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WHAT IS FLAMENCO?
Author: Tomás Dietz
May 2007
Flamenco is a complex art form firmly woven into the fabric of Spain’s Andalucian culture, expressed through passionate singing, driving guitar accompaniment and intensely emotional, percussive dancing that involves arching bitter sweet upper body movements and shotgun footwork.
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It’s tragic history was generated in the late 15th century by the Spanish Inquisition. The main cultures in Spain at that time were Arab, Jewish, Christian, and Gypsy; those who did not comply with the rulings of the Inquisition became victims of atrocious human rights violations. Insurgents fled the atrocities, setting up secret camp where ever the terrain could hide them. These insurgents had few material possessions, and only their voices to sing out their sorrow. Over time the laments of these various cultures began to overlap and develop a peculiar style and structure, eventually absorbing the guitar, inspiring the dancer, and giving rise to a new musical culture and the most profound, moving fusion of all time - what we now call flamenco. Elements of the influencing cultures are still clearly evident in flamenco today, for example, Arabic influences are obvious in the exquisitely controlled melismatic cries, some musical modes and rhythmic structures; even the word óle comes from the Arabic allah. One can even see traces of its distant Indian roots in some dance movements - qualities inherited through the Gypsies who are said to have migrated from parts of India.
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The origin of the name flamenco is lost to history, but there are many theories - most agree that it comes from an Arabic word, fellah menkum meaning ‘fugitive peasant’. This musical style was mainly the expression of poor, low class peasants struggling to shake off their condition. Thus, those who practiced it came to be called los flamencos.
Today, flamenco is still fundamentally a delivery of the pathos of suffering, but since its beginnings has also developed some cheerful expressions of joy. There are many different song forms (palos) in flamenco each with its own style, mood and rhythm and these song forms take on nuances depending on the region and the interpreter.
Flamenco is performed by dedicated artists who live a culture of the art form; family dynasties can be known for their particular interpretation of flamenco, as can an entire district or province. Most professional flamencos are specialists, and are recognised for their expertise in certain song forms or styles.
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Flamenco is a unique living resource, constantly evolving but retaining its fundamental qualities of communication. It is a physical expression of abstract thought. In this respect it is like the spoken language, having a grammar, vocabulary, syntax and style (the mechanics that enable the expression of an individual, original, spontaneous and meaningful discourse that can instantly be understood and responded to by another speaker of the same language) and it has a culture that uses it every day as a form of communication. And like the spoken language its depth of expression is affected by the eloquence of the speaker.
Flamenco is very much a performance art - an actuation must be heard or watched. The whole point of it is to share feelings. The student of flamenco must ensure that sufficient knowledge and technique is acquired in order to facilitate effective communication of these feelings. Dance classes are usually physically and mentally demanding with drilling to acquire precision in rhythm, coordination and execution. The reward for the pursuit of flamenco is stellar - an enduring, artful physical language and thus a truly liberated state of being.
For more information contact the author at:
www.tomasflamenco.com
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To send information (including files and photos), to Ian McKenzie regarding DANCE for this web site or any of the other dance web sites (around 20 or so) for which he is web master, phone Ian on 07 5547 7187 or 0400 106 654 or email by clicking on Ian McKenzie.
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