Mexican Hat Dance
The widely acclaimed Mexican Hat Dance became so popular that at one point it was declared the national folk dance of Mexico. Its popularity is attributed to the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. After a visit to Mexico in 1930, she fell in love with the culture and spectacular costumes of the country, and decided to include the dance in her permanent repertoire. The ecstatic Mexican cultural authorities felt that such honour could only mean that the Hat Dance was indeed the most important dance in Mexico.
Mexican Hat Dance was for many years inextricably linked to the charismatic trumpeter Rafael Méndez, whose flamboyant soloistic style was the inspiration behind this arrangement, which is also available from Prima Vista Musikk with brass band accompaniment. This version is featured on the CD Jubilee Brass performed by the arranger and accompanied by the Black Dyke Band.