Mexican Hat Dance

Mexican hat dance is one of the popular dance forms of the world. Taking a peep into history, we see that hat dance was symbolic of the national unity and also considered to be the National Folk Dance of Mexico once. The original name of the dance form is ‘El Jarabe tapatío’. The art form is an amalgamation of music and the dance that accompanies it. The dance is usually performed by a female and her male partner. However, it can also be performed by a group of couples or even alone. The most attractive part of the Mexican hat dance is the colorful costumes of the dancers and their graceful steps.

 

While performing the Mexican hat dance, the male dancer or the ‘charro’ usually wears a three-piece suit, comprising of a vest, jacket and pants with silver buttons along the seam, while his female counterpart is decked up in a beautiful traditional China Poblana outfit. The art form depicts the story of love and courtship. The male dancer stamps and taps his feet to the background music, in order to woo his partner, who is on the verge of rejecting him (but accepts him as the dance culminates). The best part of the dance is when the male dancer throws his hat to the ground. While doing so, he tries to kick his leg over the female dancer’s head, as she bends down to pick the hat.

 

Doing Mexican hat dance can be a lot of fun, provided you know how to synchronize your steps according to the background music and tap your feet effectively. Expressions also play a pivotal part in making the performance enjoyable and entertaining. If you are dancing in a group or with a partner, the steps remain the same, but they are quite different in case you are dancing alone. The tempo of the dance increases with the increase in the tempo of the music. To know more on how to do Mexican hat dance, read the steps given in the following lines.

 

Mexican Hat Dance Steps