Antonia Mercé y Luque (September 4, 1890 – July 18, 1936), also known as La Argentina, was an Argentine-born Spanish dancer who created the neoclassical style of Spanish dance. She was widely regarded as one of the most famous Spanish dancers of the 20th century and was nicknamed the "Queen of the

Castanets Castanets, also known as ''clackers'' or ''palillos'', are a percussion instrument ( idiophonic), used in Spanish, Calé, Moorish, Ottoman, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Sephardic, Portuguese, Filipino, Brazilian, and Swiss music. In ancient ...

" and the "Flamenco Pavlova".

Biography

Early life

Antonia Mercé y Luque, known by her stage name La Argentina, was born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, to professional Spanish dancers Manuel Mercé and Josefina Luque. At the age of four, she began her dance career in ballet, primarily trained by her father. She made her debut performance at the

Teatro Real The Teatro Real () is an opera house in Madrid, Spain. Located at the Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace, and known colloquially as "''El Real''" (The Royal One). it is considered the top institution of the performing and musical arts ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, at the age of nine, and became a star dancer at the Madrid Opera by the age of eleven. After the death of her father, La Argentina retired from ballet and began studying native Spanish dances with her mother at the age of 14.

Career

At the beginning of her career, La Argentina faced disapproval in her dancing style from society, which prevented her from performing in

theaters Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

and

concerts A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

. She performed in venues accessible to her, such as café cantantés and

music halls Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Percepti ...

. Before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, La Argentina traveled to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where she performed at various prominent locations like the

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (Par ...

and the

Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...

. Later on, she developed an interest in a

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...

-style dance and adapted it into her own style. Her rendition of this dance inspired

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

star

Rosa Ponselle Rosa Ponzillo, known as Rosa Ponselle (January 22, 1897 – May 25, 1981) was an American operatic dramatic soprano. She sang mainly at the New York Metropolitan Opera and is generally considered to have been one of the greatest sopranos of the ...

to prepare the dances for her portrayal of Bizet's "Carmen" under La Argentina's guidance in 1935. Throughout her career, La Argentina embarked on six tours in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, often accompanied by

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

guitarist

Carlos Montoya Carlos García Montoya (13 December 19033 March 1993) born in Madrid, Spain, was a prominent flamenco guitarist and a founder of the modern-day popular flamenco style of music. Early life He was the nephew of renowned flamenco guitarist Ramón ...

Death

On July 18, 1936, La Argentina died at the age of 46 in

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Awards

La Argentina was recognized for her contributions to dance with several prestigious awards. She was awarded the French

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

and the Spanish

Orden de Isabel la Católica The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and the Order of Civil Merit (es ...

. Following her death, she was "honored with a plaque at the Metropolitan Opera House, in addition to receiving the medals of Alfonso X the Wise and the Order of Isabella the Catholic."

Contribution to formal dance

La Argentina's contributions to formal dance include her unique style, music selection, use of

castanets Castanets, also known as ''clackers'' or ''palillos'', are a percussion instrument ( idiophonic), used in Spanish, Calé, Moorish, Ottoman, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Sephardic, Portuguese, Filipino, Brazilian, and Swiss music. In ancient ...

, and the way she structured her performances.

Style

Edwige Feuillère Edwige Feuillère (born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti; 29 October 1907 – 13 November 1998) was a French stage and film actress. Biography She was born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti to an Italian architect father and an Alsace-born moth ...

expressed her admiration for La Argentina's classical formation, knowledge, and taste, which brought dignity and nobleness to Spanish

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

. Serge Lifar acknowledged La Argentina's contribution to the history of formal dance, which began in 1920 with her and

Vicente Escudero Vicente Escudero (27 October 1888 in Valladolid, Spain – 4 December 1980 in Barcelona) was a Spanish flamenco dancer. He was closely associated with the avant-garde of his time and brought modernist aesthetics to bear on his theory of dance. Es ...

, according to him. La Argentina created her own style by reviving forgotten traditions and seeking out traditional steps from village squares and humble dance schools. She refined and pruned each pattern of steps, keeping only what was essential to conform to her own aesthetic, which combined the purity of classical style with the ardor and character of popular art. La Argentina believed that stylized dance should retain the nature and flavor of folklore while respecting the demands of the stage, such as creating space, accentuating movement, and fitting different parts into the whole.

Music

La Argentina incorporated music from contemporary Spanish composers such as

Isaac Albéniz Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (; 29 May 1860 – 18 May 1909) was a Spanish virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor. He is one of the foremost composers of the post-romantic era who also had a significant influence on his con ...

, de Falla, Granados, and Turina into her Spanish dance performances. These composers' music demanded broad choral movements that were not present in traditional folkloric dances. She also worked with young Spanish composers, including

Ernesto Halffter Ernesto Halffter Escriche (16 January 19055 July 1989) was a Spanish composer and conductor. He was the brother of Rodolfo Halffter and part of the ''Grupo de los Ocho'' (), which formed a sub-set of the ''Generation of '27''. Early years Ernes ...

Óscar Esplá Óscar Esplá y Triay (5 August 1886 – 6 January 1976) was a Spanish composer. The Conservatorio Superior de Música (music school, conservatory) of the city of Alicante is dedicated to him. The ''Premio internacional de composición Óscar ...

, and Duran, to create new scores. Accompanied by notable pianists such as Joaquin Nin, Amparo Navaro,

Carmencita Perez Carmen Dauset Moreno, better known simply as Carmencita (1868–1910), was a Spanish-style dancer in American pre-vaudeville variety and music hall ballet. Biography Born in Almería, Andalusia, Spain, Carmencita took dancing lessons in Malaga ...

, Miguel Berdion, and

Luis Galve Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

. La Argentina used a variety of music that suited her performances.

Castanets

La Argentina started using

at a very young age, around three or four. Later on, she developed her own method to obtain more pleasing sounds from the instrument and even modified the design of castanets. Her approach to playing the castanets was so influential that many other Spanish artists began to adopt her musical notation for this instrument.Maria Pia de Saxe-Cobourg,Memoire d’une Infante vivante. Editions Mondiales, Paris, 1957

Recital format

Argentina was a pioneer in the recital format, performing her own choreography for concerts with only a pianist or occasionally a guitarist. Salvador Ballesteros, a family friend, served as her guitarist throughout her career. She gradually transitioned from performing in variety programs and pieces with orchestral music to dances where less importance was given to the orchestra. Her first shows in 1925 were during a European tour and performed in the South of France, where she shared the stage with other artists. Her first solo recital was in Berlin in 1926, and she continued performing in the same format in various venues around the world, including

Salle Gaveau The Salle Gaveau, named after the French piano maker Gaveau, is a classical concert hall in Paris, located at 45-47 rue La Boétie, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It is particularly intended for chamber music. Construction The plans for t ...

, Théâtre Femina, Salle Pleyel, the Imperial Theatre in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées,

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

, and the old

Trocadéro Trocadero may refer to: * Trocadéro, Paris, an area of Paris, France ** Jardins du Trocadéro * Palais du Trocadéro, built for the 1878 World's Fair in Paris, France * Trocadero, Birmingham, a pub in England * Trocadero (Los Angeles), a 1930s ...

. Her popular shows at the Trocadéro drew large crowds, and she continued to perform there to great acclaim.

Main creations

1. Concert dances The following is a list of dances and their corresponding music that were created during various time periods: * 1912's El Garrotin, based on a popular song La Corrida, music by Valverde (taken from choreographies created in 1910 for the opérette L’Amour en Espagne Tango Andalou, music by Ballesteros). * 1916 Danse des Yeux verts, music specially composed by Granados * Between 1916 and 1921: Habanera, music by Pablo de Sarasate Cordoba, music by Albeniz Danza V, music by Granados * 1921, Sevilla, music by Albeniz Serenata, music by Malats Sérénade Andalouse, music by C. Ruecker * 1925 Danse du Feu, music by Manuel de Falla Andalouse Sentimentale, music by Turina Boléro Classique, music by Iradier Bohémiene, based on a popular song Seguidilla (without music). * 1926 Mexico, based on a popular air Ciel de Cuba, based on a popular song * 1927 Valencia, music by C. Ruecker

Chaconne A chaconne ( , ; ; ; earlier English: chacony) is a type of musical composition often used as a vehicle for Variation (music), variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short repetitive bass-line (ground bass ...

, music by Albeniz * 1928 Serenata Andaluza, music by Manuel de Falla Jota Valenciana, music by Granados Danse Gitane, music by Infante Lagerterana, music by Guerrero * 1929, La Vie Brève, music by de Falla Carinosa, popular music from the Philippines Jota Aragonesa, music by de Falla * 1930 Goyescas, music by Granados Danse Ibérienne, music specially composed by Joaquin Nin Danse de la Meunière, music by de Falla * 1932 Almeria, music by Albeniz La Romeria de los Cornudos, music by Pittaluga (The Shawl Dance, a dance from Granada). Puerta de Tierra, music by Albeniz Danse du Meunier, music by de Falla Légende, music by Albeniz Charrada, popular music from Salamanca Malaguena, music by Albeniz Castilla, music by Albeniz, "Matid 1 800". Cuba, music by Albeniz Alegrias, music by Ballesteros * 1933 Zapataedo, music by Granados Tientos, music by Infante * 1934 Sacra-Monte, music by Turina Esquisse Gitane, music by Infante La Fregona, music by Vives Suite Argentina, based on a popular air (Condicion-Bailecito-Zamba). Suite Andalouse, based on popular songs (Sevillanas-Peteneras-Bulerias). * 1935 Fandango, music by Turina Polo Gitano, music by Breton * 1936: La Firmeza, based on Argentinian popular music, becomes the last dance in the Suite Argentina. 2. Ballets In 1925, Manuel de Falla composed the music for L’Amour Sorcier. El Fandango de Candi was choreographed in 1927 with music by Duran. Argentina danced in a pink costume with cubist flounces cut into scallops, expressing feminine shrewdness, thwarted love, and tenderness. Also in 1927, a flamenco cuadro called "Au coeur de Seville" was performed, featuring a popular air. Ernesto Halffter composed the music for Sonatine in 1928. Argentina danced in this ballet, which mixed elements of Old France and Castilla and featured a shepherdess gliding and pirouetting imperceptibly. In 1928,

composed the music for Le Contrebandier, a ballet featuring the future Empress Eugénie and the countess of Teba. Juerga, choreographed in 1928 by Julien Bautista, depicted scenes of popular life in Madrid around 1885, with young people from good families mingling with common folk and engaging in unrestrained jollity. Triana, composed by Albeniz in 1929, depicted lovers' tiffs during the Corpus Christi festival in Sevilla.

Notes

External links

La Argentina's biography
Antonia Merce, La Argentina, Queen of Coins(c) Cheryl Lynne Bradley 2003] at TarotCanada.tripod.com La Argentina
Legado de Antonia Mercé La Argentina en la Fundación Juan March
Spanish).
Archive of Antonia Mercé La Argentina, Fundación Juan March-Madrid
English). {{DEFAULTSORT:Argentina, La 1890 births 1936 deaths Argentine female dancers Argentine dancers Argentine people of Spanish descent Flamenco dancers Dancers from Buenos Aires Argentine emigrants to Spain