LA JOTA ARAGO

NESA

Sarah Beeken

Method:

• 1. Ask around about the Jota• 2. Observe dances during the

Fiestas del Pilar• 3. Research History of the

dance in local library• 4. Attend classes• 5. Interview people about the

dance – teacher, students, friends

• 6. Perform in a show

Problems Faced

• La Jota is a regional folkloric dance – people confused why I was learning it. But they were very friendly.

• There is no proof of origin – I read a lot of books which all told me the origins are unknown.

• Comparing it to flamenco in terms of Spanish national vs regional identity was difficult as I only asked Aragonese people – biased?

• Word limit too short to fully explore topic.

Successes• There were plenty of people to interview• I fully understood, and got to be a part of, a large part of

Aragonese culture.• I got to observe the classes as well as participate in them.• Observations including videos and photos were easy to

obtain.• Dance as a form of expressing identity has a lot of reading to

support my research.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaVTX2ereVs (Jota Dance)