Information: A dance.

During and after the 1910 to 1913 Mexican revolution against Porfirio Díaz, corridos (ballads) appeared, commemorating the role of the soldadera (woman soldier). Several of these corridos achieved lasting popularity: La Marieta, La Rielera, La Valentina, Juana Gallo, and La Adelita. Corridistas (musicians who traveled across Mexico) sold inexpensively printed corridos as hojas volantes (flying leaves, or, broadside ballads). The lyrics, engraved illustrations, and text of these broadsides served the function then that television serves today: indoctrinating the people to accept the huge devastation and death toll (up to a million Mexicans died). "La Adelita" tells of a brave soldadera (woman soldier) who remained faithful to her Sergeant lover. It occurs in countless variations, some anonymous.

Alura Flores [1905-2000] (see her biography in the 1993 Folk Dance Problem Solver) learned traditional pasos norteños (Northern Mexican dance steps) during her training as a physical educator. While working for the Lienzo Charro del Piedregal – a school of the Charro association that teaches dance, lasso-work, and horsemanship, Alura set these steps to the popular "Adelita" tune to teach 4 to 5 year-old children for a stage performance. She arranged a second stage variation for folk dancers in the United States in the early 1960s and presented it in San Antonio in 1972 through El Patronato and the Extension Courses of Autonomous National University of Mexico (UNAM). Nelda Guerrero Drury learned La Adelita from Alura and presented it at the 1974 University of the Pacific Folk Dance Camp at Stockton, California. Nelda presented later that year in Chicago a third variation with partners facing each other throughout. Alura presented the second variation at the Stockton Camp in 1978, with the errata giving the third variation. Alura presented the third variation to folk dancers in Austin, Texas in 1979, with two additional motifs.

Translation: Little Adela

Pronunciation: lah ah-deh-LEE-tah

Other name: En lo alto – the first line of many versions of the song.

Region: Mexico

Meter: 2/4

Music: Peerless 45/3248-A, La Adelita.

Costumes: Rancheros, Traje Norteño, or the special Adelita costume.

Formation: Couples at random on the stage, partners about 1½ meters apart, woman to R of man. All face front. Couples line up across the stage and diminish in numbers to the rear. The woman holds her skirts comfortably out to sides and a bit forward. The man hooks his thumbs in his belt front or buckle.

Steps and Style: Dance light-heartedly and with spirit.

	Introduction.

1-10	No action. Now don't let the "8 bars plus 2 bars" structure fool you into starting early!

1.	Remate (stamp) and push-step. Face front, but look at your partner. Or, face partner.

1-2	Stamp in place with R foot, no weight (ct 1), dance 2 push-steps to R (cts 2,1), step to R onto R foot (ct 2).

3-4	Repeat action of bars 1-2 with opposite footwork and direction (stamp, push, push, stamp to L).

5-16	Repeat action of bars 1-4, 4 times in all.

2.	Heel-toe and push-step. Turn to face partner.

17	Hopping on L foot, dance 1 heel-toe-cross step to R.

18	Dance 1 push-step to R (ct 1), step to R onto R foot (ct 2).

19-20

Repeat action of bars 17-18 with opposite footwork and direction (heel-toe, push & step to L).

21-32

Repeat action of bars 17-20, 4 times in all.

3.	Heel-toe, jump, and turn. Turn toward partner to face front (or you may remain facing partner).

33	Hopping on L foot, dance 1 heel-toe step.

34	Jump in place onto both feet (ct 1).

35-36

Repeat action of bars 1-2 (again, heel-toe jump).

37-40

Hopping on L foot, dance 3 heel-toe steps, turning in place once to R (360° CW). End facing front, and jump in place onto both feet (ct 1 of bar 40).

41-48

Repeat action of bars 33-40 with opposite footwork and direction of turn (2 heel-toe jumps, 3 heel-toes CCW, and jump).

4.	Heel-toe-and-run step. Woman holds her skirts comfortably out to sides. Face front or face partner.

49	Leaping onto and hopping on L foot, dance 1 heel-toe step.

50	Run forward 3 steps onto: R foot, L foot, R foot (cts 1, &,2).

51-52

Repeat action of bars 49-50 with opposite footwork; dancing backward to place with the 3 running steps.

53-64

Repeat action of bars 49-52, 4 times in all.

4 Optional.

Heel-toe-cross steps, alternating. Alura added this motif to the dance in 1979. Face front or face partner.

49	Hopping on L foot, dance 1 heel-toe-cross step.

50	Leaping onto and hopping on R foot, dance 1 heel-toe-cross step with L foot.

51-64

Repeat action of bars 49-50, 8 times in all.

5.	Taconazo. Face front or face partner.

66-80

Dance 16 taconazo steps in place, starting with a leap onto R foot. Woman dances 8 steps in place, travels forward with the next 4, and turns to face man (if necessary) with the last 4 steps.

5 Optional.

Atole. Alura added this optional motif to the dance in 1979. Face front or face partner.

65-80

Dance 16 atole steps in place, starting with a leap onto R foot. Woman dances 8 steps in place, travels forward with the next 4, and turns CCW to face man (if necessary) with the last 4 steps.

OR:	Both dance in place.

7 thru 12.

Repeat action of bars 2 through 6. Repeat the dance, omitting figure 1.

97-176

Repeat action of bars 17-96.

Note:

On stage, face front during figures 1, 3, 4, and 5, but face your partner during figures 7-12. This adds variety to the presentation and increased interest on the part of the audience. In a social or recreational setting, however, you should face your partner throughout the dance.

Note also:

You may substitute the following alternate finale:

12.	Alternate finale.

173-174

Dance diagonally across own square with heel-toe-and-run pattern to resume side by side position, facing front. Start by leaping onto L foot.

175	Hopping on R foot, dance 1 heel-toe step in place as man puts R arm around woman's waist. L hands are joined and woman's R hand holds skirt.

176	Stamp onto: L foot, R foot (cts 1,2), and pose.

En lo alto de una abrupta serranía Acampado se encontraba un regimiento Y una moza que valiente lo seguía Locamente enamorada del sargento. Popular entre la tropa era Adelita, La mujer que el sargento idolatraba Que además de ser valiente era bonita Que hasta el mismo coronel la respetaba. Y se oía que decía Aquel que tanto la quería Si Adelita se fuera con otro La seguiría por tierra y por mar, Si por mar en un buque de guerra Si por tierra en un tren militar. Si Adelita quisiera ser mi esposa, Y si Adelita ya fuera mi mujer, Le compraría un vestido de seda Para llevarla a bailar al cuartel. Y después que terminó la cruel batalla Y la tropa regresó a su campamento Por la vez de una mujer que sollozaba La plegaria se oyó en el campamento. Y al oírla el sargento temeroso De perder para siempre su adorada Escondiendo su dolor bajo el reboso A su amada le cantó de esta manera Y se oía que decía Aquel que tanto se moría. Y si acaso yo muero en la guerra, Y mi cadáver lo van a sepultar, Adelita, por Dios te lo ruego, Que por mí no vayas a llorar.

At the top of a steep mountain range Encamped was a regiment And a brave girl followed him Madly in love with the sergeant. Popular among the troops was Adelita, The woman the sergeant idolized That besides being brave she was pretty That even the colonel respected her. And you could hear it saying The one who loved her so much. If Adelita went with another I would follow her by land and by sea, If by sea on a warship If by land in a military train. If Adelita wanted to be my wife, And if Adelita was already my wife, I would buy her a silk dress To take her to dance to the barracks. And after the cruel battle was over And the troop returned to their camp For the time of a woman who was sobbing The prayer was heard in the camp. And when the fearful sergeant heard it To lose his beloved forever Hiding his pain under the overflow He sang to his beloved this way. And you could hear it saying The one who was dying so much And if I die in the war, And they are going to bury my corpse, Adelita, by God I beg you, Don't go crying for me.