Talk:Macarena (song)
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Somebody seems to have butchered this article. If that person would like to comment on his/her reasons for doing such a massive edit, I am more than willing to consider the arguments. Until that happens, I think that it is best to do a revert. I will continue to revert destructive editing of this article until further notice. Ycaps123 21:19, 18 March 2006 (UTC)
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[edit] Macarena -The (origin of the)Dance
I have noticed that the dance which accompanied the song Macarena has been credited to a ‘Venezuelan Flamenco instructor created it for her class to dance to, and it eventually caught on with the rest of the world.’.. no name, which doesn’t surprise me in the least. The same steps/moves for this dance were doing the rounds in the 1970’s and usually to ‘The Locomotion’ (Little Eva). As a DJ during that period (before and after) I saw the dance performed at least once a week. In 1989 I even video’d my own daughter (aged 8) doing the exact same dance (but this time to Kylie Minogue’s version). I would like to say that this type of action is very rare.. but sad to say it is not – though in this case the claimant seems to have remained anonymous (for whatever reason) … maybe in a few years time someone will pop up and say ‘I wrote that dance’. Anyone taking bets???
- I have the advantage of being a native Spanish speaker, and therefore being exposed to Los Del Río's numerous interviews concerning their smash hit. The Venezuelan Flamenco instructor the article refers to is probably the actual inspiration for the chorus of the song, and indirectly, the song itself. There was talk about herself creating the dance, but as you say yourself, this is probably based on hearsay, and most probably related to her trying to cash in on the craze. I had seen the Locomotion dance before myself, and it is pretty similar.
- I have to check the article's history to help clear up things a bit, but let me add some details from Los Del Rio's many interviews. Seems that our heroes were on a lounge tour of various places in South America, and the promoter of the Venezuelan leg of their tour took them to a hotel, where this supposedly loungey flamenco show was regularly staged. However, since Los Del Rio are actually Andalusian, they were pleasantly surprised by the main dancer's flamenco skills, "as good or better than those from any authentic Gypsy girl's from the Sacromonte caves in Granada" quote-unquote. Back in the hotel, one of them wrote the chorus, and the rest is history. Demf 04:00, 11 November 2006 (UTC)
[edit] "Inventor" of the dance
Well i just did an internet search and popular opinion seems to credit Mia Frye with having invented the Macarena dance in 1996. she is a choreographer, taught as a dance instructor. Los del Rio "Macarena" 1993 was a song with no video, until a French record company commissioned a video and that was apparently what led to it really taking off. Mia Frye is the original choreographer for the video, and hence (apparantly) the Macarena dance today.
[edit] The Macarena - choreographed by ?????
Interesting information from the internet. One has to remember that a 'choreographer' as well as 'writing' dances also (usually) instructs other people in the art form. Choreographers are mentioned many times within film or tv/media screen credits, this does not mean that they have written (choreographed) the dances shown. They, in most cases have provided only the instruction which may have included some artistic direction.
I recall, not only the [ongoing] debate about the dance 'The Electric'/'Electric Slide' but also a dance called 'Footboogie'and the more than passing similarity to the dance 'Natalies Night Flyer'... but strange as it seems the two choreographers in question have not (or admit to) seeing the film 'Footloose' which preceeded both dance by more than a few years. For during that film - and also at the very end where they are all dancing in the 'flour mill' - are a number of the step combinations later used for BOTH dances.
I will stand by 101% on the dates etc given on my previous posting.. and add.. that on talking to and emailing different people, this 'dance' was indeed as popular as what I said and across most of the U.K..as well as undeniable video evidence. ... let a popular dance go dormant for a while without anyone claiming to be the choreographer.. and sooner or later 'someone' will claim the prize.
I have been a choreographer of dance (Ballroom/Line/Soul) for nearly 40 years and have choreographed (written) nearly 400 dances including an easily identifiable 'Line' dance going back to 1968 (which may blow the myth about 'The Bus Stop' being the first in 1975).. whoa betide anyone laying claim to any of those in 5 or 10 years time.
[edit] Timeline is off
The first paragraph says that the song first became a hit in the U.S. when the Bayside Boys remixed it in 1996. But then it says that the song was "later" covered by Los Del Mar as a single. So which version was the one that first became a hit?
[edit] Para Para
Should the dance be considered as part of (or at least inspired by) the Parapara genre, in that it involves preset movements and specific to arm movements? This style of dance has been popular in Asia for decades.
- You're right: it's not a dance, it's a para, at least by the definition used in StepMania. That's why "Macarena" didn't work in DDR Disney Mix. --Damian Yerrick (☎) 15:22, 13 August 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Pre Para..
It's understood that this type of dance movement [Para Para]originated in Japan in the early 1970's... whereas dances such as The Locomotion with its arm movements is very 1960's... Even the 'original' dance that was also done to the Macarena (though credited to the Venezualian dance teacher)had similar arm/hand movements to that of The Locomotion. Also looking at the description of very early Contre (Contra - Country) and even 'Court' dances of the Elizebethian period hand movements were as equally important to the dance as were the steps/footwork.
[edit] Another parody, still anecdotal
Since I only have my own experience, it is not "verifiable" information I can add to the article, but I think it is an important addition to the history of the song. I was in Roma in the Christmas season of 1995, visiting my wife who was working in a movie. While there, I had the pleasure of watching homosexual Italian men perform the "Macarona," a parody of the Macarena. "Macarona," singular form of macaroni, was (is?) a slang word for penis in Italian. The dance consisted of a chopping motion of one hand along the other arm, which represented the measuring out of a larger and larger "macarona." Therefore, each time they repeated the word "macarona" they sounded more and more impressed. If this anecdote can be verified by more sources (and if it were widespread in Italia), then perhaps it could make the real entry.
