Trip to Triana & Sevillanas

The Guadalquivir River splits the city of Sevilla creating a historical, cultural gap between the two sides. Most of the program activities focus on the Sevilla side, where the historic center is located, but this week the students visited the Triana side of the river. The first bridge connecting Triana to Sevilla was a line of small boats linked together with chains, but even with this connection, Sevilla and Triana remained relatively separated.

During the tour of Triana, the guide explained that due to Triana's isolation from Sevilla, it has developed its own character that is still noticeable today. Triana has traditionally been the home of the "alfareros" who create and paint ceramics and the most famous bullfighters. Until recently, Triana had a large gypsy community, and this group is well known for dances like flamenco and the sevillanas. 

The "sevillanas" are a partner dance with 4 main parts, and this week the students attended a class at the "Casa de la Memoria" to learn how to dance them from the first sevillana to the fourth. They began with the basic steps, and gradually moved through the different phases. Once they were comfortable with the footwork, the instructor taught them how to incorporate arm movements. 

Videos of the sevillanas:

[VIDEO::https://vimeo.com/570608772]

[VIDEO::https://vimeo.com/570608827]