Very famous around the world, Flamenco is nonetheless hidden in profound Andalusia.
Lively tradition which dates back to antiquity, Flamenco is fiery, spirited but paradoxically content; a very structured art, while his dancers seem to burn in their art, sometimes speaking in a kind of daze.
If you thought every Spaniard have this typical dress, you might be very disappointed by looking on Madrilenian, Barcelonan, Valencian or Sevillan citizen dressing.
Discover all the magic of Flamenco, it fascinating and captivating atmosphere generated by emotions that form the root of the human experience; It has everything to fascinate.
Origins of Flamenco are very blurred and hazy. Even the origin of the word Flamenco is unknown…
Some believe that the word comes from the corruption of "Felag mengu" (fugitive peasant in Arabic) which will apply to gypsies after their proscription as a result of the expulsion of the Moors out of Spain.
Other theories are based on the literal meaning of the
word Flamenco (Flemish) and emit a relationship with the servants of King
Charles Quint who came from Flanders part (Belgium) to Spain; after what it became an
insult to qualify gypsies.
But actually, nobody knows!
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| Flamenco dancer |
However what is certain is that Flamenco is made of
different influences.
A melt
of cultures
Even if its origins are still fuzzy, historians agreed to say that it was born in Triana, a neighborhood of Seville, where poetries and musicians took refuge during the XVIth century.
Flamenco is a musical gender and a dance which has emerged from melting of three different cultures: Muslim, Jewish and Andalucían. It is a very structured art, organized around three themes:
At the beginning, It consisted only on melody
without instrumental: el cante - derived from Arabic songs. Then appears Guitar:
el toque - brought by gypsies, following by clapping hands: las Palmadas and dance: el baile.
Arabic influence song of Flamenco
Thus, over the centuries, Islamic invaders did not
destroy culture: they assimilated it !
Spain drew a huge musical benefit and it can still be
heard in Flamenco the Arabic influence.
The Main
particularity of Flamenco directly derives from Moorish influence: the "ole"
interjection, launched after a particularly successful in flamenco movement,
could in turn be derived from the word "Allah", "God" in
Arabic languages.
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| Sara Baras - Olé ! |
During the period of Islamic rule in Spain (711-1492),
gypsies from India attained Spain and received a permission to stay there.
As Muslim
before them, they started to integrate Arabian sonorities to their own art and
added by reciprocity a personal touch to Andalucían art - Flamenco.
Settling in Andalusia, Gypsies
brought the tragedy of their persecuted race and musical echo of their
Indo-Aryan origin in the Andalucían folklore.
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| Gypsy's Dance |
But after the Moors lived, their cultural tolerance didn’t
survive them; thus in 1499, he first laws against gypsies appeared, nomadism
was outlawed. Gypsies were pushed out cities and their art was swept away on their road...
Flamenco Gypsies influence - Guitar
The fact we evocated that Flamenco is derived from Flemish let historians think that Flamenco origins could be also based on that song Jewish people sang on their way to northern Europe, escaping Arabian Inquisition in Spain.
Flamenco
Nowadays…
It is only in the second half of the 19th centuries that Flamenco was democratized and became an art presented to the public.
It is the advent of cantantes Cafes (bar -concerts at the time) that from 1842 interlocked This phenomenon of expansion of Flamenco. In the 1950s, we saw reappear a genuine interest in the Flamenc:. Abroad, it interest keeps growing ! Solo concerts see their popularity increasing in an amazing way.
Flamenco dancing is characterized by colorful costumes, intense and erotic movements, stamping of the feet (zapateado), and clapping of the hands (palmada); its execution is brilliant, noisy, and passionate.
Enharmonic techniques using intervals smaller than the semitone transport us in this fascinating and captivating ambiance, where sensuality and restrain incredibly tangle.
The recent changes that have occurred in the world of Flamenco are still too close for us to draw conclusions.
If you want to assist to a
Flamenco Show, contact us !
(Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla)
(Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla)
Ritmo Flamenco performance at "Luminato" Festival in Toronto (2008)