IT'S NOT JUST A HOBBY


Friday, February 26, 2010

Turkey - Traditional Women's Headcovers 1997


Traditional Women's Headcovers:

50,000 Lira - Canakkale
50,000 Lira - Gaziantep
100,000 Lira - Bursa
100,000 Lira - Isparta

Turkey - Traditional Women's Headcovers 1998


Traditional Women's Headcovers:

75,000 Lira - Afyon
75,000 Lira - Ankara
175,000 Lira - Mugla
175,000 Lira - Mus

Turkey - Traditional Women's Headcovers 1999


Traditional Women's Headcovers:

150,000 Lira - Manisa-Yunt Dagi
150,000 Lira - Nigde
250,000 Lira - Amasya-Merzifon
250,000 Lira - Antalya

Turkey - Traditional Women's Headcovers 2000


Traditional Women's Headcovers:

275,000 Lira - Corum
275,000 Lira - Izmir
275,000 Lira - Trabzon
275,000 Lira - Tunceli

Turkey - Traditional Women's Headcovers 2001


Traditional Women's Headcovers:

200,000 Lira - Mersin-Silifke
250,000 Lira - Sivas
425,000 Lira - Aydin
450,000 Lira - Hakkari

Turkey - Shadow Puppets 2007


Shadow Puppets:

60 Yeni Kurus - Tuzsuz Deli Bekir & Efe
70 Yeni Kurus - Hacivat & Karagoz
80 Yeni Kurus - Tiryaki & Celebi

The subject of the set is : Turkish cultural assets – Shadow play characters. The shadow theatre is a puppet heather that involves two-dimensional figures casting their shadows on a screen. It had an important place in Turkey as well as throughout the larger area of the Ottoman Empire. A long–standing puppet tradition has been established by the Turks even before the sixteenth century, when the shadow theatre was introduced. There is virtually no kind of puppet show that Turkey has not tried. Puppet tradition came from Central Asia, but shadow theatre did not. It was borrowed from Egypt. One question remains however about the origin of the Egyptian shadow theatre. The three stamps of the set pictures characters of this shadow theatre. Let me show you the stamps, one by one, and give you some background information about the characters that are pictured.

Tuzsuz Deli Bekir and Efe:
Tuzsuz Deli Bekir is a drunkard that always blusters and threatens, carrying a sword and spreading terror. Efe is a swashbuckling character from the Western coast of Turkey. He wears an embroidered jacket which is so short that it barely reaches his elbows, and a high fez. Across his back is his long gun. He tries to restore discipline in the neighbourhood all by himself and is usually a man of good intentions.

Karagoz and Hacivat :
Karagoz is supposed to be a gypsy. Karagoz has a round face, his have a large black pupil, hence his name “Black Eye”. He has a pug nose and a curly black beard. His head is completely bald and he wears an enormous turban which always trigger laughter when it falls. Hacivat is a reflective character with a pointed turned-up beard. He always uses an erudite language whereas Karagoz uses the language of the common people. Hacivat can recite famous poems, he has a vast knowledge of music, he knows the names of various rare spices, the terminology of gardening. Each movement of Harcivat is well calculated. Karagoz, on the contrary is impulsive. Where Hacivat is always ready to accept the situation and maintain the status quo and establishment, Karagoz is always eager to try out new ideas and he constantly misbehaves himself.

Tiryaki and Celebi :
Tiryaki is and opium addict. He spends all his time smoking opium and. He can easily be identified by his pipe. He is a flippant type but always tries to look serious.
Celebi is usually presented in a sympathetic light. He is not caricatured as are so many of the other characters. He is a dandified young man whose love for a courtesan or a girl of good family is usually the subject of the play. He is a young and rich man, who assumes a careful and rather self-conscious elegance of dress. He is dressed in European style. He speaks with an educated Istanbul accent.

Turkey - Folk Dances 1969


Folk Dances:

30 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Bar)
50 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Caydacira)
60 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Halay)
100 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Kilic-Kalkan)
130 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Zeybek)

30 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Bar)
With their structure and formation, they are the dances performed by groups in the open. They are spread, in general, over the eastern part of Anatolia (Erzurum, Bayburt, Agri, Kars, Artvin and Erzincan provinces).
The characteristic of their formation is that they are performed side-by-side, hand, shoulder and arm-in-arm. Woman and man bars are different from one another. The principal instruments of our bar dances are davul and zurna (shrill pipe). Later, clarinet has been added to the woman bars. The dominant measures in bars are 5/8 and 9/8. Occasionally measures of 6/8 and 12/8 are used. Aksak 9/8 measures which are also the most characteristic measures, in particular, of the Turkish folk music are applied with extremely different and interesting structures in this dance.

50 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Caydacira)
Better known as Elazig Dances, The instruments for this dance are the clarinet and the drum. The names of the dances are: Cayda cira which is a special kind of dance where the dancers hold burning candles on their hands, fatmali halay (only men), buyukceviz (only women) and delilo.


60 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Halay)
This folk-dance is performed to a large extent in the Eastern, South- Eastern and Central Anatolia and it is one of the most striking dance. It has a rich figure structure of simplicity is the symbol of creation and originality of the folk.
The rhythmic elements of halay dances are very rich and are mostly performed with drum-zurna combination as well as with kaval (shepherd's pipe), sipsi (reed), cigirtma (fife) or baglama (an instrument with three double strings played whit a plectrum) or performed when folk songs are sung. You may experience all the measures of the Turkish folk music in the halay melodies.

100 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Kilic-Kalkan)
Shield game or game sword fight sword shield folk dance known as single müziksiz Orhangazi period established by tanınmaktadır.Araştırmalara army talimli then carried out according to the methods of war after the game has become more antremanları. Sword fighters to the city has received Orhangazi Bursa t shield entered the show by doing. With important figures in six of the game is a function of each figure.

Peşrev: Military duty and the call çağrılış matches are exhibited to the army of uğurlanış.
Oath Ceremony: Novice Training as well as finished if we swear in the days of military service to accept gerekir. Burada and that he wants to fulfill a vow to honor and glory upon, is an oath on the sword.
Education: the soldiers preparing for war for the military education *** ürülerek war application denir. Savaşa teaching sahneleridir.Oyundaki preparation and wars figures, grinding sword, weapon information, and maintenance of cenk entry, the ability to hit The implementation of the enemies weighing and identification capability is to use exhibition.
Cenk and Magistrates Agreement: Both knees are to the opposite side cenk will ignite the war. Existing in the game, rhythm game during this war is lost place after the war alır. Cenkten noise gidilir.iki Drop by to durdurur. Oyunda war, these three sections separately for kullanılır.Helalleşme phrases, before cenk Communication for situations of war, and again for many of the same section mubareze, are used for the Drop-war armistice. Circuit agreements of the war to be left between the parties to have a conversation in the meantime gerekir. Cengaverin be alert to false words, do not fall ambush gerekir. Cengaverin weapon like a person who adhere to the word of the weapons in order to change the swing the sword and throw on the other side is attacking him with an adaptation işlenmiştir. Bu section within the game Changing the name given weapons and intimidation is the word used for this section. December War: Cengaver come to the aid of each other, they join with your friends with your own between the two sides began fighting. This war will be open during the Drop-off rhythm of war and war yoktur.Toplu experienced the joy of return.

Kilic-Kalkan, Bursa is a folk dance with an özdeşle.
Ottoman army, battle scenes, sword-shield reflected the game, is played müziksiz. The player with the sound of the feet and knees are shot, the amount of music and rhythm in
Sword shield; 8 to 10 or more are played by anyone from "between the two teams. Farewell to the army and those who called in the game before meeting merâsimi is portrayed, then players will revive the public by creating a ceremonial oath, then the two teams will make the sword-shield collision. Demonstrations; truce game, head-to cengi stroke, swords with each other continue to be taken. Players in the air in unison shouting and waving swords with the scene closes.
His work with the folklorcu Mustafa Tahtakıran the 1932 figures pegged the game swords and shields were made standard, in the 1940s has become common in the school.
In the past, under the leadership of Mustafa Tahtakıran'ın go Nice'teki the world champion in a competition Bursa Kilic Kalkan The success of the team that a guru in Bursa was the source of gold medals and won it in other products located in TKM against the giant Karamürsel Shop photographs were exhibited.
A session of international festivals can be exhibitions, awards area, tourist groups statesman for the stand ceremonies played sword-shield game for a while harsh and frightening as, barbarian image of Turkey to support a rationale no longer contests do not attend, the Ministry of Education's folk as acceptable for not taught in schools is not. Sword Shield game today Bursa is made to live by the sword Shield Association.

130 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Zeybek)
Zeybeks are, in general, the widespread folk dances of the Western Anatolia.
It is rendered by one person or two or by a group of people and its name changes for example as 'seymen' in the central parts of Anatolia. Zeybek dances are formed, in general, of 9/8 measures and have a variety of tempos such as very slow, slow, fast and very fast. Very slow zeybek dances have the measure of 9/2, slow ones 9/4 and some others 9/8. Very fast dances, for instance, teke (goat) dance seen in Burdur - Fethiye region can be regarded as dances of zeybek character, they have the traditional measure of 9/16 There is another folk dance named as BENGI in the zeybek region.
It is performed more differently than zeybek and has got a different musical feature and the most characteristic measure of bengi dance is 9/8. Particularly in slow zeybeks, the traditional instruments is drum- zurna combination. The use of 2 drums and 2 zurnas in combination is a tradition, function of one of the zurnas is accompaniment, in other words, it accompanies the melody with a second constant tune.
Apart from drum-zurna, a three-double string instrument baglama, reed, marrow bow etc. are used for fast zeybek dances. In particular, the traditional instrument of the teke (goat) dance region is reed.

Turkey - Folk Dances 1975


Folk Dances:

100 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Horon)
125 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Kasikli Oyun)
175 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Bengi)
250 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Kasap)
325 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Kafkas)


100 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Horon)
HORON or the round dance is a typical folk dance of the Black Sea coastal area and its interior parts. Horons appear very different from the folk dances in other parts of the country with their formation of tempo, rhythm and measure.
Horons are performed, in general, by groups and their characteristic measure is 7/16 For their melodies are rendered very fast, it is very difficult to render them with every instrument. For this reason, rendering with a drum and zurna becomes practical. Melodies of horon are performed with the small type of zurna which is called 'cura'. In addition, in the interior parts blowing instruments such as bagpipe mey (again, a small zurna) etc. The other measures used are 2/4, 5/8 and 9/16.

125 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Kasikli Oyun)
Turkish folk dance is also very alive and variant. Each region has its characteristic dance with particular costumes, steps, rhythms and instruments. Every region's dance reflects the characteristics of that region's people. Turkish people are very inventive, creating new dances for different situations. There are particular dances for weddings, for harvest or for guest welcoming and so on, "Horon" a very fluid and swift dance, is particular to the Black Sea Region;
"Kasik Oyunu" played with spoons, is performed in from Konya to Silifke.

175 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Bengi)
Bengi dances are a typical example of the crowded dances. Bengi as a word means "eternal and essential liquid of life".
It is dances especially among Balikesir and Bergama.
It is played with a shrill pipe , drum ; the dancers form a big circle, it starts with slow movements, and suddenly it becomes faster and faster as the music becomes faster.
It was told to be a dance done to celebrate an ending of a war which is won.

250 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Kasap)
Kasap Havası, widely known in Turkey and the Marmara Region, especially in Thrace region is widely played a public game. Similar dances Ukraine Arkan, Romanyada Arcan, Israel Hora, the Middle East in the Dabke, Bulgaria Kasapsko Horo, Sırbistanda Kasapsko Kolo, Makedonyada Lesnoto and Bar is Ermenistanda Soorch. Turkey and most well-known butcher played air Ehe geia Panagia Greek name of his game. 2 / 4 'luxury fast and 4 / 4' luxury with a slow rhythm of the game shaped air Uzzal Authority as set out in the name of the butcher air, on-time butcher Albanians living in Istanbul based on the widespread belief among the public is. Various sources with the name of the Byzantine period played İstanbul'unda Makellarikos Horos is to say, this is not any information about final.
Heavy air butcher butcher, butcher and fast are different types, such as the Serbian butcher. Heavy as a butcher in Greece is considered the ancestor of Sirtaki. Kasap Havasi depending on region, but played almost every traditional wedding Turkey, the bride and with the participation damat'ın to attract the public by creating a game that is halay.

325 Kurus - Halk Oyunlari (Kafkas)
Caucasus Dance (Kafkas Dance) - Northeastern Anatolia

Turkey - International Year of Tourism 1967

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Turkey - Europa, Folk Dances 1981


35 Lira - Antalya
70 Lira - Burdur

Turkey - Folk Dances 1981


7 1/2 Lira - Gaziantep
10 Lira - Balikesir
15 Lira - Kahramanmaras

Turkey - Traditional Textile Handycrafts 1992


500 Lira - Igne Oyasi
1000 Lira - Yapma Bebekler
3000 Lira - At Heybesi

Turkey - International Turkish Folklore Congress 1981



7 1/2 Lira - Hali
10 Lira - Isleme
15 Lira - Davul-Zurna
20 Lira - Makrama
30 Lira - Kilim

Turkey - The Kermis of Pergamus 1957

Monday, February 8, 2010

Papua New Guinea - Traditional Dances 2009


Issued on 23 November 2009

Stamp Sets:
Kina 1.00 - Engagement Dances, Western Highlands Province
Kina 3.00 - Bride Pride Dances, Central Provinces
Kina 4.65 - Engagement Dances, Manus Provinces
Kina 6.30 - Trobriand Dances, Milne Bay Provinces

Minisheet:
Kina 1.00 - Courtship Dances, Chimbu Province
Kina 3.00 - Engagement, Enga Provinces
Kina 4.65 - Engagement Dances, Central Provinces
Kina 6.30 - Womanhood, Central Provinces

Souvenir Sheet:
Kina 10.00 - Trobriand Love Dances, Milne Bay Province




Traditional Dances of Papua New Guinea
As regarded by every tribe, Sing Sing (dancing) time is a time of joy when both dancers and spectators alike come to relax and regenerate mentally from all devastating forces of life. Dancing is not a frequent occurrence. They are seldom held to purposely compensate tribesmen for their loyalty to the Chiefs or head-man after laborious periods of gardening, tribal conflicts or other tribal engagements.
Dancing is all gesture representations. To depict a certain subject in a dance performance, the dancers, as much as possible, completely forget their nature and come to an imaginary state of mind (similar to that of the subject replicated) where they freely express the common gestures of the subject at focus.
During these performance, the thoughts and feelings of the dancer combine to compose motions executed, thus, sending waves of thrill to the spectators. The spectators in-turn express emotions of glee to as much as how they perceive it. Different topics create different thrill waves. Most are very emotional.
Traditional dances are categorized by gestures of subjects and events replicated in the performances. One such category is romance. Romantic dances, just like any other dance, are composed to commemorate an occurrence within the tribe or that of a chieftain or Sherman.
Some dance occasions take place after tribal fights where two or more tribes are involved. These gatherings are seen as avenues of reconciliation. As a norm of life, it’s business as usual for all parties after these gatherings.
The amazing thing is the ability for the tribes to reconcile especially after fierce fighting. Hate surely is not the motivating factor as one can see, it’s the spur-of-the-moment anger for loss of possession or injustice seen that drives them. Therefore romantic dances performed during these occasions are seen as cushions to the process.
Of all the other Traditional dance categories to come, The Post PNG Philatelic Bureau has decided to feature Romantic Dances as its last postage stamp issue for 2009.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Spain - Folk Dances, La Sardana & La Jota 2009


The “Popular Dances” series issued throughout 2009 to widespread the rich folklore of our country is on this occasion devoted to the Sardana and the Jota.

La Sardana
The Sardana is the most representative dance of Catalonia. Its origins are said to be in ancient Greece and in the cult of the sun of old civilizations following a circular movement. It is danced by a group of men and women who join hands alternately in a closed circle. The basic pattern of the Sardana is a series of long and short steps; the precise combination is determined by the leader, who signals the steps with a hand squeeze that is passed around the circle to make music and footsteps coincide. There are two basic ways of interpreting the Sardana: the empurdanés, from the Ampurdán and the selvatá, from the region of the Selva (Gerona), the main difference between the two is the direction of the turn. The old style Sardana, known as curta (short) is made up of eight short and sixteen long compasses, the short ones bearing hardly any movement and the long ones more vivacious. The Sardana danced nowadays is the llarga, composed by José (Pep) Ventura and is longer than the curta. Music for the Sardana is played by a cobla, a band consisting of wind instruments, double bass and a tamborí (very small drum) the flabiol which is a small fipple flute, the tenora and tible The brass instruments include: two trumpets, two fiscorns, and a trombone. The social success of this dance lies in its nature, open to any passers by wishing to join in.

La Jota
The Jota is the most popular dance in Spanish folklore, spreading from North to South across the country. It is performed in pairs, with dancers facing each other and exchanging positions with small precise steps. The plucking of the feet requires great skill and liveliness which results in steps of great beauty. The classical structure begins with a chorus followed by a song of four verses referring to themes such as love, praise or the Virgen del Pilar. It is danced in Navarre, Castille, La Rioja and Galicia amongst others, the most popular being the jota aragonesa which reached its peak of maximum splendour in the XIX century. It has three different parts. The first part begins with a small group doing some introductory singing and the couple taking up their positions waiting for the proper song to begin; In the middle part the dancing takes place and the dancers are accompanied by castanets and drums and in the final part, dancers perform with vigorous and faster steps.

Spain - Folk Dances, El Candil & Las Seguidillas 2009


The stamps devoted to El Candil and Las Seguidillas, depict different steps of these folk dances performed by dancers in their traditional costumes wearing hats and scarves.

El Candil
El Candil takes its name from the fiestas held by candlelight and oil lamps long before electricity. It is a typical dance from the region of Extremadura and specially famous in the town of Olivenza ( Badajoz). It is said to have a Portuguese origin and is performed by a group of dancers in a circle making slow movements at the beginning and getting faster progressively with cheerful hammering of the heels on the floor and clapping from the public. The purpose of these gatherings was for young men and women to meet and the common way to ask a woman to dance was saying “please”. If another man wished to join in, he had to ask the man for permission, never the lady. The dance ends with a ritual embrace where the man puts his arms over the woman’s shoulders in a restrained manner. If this gesture was more effusive, the man could be rebuked. As in other folk dances, El Candil is accompanied by either gallantry songs or by cheeky and witty ones. The woman can reply to these compliments with another song expressing her rejection or her acceptance.

Las Seguidillas
The word Seguidillas refers to both a metric composition and to a popular dance, which according to experts, is the most characteristic of Spain. Its origin is claimed by various autonomous regions but it is commonly accepted as coming from La Mancha from where it spread to the rest of the country. It is accompanied by guitars, bandurrias, lutes, castanets and other instruments to a ¾ beat and four verse stanzas with various themes, from love, to sayings and jests. In the dance, there is always a musical introduction followed by the chorus and nine beat verses. The funniest part being the bien parao, which means standing still in the position the dancer is in the last note. Amongst the different varieties of Seguidillas are the manchegas, sevillanas, boleras, murcianas, chambergas and the gitanas and seguirillas, slower and a bit like flamenco.

Spain - Folk Dances, La Muneira & El Fandango 2009


The Muñeira and the Fandango are issued within the Popular Dance series devoted to the folklore of Spain.

La Muñeira
The word Muñeira etymologically comes from the Galician muiño (mill) and it is the most characteristic dance from Galicia. It is of an uncertain origin and some authors find its origin as far as the pre roman dances, whilst others consider it to be in the festivals that took place in the mills whilst peasants waited for their flour. The dance has different steps throughout the various regions and begins with a row of men and a row of women facing each other. The man performs with strong and impetuous movements the turns and pirouettes with his arms up high whilst the woman performs with slow, timid movements and her arms down. It has at least two main parts: the punto, which has many variations depending on the dancers’ skill and the volta or wheel dancers perform changing positions. The dance is accompanied by bagpipe music, bass drums and tambourines. The best known amongst the different varieties are the tocadas, the cantadas, the acordadas and the no acordadas. The most popular being the muñeira do espantallo, inspired in a scarecrow.
Dating back to the end of the XVIII century, the Fandango is considered as one of the most popular dances in Spain. It is very common in Andalucía where it has experienced a process of aflamencamiento; that is, changes that are undergone as a result of the influence of flamenco. Malaga with its verdiales and Huelva are the two provinces where it is most popular. With certain variations it is performed in the Balearic Islands, Levante , Basque Country, Murcia (very popular in Jumilla and Yecla) and in Castille were the best known are the fandangos charros of Salamanca. This popular dance is also performed in the Philippines since colonial times.

El Fandango
The malagueñas, rondeñas, granadinas, verdiales and murcianas all come from the fandango, and all are usually accompanied by guitar music, castanets and sometimes by a violin. Steps can be interpreted by one or two couples with castanets that follow the beat with smooth undulations. The woman’s movements are soft and flexible and she keeps the beat with her shoes clicking on the floor.
The stamps are issue with a vignette of no postal value depicting steps of each dance.

Spain - Folk Dances, El Aurresku & La Rueda 2009


The folklore from Castilla and Euskadi features in this Popular Dances series with two large stamps devoted to La Rueda and El Aurresku.

El Aurresku
In the Basque country, the richness and variety in dancing is such that each region and town have their own dances though the origin of many of these is uncertain. One of the most popular throughout the Basque region is El Aurresku which has its origins in the Sokadantza or rope dance. A group of men take the dance floor making a rope or soka by holding hands or holding a handkerchief. The first and last dancers, the aurreskulari and the atzeskulari are the most important. The dance begins with the music of the txistu (whistle) and a small drum and a walk around the main square. When the dancers are facing the public authorities, the aurreskulari performs his entrechat steps throwing his beret on the floor. Two or four dancers step out from the circle and go to fetch the partner of the aurreskulari who performs some steps before her. The same ceremonial is performed by the atzeskulari and his partner and by the rest of the members of the group and their respective partners who hold hands through a handkerchief. Then the desafio (defiance) takes place between the aurreskulari and the atzeskulari who perform some steps displaying their skill. Currently the Aurresku is performed by a solo professional dancer, usually the aurreskulari, in public, religious and political events.

La Rueda
La Rueda (wheel) is a characteristic dance of Castilla y León and takes different names depending on the region. Whilst in Burgos and León it is called La Rueda, in Valladolid and Segovia it is known as Corrido and Charrada in Salamanca. It is performed outdoors, mainly in town squares by a large number of dancers who build up La Rueda (wheel). Couples dance separately with their arms in the shape of the cross performing the same steps. Then the men stand outside the circle and surround the women and both circles begin to dance spinning around faster at each turn. The most representative and old rhythm is a 5/8 compass accompanied by a small drum and a dulzaina, although bagpipes and tambourines are also allowed. This type of dance is performed all over the world and is very common to Mediterranean countries.

Spain - Folk Dances, El Bolero & La Mateixa 2009


The Popular Dances issue is on this occasion made up by “El Bolero” and “La Mateixa”

El Bolero
The origins of “El Bolero” are uncertain and different regions claim to be the birthplace of this type of dance. It is a castillian dance spread throughout Spain with different denominations such as bolero andaluz or bolero madrileño. It is also danced in Cuba and the Caribbean where it fuses with the rhythms of the region. The roots of El Bolero can be found in the contradanza of the XVIII century. It was first performed by the nobility and later on by the common people and in theatres where performances ended with couples dancing the so called national dance, that is a Bolero. It is made up of three parts: the paseo, coplas and desplante accompanied by guitars, tambourines and castanets. The couple performs the same dance steps but the arm and leg movements of the lady are more expressive than the man’s. The stamp is issued with a vignette with no postal value depicting a goyesco bolero.

La Mateixa
“La Mateixa” is one of the most deeply-rooted dances in the Balearic Islands and it is usually performed in all public or private events and has different characteristics from similar dances performed in other regions. In towns and villages in Mallorca it was customary to auction the first dance in parties and festivals where the youngsters in love would bid. However, the winner would not dance with his girlfriend, since she would only dance with a friend or relative of his, whilst the winner held a handkerchief and fan and looked admiringly at her graceful movements. La Mateixa means “the same” in Mallorquin (the language of the Balearic Islands). It refers to each step of the dance and to the exchange of couples since when they all dance at a time, they continuously rotate and always end up with La Mateixa or “the same”. The steps are guided by the woman and the man follows her with his glance. Depending on the area, it is performed in a quiet and reserved manor or with more liveliness and fluency. It is considered to be a courtship dance. The music is played by pipes, guitars, tambourines, and castanets, played to the rhythm of the cheery islands songs. The stamp depicts a couple dancing wearing the typical dress.

Spain - Folk Dances, La Isa & Las Sevillanas 2009


FOLK AND DANCES POPULAR
Issue Date 27 April 2009
Gravure Printing
Plaster Paper, gummed, phosphorescent
Perforation: 13 1/4
Perforation stamp souvenir sheet 13 3/4
Stamp size 49,8 x 33.2 mm. (horizontal)
Stamp souvenir sheet format 28.8 x 40.9 mm. (vertical)
Sheet size block 105, 6 x 79,2 mm. (horizontal)
Face value of stamps 0,43 €
Effects Statement 50
Circulation 450,000
Circulation 350,000 souvenir sheet


The series entitled “Popular dances” disseminates the Spanish cultural and folklore heritage with these two stamps devoted to La Isa and Las Sevillanas.

La Isa
The dances and songs from the Canary Islands have mixed Iberian and aborigine roots. The most popular are the Isa, the Serinoque, the Tajaraste, the Folias, Seguidillas and Tanguillos. Although all of these are well known, the most representative of the Canary Islands is the Isa, a Canarían variation of the peninsular 'Jota' but with slower and more lilting rhythm. It has an instrumental part with guitars, bandurrias, lutes and timples and another one with couplets and chorus. The dance is performed in a group, with couples holding hands in a circle and conducted by the captain’s voice. It begins with simple movements and evolves into more complicated steps requiring greater rhythm and skill. At one point the music stops and the consecutive complicated turns begin and then end up in the original dancing circle with its unalterable rhythm. It is a genre that allows for improvisation in rhythms and tunes which makes for a great variety in the different islands each with their own choreography.

Las Sevillanas
Las Sevillanas, native to Seville, is the most popular dance and song in Andalucía where the following are also very well known: The Olé gaditano from Cádiz, the Jaleo from Jerez, the Rondeña from Ronda, the Malagueña from Málaga and the Granadina from Granada. Technically, they are an evolution from the Castilian seguidillas which in time developed into a more flamenco style.
Las Sevillanas are danced in twos and have four different movements: paseillos, pasadas, careos and remates in 3 x4 timing. There is a wide variety of Sevillanas but the best known are the boleras, rocieras, corraleras and bíblicas and they take their name depending on the theme of the song or the background conditions. They are mainly accompanied by guitar playing, hand clapping by the palmeros and, castanets or, palillos (drumsticks) as they are called in Andalucía. Their fame spreads all over the country as they are performed throughout Spain in festivals, celebrations and dance clubs and especially in the Feria de Sevilla and El Rocío pilgrimage. Since the sixties, the Sevillanas have evolved with new artists, themes and musical interpretations though observing the original essence and the graceful arm and leg movement.