Bolero (Spanish dance)

Bolero is a Spanish dance in 3/4 time popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It originated from the seguidilla sometime between 1750 and 1772,^[2] and it became very popular in Madrid, La Mancha, Andalusia and Murcia in the 1780s.^[3][4] Bolero was performed as a solo or partner dance with a moderately slow tempo, accompanied by guitar and castanets, and with lyrics in the form of the seguidilla.

Sebastián Cerezo was credited by as one of the earliest and best dancers of the genre.^[2] According to Zamácola y Ocerín, Cerezo danced slowly and his particular way of dancing marked the definitive transition from seguidilla to bolero (from voleo, cf. vuelo, "flight").^[2] This original slow way of dancing was promoted by Murcian dancer Requejo around 1800 in response to the faster style of bolero dancing that had become popular over the years.^[2] The dance became obsolete in the mid-19th century, but survived in an academic tradition known as the escuela bolera, which influenced the development of modern flamenco dancing. One of the palos (styles) of flamenco is derived directly from the dance, the seguidillas boleras. In the 20th century, flamenco's popularity led to the almost extinction of the escuela bolera, which continues to exist in Seville. The genre's legacy also lives in the works of many classical composers such as Maurice Ravel, whose most famous piece is named after the dance, Boléro.