The Mexican hat dance is the country’s national folk dance. The music for this dance medley, also known as Jarabe tapato, was composed by Jess González Rubio during the revolution in the 1800s in an attempt to restore the country’s unity. Later on, Felipa Lopez’s choreography was added to the piece. The Mexican hat dance, on the other hand, gained international acclaim after Anna Pavlova, a famous Russian ballerina of the time, included it in her performance repertoire.
It’s a bit of a mystery as to how or why this dance got its name. Clearly, the dance incorporates traditional Mexican folk dance forms and has a long history of being used as a couple’s courtship ritual. According to some linguists, the Mexican hat dance is named after the dance form known as “Jarabe,” which means “sweet syrup.” Others argue that the translation from the Arabic word Xarab, which means “mixture of herbs,” honors a collection of folk dance steps and musical styles taken from traditional songs of the time.
The traditional costumes used to perform the Mexican hat dance today are a mix of cultural styles as well. The female dancer, for example, is dressed in the China (pronounced “CHEENA”) Poblana, a costume worn by female servant girls in the mid-nineteenth century. The charro, a three-piece suit popularized in the 1930s with the introduction of the Mariachi, a type of musical ensemble usually featuring a trio of musicians, is worn by the male dancer of the dance.
Despite these inconsistencies, the Mexican hat dance is a sophisticated expression of love. It does, in fact, tell a story. The male begins by displaying his machismo through a series of intense footwork, including increasingly aggressive heel tapping and stomping. Meanwhile, his female counterpart responds to his advances with a lot of heel tapping and skirt twirling in the opposite direction. This section of the dance is dedicated to accumulating energy and, depending on the circumstances, may include a synchronized performance by multiple couples at the same time.
Just as the man succeeds in attracting his partner’s attention, he becomes “drunk” with confidence, leading to his dismissal as a “borracho,” or drunkard. He does, however, win the lady, as evidenced by his tossing of his sombrero to the ground and lifting his leg high above her head, which she retrieves with a bow. They perform a pair of steps that are attributed to a military step known as a diana. The dramatic climax has finally arrived. She drapes the man’s sombrero over their heads, giving the impression that they are embracing in a private kiss.