exuberant Spanish courtship dance and a genre of Spanish folk song. The dance, probably of Moorish origin, was popular in Europe in the 18th century and survives in the 20th century as a folk dance in Spain, Portugal, southern France, and Latin America. Usually danced by couples, it begins slowly, with the rhythm marked by castanets, clapping of hands, snapping of fingers, and the stamping of feet; the speed gradually increases. The music is in 3/4 or 6/8 time. Occasionally there is a sudden pause in the music, and the dancers stand rigid until the music resumes. The dance is an expression of passion, and the partners tease, challenge, and pursue each other with steps and gestures. In another version, the fandango is danced by two men as a contest of skill. The first dancer sets the rhythm and steps, the second picks up the step and elaborates.
As song, the fandango consists of coplas, improvised satirical, religious, or romantic verses, sung to melodies improvised according to set rules. Fandangos can be sung to accompany the dance or as solos. As a dance and as a genre of song, the fandango exists both within and outside of the flamenco, or Andalusian Gypsy, tradition. The dance is closely related to the jota.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/201489/fandango
An 18th-century Spanish dance in moderate to fast triple time (3/8 or 3/4), danced by a couple with the accompaniment of a guitar and castanets. Fandangos are found in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro/The Marriage of Figaro (1786), Gluck's Don Juan (1761), and Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio espagnol/Spanish Capriccio (1887).
http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/Fandango+(dance)
As an eclectic blend of folk and flamenco dancing, the Fandango has deep roots in the culture that go back to the Baroque period and the royal court in Madrid, Spain. Here is some history on the development of the Fandango as both music and a dancing phenomenon that continues to this day.
The origins of dancing as well as the creation of Fandango music are sometimes understood to reach back into early Roman and Greek culture, and are sometimes associated as an erotic expression of dance that was especially popular in Rome. However, purists say that the true origins of Fandango music as well as the Fandango as a unique dance move actually begins with the presence of Italian composers in the Spanish royal court during the Baroque period. In fact, Luigi Boccherini is often credited as developing the first of a slow Fandango while in Madrid.
These blends of Spanish dancing with European sensibilities created a dance and musical accompaniment that would begin as a slow and gentle melody, then increase in tempo as the music and the dance progressed. The slow build leading to the conclusion was first created for solo dancing, but in no time involved couples dancing and created variations on the original premise. Before the century was out, the Fandango was firmly ensconced as an essential Spanish dance.
The production of Fandango music and dance is characterized by a ¾ pattern that begins with an A Minor and then progresses to an E Major. Castanets were included in the music early on and still remain an important part of the Fandango. In actual practice, the Fandango has an appearance that is not unlike tap dancing, with rapid foot movement of intentional steps that naturally lead into the next steps. An individual can perform the Fandango dance, but the dance can be performed by a couple.
In Portugal, where the Fandango has enjoyed a high profile for decades, it is not unusual to see couples of same gender as well as mixed genders perform the dance. Usually when a couple of involved in the Fandango, one partner will lead by setting the pace and the sequence of routines, and the other partner will follow. A brief interlude where a step that is sometimes referred to as dragging the feet will be used as a way of changing the lead from one partner to another. Because the dance is somewhat of a competition between the two partners to see who can perform the most eye-catching moves, the Fandango has also been used as slang for any type of quarrel or dispute that gets to be somewhat spectacular.
The Fandango has been a popular attraction in the United States for many years as well, particularly in the southwestern portion of the country. Used often in stage shows as well as part of basic dance instruction at many dancing studios, the Fandango is considered to be an essential when it comes to learning dance moves for use in polite society.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-fandango.htm
The Fandango (which means "go and dance") is native to both Mexico and Spain. However, it is the Spanish who are credited with having invented the dance, its original purpose being a courtship celebration. Nonetheless, there is some speculation that the roots of primitive Fandango may be found in the belly dances of the Phoenicians.
By tradition, the Fandango should be danced by two people only who face each other, but never touch with the body or the hands. It is allowed for more than one couple to join in this dance, but by so doing, it becomes more of a Sequidilia than a Fandango.
This particular dance form had, by the Nineteenth Century, suffered a great loss in popularity, seldom being danced and having been replaced by the Jota, Sevillana and Bolero. The Tarantella and Furlana are similar to the Fandango, with the main exception being that the couple is permitted to touch in this particular dance.
The Fandango has been portrayed in many ballets and may well have originated in Ancient Rome. Although the Romans called this dance the "Spanish Dance," it likely was the Fandango to which they were referring.
In primitive Fandango, the woman accompanied herself with castanets or by snapping of the fingers and thumbs. Foot stamping was evident, together with a graceful movement of the foot and the heel. The male originally tossed a tambourine (known as a tambour de basque) but this no longer seems to be considered an integral ingredient of the the dance. Castanets were also employed by the man on occassion, but generally considered to be somewhat effeminate.
Costume is an important element of the Fandango. The woman dresses in a short skirt of brightly-hued silk adorned with flounces of lace, normally black in color. The male wears an embroidered, braided waistcoat.
The Fandango has been credit with being the foundation to all other Spanish dances. It is one of Spain's leading dances and often compared to dances of the Romans, as well as the Chica dance of Africa and the Plugge-dansen of Holland.
The use of castanets, guitars or a mandolin play an important role in the execution of the Fandango and some of its variations are the Malaguena, the Rondena, the Granadina and the Murciana.
http://www.novareinna.com/romani/dance.html