Paso Doble

Spanish bullfighting goes all the way back to Crete, and could have Greek and/or Syrian origins but is reported to not have come to Spain till the 1700's. France had an infantry march named "Pas redoublé" around 1790. The name Paso Doble (pass -o- dough blay) is a Spanish folk dance which means "Two Steps" and is done to 2/4 time "Spanish March" music which was originally used for the procession at the beginning of corridas. Andalusans were extremely fond of this music during the 18th century.

  Sometimes referred to as the Spanish One-step, the "Paso" as it is affectionately
  known is a dance of the Bullfight which portrays the Toreador (Bullfighter) and his
  partner is the Cape (Cappa or Capa). The Paso Doble dance became quite
  popular during the 1920s and later became the rage in Paris with the upper classes
  around the 1930's (which explains the many French terms used in the dance).

  The dance is a very masculine Theatrical Ballroom type couples dance in nature
  with many dramatic poses, Leaps, Stomps and much attitude. The dance was
  created to mimic the movements of the Toreador and the Bullfight. It has roots in
  the Spanish Flamenco dances as well. It is really not a social dance as much as
  a competition of exhibition dance. The Paso doble flamenco is the same but uses
  castanets and is not done in the ballroom.

The name 'Paso Doble' in Spanish means 'Two Step'(Smith, 1971, 416), and may be distinguished from 'Paso a Dos' which means 'Dance for two'. "Two Step" refers to the marching nature of the steps, which may be counted '1,2' for 'Left, Right'.
This may be contrasted with its description as the 'Spanish One Step', so called because only one step is taken to each beat of music (Burchfield, 1976, III / 293).

The Paso Doble was one of many Spanish folk dances associated with various facets of Spanish life. In particular, the Paso Doble is based on the Bullfight. It portrays the Torero (the male dancer) and his cape (his partner), and is danced to the characteristic march music used for procession at the beginning of a corrida. Bullfights date back to ancient Crete, but only in the 1700s were they held in Spain (Pitkin, 1996,30). The dance itself became popular amongst the upper classes of Paris in the 1930's, and acquired a set of French names for many of the steps (Lavelle, 1975, 77).

The dance has still only limited popularity amongst English speaking society. The only places in Sydney where it is played regularly at social dances are the Italian and other European clubs. The competition version of the Paso Doble is danced with a high chest, the shoulders wide and down, and with the head kept back but inclined slightly forward and down, ("keep watching that bull" urged my latin teacher). The weight is forward, but most forward steps have heel leads. Often it is choregraphed to the tune 'Espana Cani' (the Spanish Gypsy Dance), which has three crescendos in the music. These highlights are usually matched in the choreography by dramatic poses, adding to the spectacular nature of the dance.