Son Jarocho: Taking Turns on the Tarima

Son jarocho is the traditional music of southern Veracruz, Mexico; at a fandango people gather to sing, play jaranas and take turns doing zapateado on a wooden platform, the tarima, which sounds like a drum. The class recreates that: small groups dance footwork in rotating turns without stopping the music.

How to play

1. Background and beat: listen to an instrumental son and mark the meter with claps and feet (4 min).
2. Basic footwork in place: flat-foot stomp, heel and toe, aiming for a clean sound (5 min).
3. In fours, inside a taped rectangle (the tarima): two face each other and dance, and on the signal two others swap in (7 min).
4. Foot conversation: one dancer offers a four-count ending and the partner answers with another (6 min).
5. Class fandango: several tarimas, clapping groups around them and free rotations (8 min).

Rules

• Two dancers fit on the tarima; step on only when someone steps off.
• Bent knees and weight forward to spare your heels.
• People around the tarima don't step on without a turn.
• Respect and applaud your partner's answer.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with limited mobility: do the footwork with hands on a board or armrest and join the call-and-answer.
• Foot or ankle injury: join the clapping group and run the rotations.
• Shy students: step onto the tarima with a trusted partner and start with the simple beat.

Learning goals

• Keep footwork clean and on time.
• Improvise in a rhythmic conversation with a partner.
• Learn about the fandango as a community celebration of son jarocho.

Equipment for a class of 25

• floor tape: 2
• speaker: 1

Teacher tip

If you have wooden boards or a low step platform, use them as the tarima: the sound is a big motivator. Common mistake: stomping with a stiff leg; ask them to drive the stomp from the knee.

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