Jarabe Tapatío: Partner Footwork Around the Hat

The jarabe tapatío, from Jalisco, is one of Mexico's best-known dances and is played by mariachi; it is built on zapateado footwork and a couple's interplay around a hat. The class learns three footwork steps and a partner sequence with swappable roles.

How to play

1. Background and triple zapateado: right, left, right and switch, slow at first (5 min).
2. Alternating toe-heel step with small hops and arms behind the back (5 min).
3. Partners facing each other: eight counts of zapateado, swap places and turn (6 min).
4. Around the hat: a hat or hoop on the floor; one partner dances around it while the other claps, then switch (6 min).
5. Full partner sequence and performance in two halves of the class (8 min).

Rules

• Footwork with bent knees and laces tied tight.
• Roles don't depend on being a boy or a girl: each pair decides.
• Nobody steps on the hat or hoop; circle it about half a meter away.
• During performances, the audience claps and cheers.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with limited mobility: zapateado with hands on thighs or the floor, and the hat circle in the wheelchair.
• Deaf or hard-of-hearing students: the partner marks the beat with a hand and the order is shown on cards.
• Students lacking confidence: practice with a partner they choose and perform alongside other pairs, never alone.

Learning goals

• Perform basic Mexican zapateado steps.
• Coordinate a sequence with a partner regardless of gender.
• Learn where the jarabe comes from and reflect on traditional roles.

Equipment for a class of 25

• hats or hoops: 15
• speaker: 1

Teacher tip

Cardboard hats or flat hoops are enough; otherwise lay a scarf on the floor. Open a short discussion: in the traditional version each role belonged to one sex, so what changes when any pair can dance it?

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