In Venezuelan Spanish, the word coroto translates loosely to "odds and ends" or "knick-knacks"—any object whose name has slipped the mind. Etymological legend traces the word back to 19th-century Venezuelan leaders who owned paintings by the French master Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Whether it was President Guzmán Blanco barking at servants to be "careful with the Corots" or the mob dragging the paintings out of Dictator Monagas’s palace during a coup, the name "Corot" eventually morphed into the colloquial coroto, referring to any miscellaneous item strewn about.

True to its name, Coroto Dances is a sonata built from musical "odds and ends"—fragments of disparate dance traditions stitched together into a vibrant whole.

I. Merenguijaz

The title is a portmanteau of merengue and hijaz (an Arabic scale frequently used in Flamenco music, particularly the bulerías). This movement takes the characteristic rhythmic "twist" of the Caracas merengue and seasons it with the fiery, Phrygian-inflected scales of the Mediterranean, creating a cross-cultural dialogue between the Caribbean and Spain.

II. Valsanera

The second movement is a stylistic hybrid that combines the elegant, gentle grace of the Venezuelan vals with a "strange and twisted" habanera. The result is a dance that feels both familiar and uncanny, shifting between the sophisticated lilt of a Caracas ballroom and the sultry, shadowed rhythms of the Caribbean coast.

III. The Dance of the “Yesquero”

The finale takes its name from the Venezuelan word for a cigarette lighter (yesquero). This is a purely "made-up" dance—a high-voltage, fiery romp designed to bring the sonata to an exhilarating and combustible conclusion.