out.' Every province in the North has its own Jota, the tune and style of which have existed from ancient time. [wikisource]The singing consists of coplas, which are improvised verses of satire, love, or piety. The verse form varies but is frequently a four- or seven-line stanza of eight-syllable lines.

History

The Spanish dance Jota came to be in the 1700's and is the National folk dance of Aragon, Spain. This is probably the most traditional dance of Spain. The Jota typically tends to be in 3/4 meter, while some say that it should actually be done in 6/8 meter and can be either danced or sung. The Jota is much played in the North of Spain, and wherever it is heard a dance is sure to be the instant result. At the feast of La Virgin del Pilar, the Jota is in great favor with the crowd which assembles in Sargasso from outlying parts. The verses in the improvised couplets are not always in true meter, due to the performers not being very particular. However, they make up for the loss of a syllable or two in one line by adding it to the next, or they clap their hands, twang the guitar string, or stamp their feet to cover the defect. The Aragonese in their pride in the dance say that a pretty girl dancing the Jota sends an arrow into every heart by each one of her movements. Sometimes the couples of the Jota indulge in a satirical vein. The Castilian style comprises of dancers that are accompanied by guitars, bandurrias, lutes, and drums. The Galician style of the dance practices Galician inspired bagpipes and drums as a supplement to the dance. Closely similar to the fandango, the jota is probably a fertility dance of Aragonese origin, although legend states that it was brought north from Andalusia by the exiled Moorish poet Aben Jot. The Jarana of Yucatán, danced with whirling scarves, is a Mexican derivative of the jota. The "Jota of Aragón" is the oldest of the styles and corresponds with the ancient carols, which at that time, meant a dance as well as a song. Funerals and wakes also provide opportunities for the dance, the Jota, for instance, as it is often performed in watching the dead. There are huge variety of different versions of Jota. Some Jotas are: • The Jota of Alcañiz is also relatively rapid with cheers, jumps and leaps and Batudas or hitting the legs while jumping. • The Jota of Albalate is similar to that of the Alcañiz but is done much slower and not as much movement. • The Jotas of Calanda and Andorra is also similar but much more stately and starts off slower in pace and picks up speed with a style of a Valencian dance. • The Jota of Huesca is not as fast as the Zaragoza but is very energetic as well with many French influences throughout the dance and uses some tricky step patterns. • The Zaragoza Jota is the most exuberant of all the Jotas. It is much more diverse than the others and vary considerably, there are no 'punteados steps', the speed varies intermittently and occasionally raising the legs, Kneels and the arms are not used. • Jota de la vendimia is a 'wine harvest dance' from Ciudad Real, Spain. The guitar, bandurria and percussion may accompany the dancers.

Jota Tradition and Styles

The Jota dancers are known to wear local costumes while they are dancing, and sometimes they even wear castanets. However, in less formal settings, this is not always the case. The dance steps that are performed in this historical Spanish dance Jota are similar to those of a Waltz, except there is much more variation that is used. Jota songs are very diverse as they can be about a huge assortment of different and interesting subjects that go from religious themes to patriotism and even relationships. The lyrics in Jota songs are sung in quartets of octosyllabic lines. In addition, the first and third lines tend to comprise of an assonantal rhyme. The Spanish Jota is not new to society and has been used by a variety of classical composers in their work. Among these composers are Franz Liszt, who created a Jota for a solo piano; Georges Bizet comprised a Jota in his renowned opera, Carmen; and Mikhail Glinka, who formed his own version of Jota, stemming from the Spanish form in his work, 'The Aragonese Jota', in which he closely studied on a trip to Spain. The Jota can be divided into countless different derivatives. Here, we will take a closer look at the Aragonese Jota, the Castilian Jota and the Jota from the Philippines.

The Jota of Aragon

The Jota of Aragon is certainly the lyrical outlet of its region, expressing its very atmosphere. It is manly and courageous in song, and in feeling matches the rough scenery, with its snow-capped peaks, deep valleys and dry plains, swept by strong winds from the Moncayo Mountain, and crossed by the Ebro River. Here live tenacious, strongly-built men and women, guileless, sincere, and outspoken. They possess a healthy optimism and delight in self-expression through lively song and dance. The Jota suits them well. The dancers are accompanied by their own unique musicians, playing stringed instruments which emphasize the melodies of the loudly chanted coplas. Although styles vary considerably, rhymical motifs are always much the same, and the “real” Jota is that of Aragon, which has found its way all over the Peninsula. Its verses show a love of place and are often witty and even sarcastic. On special occasions, they reverently address the Virgin of Pilar, or in Aragonese, Pilarica, but serious or not, they are best summed up by the following verse:

                                    El que no canta la Jota
                                    Si ha nacido en Aragon
                                   O es mudo de Nacimiento
                                    O no tiene corazon 

which simply states that anyone born in Aragon who does not sing the Jota is either dumb or heartless.

The Aragonese Jota

The Aragonese Jota is the most celebrated form of folkloric expression today. It can be dated back to the 18th Century, however the 19th Century was the time went the Jota flourished. The Aragonese Jota has undergone some evolution as some of the steps can be quite complicated. From the end of the 19th Century, many choreographed versions of the Jota were produced for films, festivals and competitions. The places to study this Spanish dance in its purist forms include Calanda, Andorra and Zaragoza. Today, there are many new, modern versions of the Aragonese Jota which are performed by different folkloric groups. The most popular include the Jota Vieja and Aragón Tierra Bravía. La Jota Moncadeña is one of the most famous interpretation and adaptation of the Aragonese Jota dance. People of Moncada,Tarlac call it rather by a different name: Jota Florana. The Jota Folrana was danced to the Ilocano/Yogad bamboo musical instrument ensemble called tallelet. Dance anthropologist Ramon Obusan said that the Jota Florana was danced to accompany a bereaved family to the burial of a loved one. The high pitched clicking of the bamboo clickers are supposed to represent melancholy wails. The slow portion of the dance is in fact named patay (death) or desmayo (fainting) that is performed to a very slow marcha funebre. The same dance figure is found in another Ilocano dance, the Ti Liday (which in Ilocano means 'sorrow' or grief-stricken'). The Jota Moncadeña is similar to other Filipinized versions of the Spanish jota and is literally mixed-up in flavor. The dance combines Spanish and Ilocano dance steps and music.

The Castilian Jota

The Castilian Jota is the Jota where guitars, bandurrias, lutes, and drums are widely used. This version is much more moderate than its counterparts, despite the fact that the steps have a tendency to be quicker and more concise. Although it is a less nonchalant form of the Jota, the songs of the Castilian Jota are frequently quite satirical and humorous. The songs tend to deal with topics such as weddings, love, religion and life.

The Philippine Jota

The Jota gained world renowned recognition and became very widespread in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. The Filipinos emulated the Spanish men and women who danced the Spanish Jota at events such as weddings and other huge festivals, and eventually came up with their own unique version of Jota that uses a combination of dance steps derived from the Philippines along with Spanish dance steps. The Philippine Jota was among the most popular dances during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines. It was originally performed by the Spanish Señoritas and Caballeros in social gatherings (like wedding, parties and baptismal) during the Spanish regime in the Philippines. The Filipinos imitated and adapted this lively and delightful dance with different versions. In the Philippine version of the Spanish dance, they play the bandurria, guitar, bass, other lute style instruments, and unstrung bamboo castanets. In the dance, the women wave their Philippine shawls around while the men keep up the rhythm on the bamboo castanets. The music tends to switch between fast and slow tempos.

La Jota Manilena

The Philippines even has its own regional variations, just like Spain. The Jota Paragua is one example, coming from Palawan’s old capital, Cuyo Islands. This dance contains many typically Spanish elements including the footwork, the shape of the dancers' arms and the frilly dress. As previously mentioned, the Jota Paragua came from Palawan’s old capital-Cuyo Islands and displays a heavy Castilian influence. The zapateados (footwork), cubrados (curved arms), and Sevillana (flounced and ruffled) style of dress are evidently Spanish in origin. The ladies wave their mantón, or decorative shawl, while the gentlemen keep brisk pace with bamboo castanets. The music is an alternating fast and slow tempo similar to Spanish airs which accompany dances like the flamenco, jota, bolero, seguidilla and fandango. Other examples of Philippine jotas are Jota Manileña from Manila, Jota Caviteña from Cavite and Jota Moncadeña from Tarlac. Other regional variations in the Philippines include the Jota Caviteña from Cavite and the Jota Manileña from Manila. La Jota Manileña is a dance named after the capital city of the Philippines, Manila, where an adaptation of Castilian Jota is combined with the clacking of bamboo castanets played by the dancers themselves. The costume and the graceful movements of the performers noticeably inspired by Spanish Culture.