The show 'Bate Fado' recovers the dance of the traditional Portuguese song

The culture of a country is full of popular customs that can become historical artistic disciplines.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
19 October 2022 Wednesday 08:45
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The show 'Bate Fado' recovers the dance of the traditional Portuguese song

The culture of a country is full of popular customs that can become historical artistic disciplines. This is the case of fado, the traditional Portuguese song, which the duet Jonas intends to explore with dance.

Fado is originally from Brazil, but it also has Spanish and African roots. It is the "result of collective efforts from various parts of the world", highlighted Lander, the choreographer of Bate Fado.

However, origins do not always survive the test of time. Fado, as a popular expression, had a dance, according to the artists, "very fast, frenetic, sensual and spontaneous". Only a few illustrations that artists have been studying for years are preserved. The dance had the zapateado or clapping, which we link so directly with flamenco. But all the choreographic legacy was lost at the beginning of the 20th century.

No historical records have been found, but during the Estado Novo it is known that fado was persecuted. "Being a fadista, then, was the worst possible offense," says Jonas, a professional Portuguese fadista.

In this way, it is speculated that the fado dance was the first element to repress, since it was also the most visible. Since then, the singing of fado has been professionalized, losing the popular and spontaneous character of its roots.

Taking up this historical legacy, the Bate Fado duo intend to return the dance to the songs. According to them, "the dance mimicked the sadness and passion of the lyrics" and without it, "fado loses its southern hemisphere".

So Jonah

Bate Fado arrives in Barcelona after passing through the Théatre du Chaillot in Paris and its success in Madrid. In addition, the duet Jonas