Bolero << buh LAIR oh or boh LAY roh >> was originally a Spanish folk dance. It was first performed in theaters about 1780 and became a social dance in Cuba by the early 1800’s. The term bolero is also used for the music that accompanies the dance.
The bolero is usually performed to music in moderate 3/4 time, but some Cuban versions are in slow 2/4 time. It can be a solo or couple dance, and has many steps and figures. In solo form, the bolero combines intricate steps, pauses, and light foot stampings with high jumps and leaps. Couples perform the dance in three sections. The partners dance together in the first and third sections and perform solo in the middle section. Dancers usually sing and play castanets. Guitars and tambourines accompany in the background.
Several classical composers have written boleros, including Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, and Maurice Ravel. The best-known bolero is Ravel’s music for the one-act ballet Bolero (1928).
