Spanish Dancing, a Practical Handbook

A detailed practical introduction for beginners wishing to master both technique and execution. The student is taken from the use of the castanets and basic arm positions to such steps as the Taconeo and Zapateado and on to performances of the complete dances Las Sevillanas and the Fandango. The text is complemented by over 150 line drawings. Lalagia originally trained as a ballet dancer and danced at the Royal Opera House and with the Ballet Russe, but her love of Spanish dancing was aroused by seeing the famous Argentina, who advised her to go to Spain where she studied under La Faraona, Luisa Pericet, and Juan Magrina. She appeared as a soloist at the Teatro de Barcelona, and in the foremost cabarets in Madrid, London, and Paris. She founded her Estudio de Baile Clasico Espanol in London in 1951, and her pupils joined many Spanish dance companies, including that of Antonio. For many years she taught Spanish dancing at the Royal Academy of Dance and the Legat School.