El Flamenco

“EL FLAMENCO”

        “El flamenco” is one of the most well-known and influential dances in both Spanish music and culture. It is in “Andalucia”, which is located in the south of Spain, where the flamenco has its roots and exercises the heaviest influence. I am a Spanish native and during a period of my childhood I lived in Sevilla, which is the capital of Andalucia.  The influence that the flamenco has on Sevilla is portrayed heavily in both the culture and landscape of the city. I love “El flamenco” even though I cannot dance or sing it, but very much appreciate its dynamic rhythmic quality. In this paper I will firstly study what “El flamenco” is. Secondly I will examine the history of “El flamenco” and thirdly I will showcase two important artists of “El flamenco” who are famous household names in Spain and the Spanish-speaking world and who are idolized by many.

According to Casilda Sanchez, “El flamenco” is a musical art that comes in two variants; firstly the music and then the dance which is really incredibly beautiful to watch and very impressive for spectators and audiences. Generally speaking singing and guitar playing accompany the dancers, nevertheless there are other instruments commonly used, such as “el cajón” which is a kind of percussion, and “las castañuelas” which are small instruments that the dancers have on their hands to make rhythm. The last accompaniment is clapping. In Flamenco the dancers play a central role and are very important, the dance is extremely expressive and they have to move every single part of their body in a very specific and coordinated manner: the head, shoulders, fingers, hands, arms, hips, legs and feet. There is not one part of the body which is viewed as more important than the other. The facial expressions are really defined in the dancers and singers; they feel and live the music very intensely. Not just anyone can learn to dance “El flamenco”. Originally “El flamenco” originated from Spanish gypsies, so they say that you must have gypsy blood (sangre gitana) to be a good flamenco dancer or singer.

In her article Sanchez describes how “El flamenco” is a musical art, which is divided into different “palos”; which means that flamenco has different variants. We can divide them in more than fifty different “palos”; they are classified by where they originate from, the dominant themes, the rhythm of the song and most importantly whether they lend themselves to a more serious atmosphere or to a more festive character. The easiest way to differentiate between them is by separating them in two different groups/palos: “Flamenco Festero” and “Flamenco Jondo”.

Sanchez describes these two groups in detail. The Flamenco Festero, “festero” comes from the Spanish noun “fiesta” which means party in English that is why this kind of flamenco is happier and more playful than the Jondo. This Flamenco is heard and sung in a party atmosphere. If you visit Spain in April, Sevilla is wonderful to experience as at this time of the year they showcase, “ La Feria de Sevilla”, which is an unforgettable spectacle and experience. All the females dress like a “Flamenca” with flamenco dresses and the men dress up like “Sevillanos”. Sevilla organizes this event every year two weeks after easter to celebrate the local party of Sevilla. As it is in the South of Spain there are many flamenco festero events/concerts and also many “corridas de toros” which is another big Spanish stereotype and goes hand in hand with “el flamenco”. The “Flamenco Festero” is mostly exhibited in big parties/events in Andalucia. As stated above, in this kind of flamenco the dominant themes are cheerful. The most commons examples of this kind of flamenco are “ Las Sevillanas”, “ La Rumba” and “Las Alegrias”.