Flamenco is a genuine Spanish art, and to be more exact a genuine Southern Spanish art. It exists in three forms: Cante, the song, Baile, the dance, and Guitarra, guitar playing. Gipsies are very often named as the fathers of Flamenco, and at least it can be taken for certain that they played an important part in its creation. But also the popular songs and dances of Andalusia have influenced early Flamenco considerably. Certainly there were other influences, too, as it is no surprise in a country that has been dominated by most diverse cultures and civilizations during its different historical epochs. There were the legendary Tartessos, and seven centuries of Muslim occupation hardly could have passed without leaving traces. All that, directly or indirectly, influenced Flamenco.
",.. she now stamps on the ground, and placing her hands on her hips, she moves quickly to the right and left, advancing and retreating in a sidelong direction. Her glances become now more fierce and fiery...she commences clapping her hands...uttering words of an unknown tongue, to a strange and uncouth tune...she springs, she bounds, and at every bound she is a yard above the ground." Thus described George Borrow, in his hook "The Zincali"' the gypsy dance of 1843. This is the precursor of the modern Flamenco dance, and some of this early feeling can be seen in the dancing of the children in the 1963 film Los Tarantos starring Carmen Amaya with Antonio Gades. The dance of the juerga, however, is not what one usually sees in the world of commercial Flamenco. True, Cante Jondo can be danced, with duende and the gracia of the "pena negra" etched on the dancer's face and governing his or her movements and pasture. But most Bailaores dance to lighter forms of Flamenco, such as Tangos and Zapateadas (which comes from the Spanish word for "shoe").
The Fiery & Sensual Joaquin Cortes
As a soloist, the dancer is responsible for keeping with the comps, either through pitos and palmas (finger-snapping and handclapping) or footwork, The Zapateado is generally a showcase for footwork; the Tango is one of the rare examples of a dance that translates also to good recorded Flamenco.
Flamenco dancing in its best form contains a combination of finger and hand
movements (generally in men with both arms raised, in women moving in a
serpentine fashion), upper torso bent back to roughly a 45 degree angle, and
deliberate foot movement, Flamenco duets, featuring a man and a woman, usually
have all the fire and emotion of a duel, the dancers' eyes locked upon each
other, the aggressiveness passing back and forth between partners as their
abrupt yet comp?s-based strides compliment each move in the upper torso.
Castanets are almost never used, as they drown out the comps, pitos, and footwork of the dancer, and
make it difficult to hear the guitar player. The introduction of castanets to Flamenco were most probably added during the last decade of the Nineteenth
Century to give added tourist appeal to the emerging art of Commercial Flamenco.
Castanets are never brought to the juerga.
5 Most Popular Flamenco Dances
Flamenco is one of the most popular Spanish dances in the world. An inexperienced audience might think the dance is always the same; but as soon as you learn even a little about it, you can start to distinguish the enormous differences that exist between each style. Check out the differences between the 5 most popular flamenco dances out there.
Tango
The tango is one of the most well-known types flamenco dance because of its popularity in movies and other media. This style is associated with romance and passion, and even though it may not look like it, it is one of the easiest styles to dance. The “compas” (or rhythmic style) of the tango is a cycle of 12 beats in simple 4/4 time, easy for any level dancer and well-known because of the dancers’ poses. There are many forms of the tango, for example, tangos from Cadiz and tangos from Granada are not the same. But in most cases, the tango is the best flamenco dance for learning techniques such as the “redoble” and “cierres” and to be able to dance these steps faster and faster.
Sevillanas
This is possibly the most international of all flamenco styles, although including it among different styles of flamenco or treating it as a style all its own is controversial. The truth is that many of its steps and movements serve as the basis for other flamenco styles, making sevillanas neutral through excellence. Sevillanas is made up of four parts, with almost identical movements and steps that go between each part. The timing of the dance is marked in three beats with the stress falling on the first beat.
Bulería
This style is one of the fastest types of flamenco dance and so, is the most difficult to learn. The compas is a cycle of 12 beats, with the accent on the 3, 6, 8, 10 and 12 beats or on the 3, 7, 8, 10 and 12 beats. The essence of the bulería is humor and fun, and because of this, almost all of them are made up of fast, lively movements, that, once learned, give the artist full command over the compas of the dance.
Alegría
The compas of the alegría is a 12 beat cycle with stress on the same beats as the bulería. It is also a very fast and happy dance, although it is characteristic for including rests with harmonies where turns and arm movements are the focus. To master the alegría means knowing one of the most important styles of flamenco and controlling aspects as complex as falsetas, escobillas, cierres and llamadas.
Fandango
The fandango has a 12 beat cycle compas in 3/4 time for the first cycle, or 2/6 for the first and fourth cycles. It is a folk dance that brings a majestic and elegant air together with happy movements all in one style. Coordinating arms and feet is indispensible to dance this dance correctly.