comparsa

[kuhm-pahr-suh]

noun

1. a song and folk dance of Cuba.

Word History and Origins

Origin of comparsa¹

From Latin American Spanish, Spanish: “masquerade, group of theatrical extras,” from Italian: “a theatrical extra; appearance,” noun use of feminine of comparso, past participle of comparire, from Latin compārēre “to become visible”; com-, appear

Example Sentences

The group of dancers at the head — known as a “comparsa” – are devoted to a specific image of the infant Jesus.

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Mr. D’Rivera’s rapport with Quinteto Cimarrón found ample expression, as much on the bolero “Longina” as on “La Comparsa,” a processional by Ernesto Lecuona.

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Spectators become participants, dancing on the cobblestones in the jittery shake of a murga comparsa, an Argentine dance popular during Carnival season, also rooted in African culture.

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For last year’s Havana Biennial, the artists directed a film called “Conga Irreversible,” in which 100 performers enacted a traditional Cuban comparsa — a ceremonial procession — down Havana’s historic Paseo del Prado, entirely in reverse.

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But also, in honor of the occasion, Christophe Chagnard conducted some pieces by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona — "La Comparsa," in Morton Gould's arrangement, proving the slinkily seductive gem of the three.

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