Flamenco Dancing

The Origins Of Flamenco Dancing

The origins of Flamenco dancing go far back in time, back to the Spanish province of Andalucia in the 15th or 16th century. The music and dance were a kind of far-away-day rock 'n' roll music: guitar-based and danceable. A very high degree of importance is placed on the percussive aspects, originally created by people who came from impoverished backgrounds. Salubrious, often improvised, and a synthesis of the music and dance traditions of people from widely different cultural and ethnic backgrounds such as the Moors, Jews, "Gypsies", who were believed to be descendants of ancient Egyptians, and of course the indigenous people of Andalucia. All of the music and dance was built upon the foundation of the instrumental cante gitano, or "guitar song" tradition, much as all of rock 'n' roll was built upon the blues.

While this music today is most often associated with heavily and rapidly strummed classical guitar accompanied by sexy, flamboyantly dressed women dancing with a heavy emphasis on heel-to-floor footwork, there is actually more to the historical development of this music. Indeed, it is more than just music; the dancing is also an integral part. As far as the music itself, besides the guitar (typically solo but sometimes played in duo) there is the percussion (which may include hand claps, maracas, the heavy wooden heals of the dancer's shoes, small hand-held drums, and the smacked body of the guitar itself). The percussion is considered to be as much an art form as the often amazing guitar playing. Traditional flamenco dancing also has vocals, which may be the singing of lyrics or cries and shouts to accompany an instrumental piece. Even these cries and shouts are considered an art form and must be done right. The vocal tradition, however, came along a century or two after the instrumental tradition.

There are literally hundreds of different types of pieces which are characterized by different harmonic and melodic structures, rhythmic patterns, and song types. Among the most prominent of these different types are the seguiriyas, rondena, soleares, zapateado, alegrias, malaguena, and fandango. However, there are just three basic guitar patterns: rasgueado (strumming, which can be very rapid), paseo (spirited melodic passages), and the falseta (improvised interludes).

In the 19th century in Andalusia, then in Madrid and other parts of Spain, then beyond that, cafes opened up that featured Flamenco guitar and dancing as the primary entertainment, and this helped to spread the popularity and recognition of this cultural experience. Between the turn of the 19th century and 1936, while the cafes went into decline a more structured and formalized, theatrical mode took hold in the public imagination. "Opera Flamenco" and "Flamenco Ballet" became popular, and so did a new vocal tradition that emphasized smooth, controlled vocal delivery (this vocal style would later on have an influence on Latin jazz vocals). The leading vocalists of this time were Antonia Chacon and Manuel Torre, while the leading guitar players were Javier Molena, Manolo de Huelva, Ramón Montoya, and Perico del Lunar.

Although interest after the mid-1930s waned, serious musical students began rediscovering this phenomenon in the late 1950s and today it has a strong influence on many classical, Latin jazz, and New Age guitar players and music composers.

Accompanying guitar playing is indeed the cousin to the Spanish and Italian traditions of the classical guitar and the instruments used are similar (both use nylon strings these days, for instance). However, there are distinctions between the classical and the Flamenco guitar. The latter is made of cypress rather than rosewood or cedar; it is lighter (sometimes players have hybrid classical guitars made so that they can add more power to their solos); it has plastic tapping plates called "golpeadores" on its body; and it usually has violin-like tuning pegs instead of the classical guitar's machine heads. Luthier Antonio de Torres is given credit for defining both the modern guitar and classical guitar in the mid-19th century.

 

A trip to Andalucia, Spain can get you in touch with this authentic art of flamenco dancing for it still thrives there. You can also find it throughout Mexico and the more politically stable South American countries like Brazil, Peru, and Argentina. A visit to a local university's music department, especially if they have a classical guitar department, is another great way to get pointed in the right direction. If you look for this music online, steer clear of any music that also carries implications of being "new age" or "jazz"; these can be very interesting but they are not the authentic music.

FAMOUS FLAMENCO DANCING ARTISTS
Guitar players:
o Sabicas (Agustín Castellón Campos)
o Manolo Sanlúcar (Manuel Muñoz Alcón)
o Ramón Montoya Salazar
o Parrilla de Jerez (Manuel Fernández Molina)
o Enrique de Melchor (Enrique Jiménez Ramírez)
o Tomatito (José Fernández Torres)

 

Male Vocalists:
o Camarón de la Isla (José Monge Cruz)
o El Lebrijano (Juan Peña Fernández)
o Manolo Caracol (Manuel Ortega Juárez)

 

Female vocalists:
o La Niña de los Peines (Pastora María Pavón Cruz)
o Montse Cortés
o Estrella Morente

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