Cachucha

Dance score for La Cachucha, by Friedrich Albert Zorn.

Cachucha is a Spanish solo dance in 3/4 to 3/8 time, similar to Bolero. Cachucha is danced to an Andalusian national song with castanet accompaniment.

Etymology

From Spanish cachucha, small boat. Possibly from diminutive of cacho, shard, saucepan, probably from vulgar Latin cacculus, alteration of Latin caccabus, pot, from Greek kakkabos, a small container.

History

The Cachucha was created in Cuba though it is now considered a Spanish dance. Fanny Elssler (1810-1884, Vienna) popularized this dance when she introduced it to the public in the ballet from Rossini's opera La donna del lago in 1830's London, and cemented its fame in Jean Coralli's ballet Le Diable boiteux (1836, Vienna).

WS Gilbert sets the dance for the entire company in Act 2 of the Savoy Opera The Gondoliers as the chorus sings Dance a Cachucha.

References