Jaleo

What it means

The jaleo is a Spanish solo dance in 3/8 time marked by a characteristic rhythm usually played on castanets. The name also means “noise” or “ruckus” in colloquial Spanish, pointing to the dance's lively, rousing character.

Musical use

The jaleo belongs to the Andalusian dance and music tradition and is closely related to forms such as the fandango and flamenco palos. It is usually accompanied by guitar, singing, and rhythmic hand-clapping, the palmas, as well as the castanets themselves. In the 19th century the jaleo also became known outside Spain and inspired art-music works with Spanish color.

The jaleo should be distinguished from pure flamenco palos such as the soleá or bulería, which follow their own, often more complex rhythmic cycle, the compás, and from the fandango, with which it shares tempo and metre but differs in origin and character.

Performance practice

In the jaleo, listen for the interplay of dance steps, castanets, and guitar rhythm in 3/8 time. If you play castanets yourself, practise the characteristic rhythm slowly at first and increase the tempo only once it is secure.