Multi-Cultural Analysis
Connor Giddens
A panoramic picture from my rooftop in Vigo, Spain.
Dear Reader
I chose to analyze Spanish culture because I recently, traveled to Spain to represent the U.S. as a member of the United States Amateur Athletic Union Taekwondo Team.
I spent a week in Vigo, a city on the coast of Spain, getting to experience the architecture, dance, music, food, and much more. I was astounded by the electricity of life that flowed through the wires that are the streets of the city. This sense of liveliness, energy, and the aspects of life in Spain have peaked my interest ever since.
However, once I began to analyze the elements of Spanish culture, I realized my knowledge of Spain didn't even scratch the surface of it's true beauty. After researching and reading the poem and now song, "Danza Kuduro", by Don Omario, I was able to place meaning behind all the magnificent things I saw, heard, and even tasted.
A picture I took of the oyster farms on the coast.
Culture Analysis
From what I learned from my research on the culture, Spain is about, not only the simple life, but enjoying the passion and energy that accompanies it.
While not all of Spain is near water, most of the country is very fond of the sea food collected from the coastal regions of Spain. In Spain, the portions are smaller for each meal and most people have five a day instead of three. This shows how the people of Spain enjoy simple things like getting to walk about and eat at different places.
Music has become a very important piece of Spanish Culture over the years. Before the discovery of the new world spanish music was very slow and traditional. But as the spanish empire began to grow in the 1400's traditions began to exchange between the spaniards and other europeans. This is when percussion was first realized as a necessity to music in Spain. In the late 1700's Spanish musicians began to pull different characteristics from British and American music and added it to their own compositions. Today Spanish music still has that traditional foundation but with a modern twist.
Dance is another element of spanish culture. While dances always accompanied the music, the recognizable movement of the hips to rhythm, was not noticed until percussion was heavily introduced in the 1400's. Spanish dancing has spread like wild fire to other countries over centuries and will probably continue to do so for centuries to come.
Unlike the United States, people in Spain are not rushing through their day. It's almost as if everyone storing all of their vivacity for when the sun goes down. At night the streets are alive with the sounds of night-clubs, and the lights of the city. A transformation occurs during the daily siesta that turns classical spanish music into latin pop, and empty streets into packed parades. "Danza Kuduro" explains the beauty behind simply enjoying oneself through dance and music.
Literary Analysis
The Spanish Culture strongly embraces 2 universal values, beauty of simplicity, and living life to its fullest, which are both seen in "Danza Kuduro" when Omario sings, " Eso Que Al Bailar Descontrola Tus Caderas", meaning, "this feeling that makes your hips lose control as you dance." This along with other lines from the song explain how one should enjoy the simple things in life (like dancing and joy.) Another example is "La Fuerza Del Mal Que Se Mete Por Tus Venas" which translates to "the power of this wicked feeling that now gets through your veins."
Works Cited
"Spanish Culture - Culture in Spain | Don Quijote." DonQuijote. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
"Famous Spanish Architects." DonQuijote. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
"Traditional Spanish Food Recipes Directory." DonQuijote. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
"Literature in Spain - Famous Spanish Writers | Don Quijote." DonQuijote. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
"Spanish Music - Learn More about Spanish Music and Dance | Don Quijote." DonQuijote. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.