What the Heck is "Jota"?

From right, Michelle Chustz, Cristina Salazar and Crystal Carbajal, from Tierra Adentro of New Mexico, an Albuquerque charter school, perform “Jota de Murcia,” a dance from Spain, on stage at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Friday. (courtesy of Marla Brose/Albuquerque Journal, 2018)

Jota is a Spanish dance that came to be in the 1700s and is the national folk dance of Aragon, Spain, a landlocked region in northeastern Spain comprising the provinces of Huesca, Zaragoza and Teruel.

The Basque people also claim it as their national dance. Basque Country is an autonomous community in northern Spain with strong cultural traditions, a celebrated cuisine and a distinct language that pre-dates the Romance languages.

It is a quick dance in 3/8 time.

There are different forms in other regions like Valencia, Castile, and Navarra, Spain.

Dancers elevate their legs as if they were doing a fouetté combined with waltz-like movements. In the meantime, they play the castanets with arched elevated arms. 

CFA offers open registration for Jota dance class on Wednesdays from 4-5pm for students ages 6-12.

Here is a look at our students performing Jota at the 2021 La Estrella concert.