World Music Wednesday: Flamenco
Because I harbor a secret desire to be a flamenco dancer, and because I have an ardent love of Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca (a celebrator and composer of flamenco music himself), I’ve decided to write about flamenco for this week’s installment of World Music Wednesdays.
I’ve attended a couple of local flamenco performances in the past few months, and each time I’ve found myself wholly captivated by the fiery passion of the music and dance. I come away from every performance with images flashing in my mind’s eye—the guitarists’ nimble fingers, the dancers’ swirling skirts and seductive eyes, the staccato sound of stomping reverberating in my ears. Flamenco is, to me, an enticing dichotomy—an explosion of energy channeled into precise steps and elegant movements, a whirling, stylized maelstrom of mystery and drama. I love flamenco, but it frustrates me; watching it makes me feel like I’m witnessing some sort of wild force that’s being tamed and controlled and held in check--but just barely. It keeps me on the edge of my seat, and yet I'm constantly on the verge of leaping up and letting loose.
Flamenco is said to have developed out of the Gypsy (Gitano) culture of Andalusia (a region in southern Spain) in the 16th century, although it was most likely shaped by Arabic, Jewish, Christian, and Andalusian folk musical traditions as well. Over the next few centuries, however, flamenco became almost exclusively associated with the Gypsies, and was largely overlooked by the wealthy upper class. During its “golden age” (1869 – 1910) however, flamenco thrived as an art form. Musicians and dancers honed their craft by performing in “music cafes” (cafés cantantes), and flamenco guitar became a celebrated genre in its own right.
Flamenco in its basic form consists of three primary elements: el cante (the song), el baile (the dance), and la guitarra (the guitar, popularized worldwide by such virtuosos as Paco de Lucía.) The interplay between a flamenco guitarist, singer, and dancer is a fascinating study in communication, with the guitarist using his/her fingers, the dancer his/her body (stomping feet and languid, twirling hand movements), and the singer his/her voice. Check out some of flamenco performance clips below , and stay tuned for next Wednesday’s post.
--Bri Nguyen
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