A Jota Manileña is a version of the Spanish jota which originated in Manila.

Bamboo castanets are made use

of in this dance.

La Jota Manileña - It is a dance named after the capital city of the Philippines, Manila,
where an adaptation of Castilian Jota afloats with the clacking of bamboo castanets played
by the dancers themselves. The costume and the graceful movements of the performers
noticeably inspired by Spanish Culture.

he jota is a genre of music and the associated dance known throughout Spain, most likely originating
in Aragon. It varies by region, having a characteristic form
in Valencia, Aragon, Castile, Navarra,Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia and Murcia. Being a visual
representation, the jota is danced and sung accompanied by castanets, and the interpreters tend to
wear regional costumes. In Valencia, the jota was once danced during interment ceremonies.

The jota tends to have a 3/4 rhythm, although some authors maintain that the 6/8 is better adapted to
the poetic and choreographic structure. For their interpretation, guitars, bandurrias, lutes, dulzaina,
anddrums are used in the Castilian style, while the Galicians use bagpipes, drums, and bombos.
Theatrical versions are sung and danced with regional costumes and castanets, though such things are
not used when dancing the jota in less formal settings. The content of the songs is quite diverse,
from patriotism to religion to sexual exploits. In addition to this, the songs also have the effect of helping
to generate a sense of local identity and cohesion.

The steps have an appearance not unlike that of the waltz, though in the case of the jota, there is much
more variation. Furthermore, the lyrics tend to be written in eight-syllable quartets, with assonance in
the first and third verses.
Some non-Spanish musicians have made use of the jota in various works:

 Georges Bizet, French composer (1838-1875), composed the opera Carmen which is set in
Spain. The entr'acte to the fourth act (Aragonaise) is a jota.
 Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (1804-1857), After traveling through Spain, used a style
derived from the jota in his work The Aragonese Jota.
 Franz Liszt, Hungarian pianist and composer (1811-1886), wrote a jota for piano.
 Saint-Saëns, French composer (1835-1921), composed an orchestral jota, as did the Russian
composer Balakirev (1837-1910).
 Raoul Laparra, French composer (1876-1943), composed an opera entitled La jota.

The Philippine Jota was among the most popular dances during the Spanish colonial period in the
Philippine. It was originally performed by the Spanish Señoritas and Caballeros in social gatherings
(like wedding, parties and baptismal) during the Spanish regime in the Philippines. The Filipinos
imitated and adapted this lively and delightful dance with different versions. These versions are
combinations of Spanish and Filipino dance steps and music. Notable differences between the
Philippine and Spanish jotas are the use of unstrung bamboo castanets. The jota is accompanied by
the Philippine rondalla often consisting of a bandurria, guitar, bass and other mandolin-type
instruments.

Variations of jotas differ from region to region. One such example is the Jota Paragua. The Jota
Paragua came from Palawan’s old capital-Cuyo Islands displays a heavy Castilian influence.
The zapateados (footwork), cubrados (curved arms), and Sevillana (flounced and ruffled) style of dress
are evidently Spanish in origin. The ladies wave their mantón, or decorative shawl, while the gentlemen
keep brisk pace with bamboo castanets. The music is an alternating fast and slow tempo similar to
Spanish airs which accompany dances like the flamenco, jota, bolero, seguidilla and fandango.

Other examples of Philippine jotas are Jota Manileña from Manila, Jota Caviteña from Cavite and Jota
Moncadeña from Tarlac