Danzas de Panama

Description

Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello — A suite on Panamanian dance themes collected by Elizabeth Waldo, for either string quartet or string orchestra. There is a distinct unity and a touch of Caribbean color in the four dances. The first and last are African in origin, probably brought by the first slaves imported into Panama, while the second and third are of Spanish-Indian derivation. 1. Tamborito: This dance is performed with percussive instruments and voice, or with strings and percussion. The drum introduction is repeated at the end of the dance. 2. Mejorana: Usually in the major mode, the Mejorana is improvisatory in style. The instruments used are the Mejoraneras (guitars playing in counterpoint) and the Rabel (three-stringed violin). 3. Punto: This is a graceful dance in six-eight time, distinguished by the Zapateo (shoe-tapping) section and a Paseo (Promenade), which occur in the Mejorana as well. 4. Cumbia: Most sensuous of all the dances, and completely lacking in European elements. When it is danced in the streets, the women hold lighted candles in their upraised hands, while the men dance about them in an abandoned manner. A more refined Cumbia is adopted for other occasions.