Skip to content
You are here: Home arrow FAQs arrow What is flamenco?
What is flamenco? PDF Print E-mail
  • Currently 3.0/5 Stars.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Rating: 3.0/5 (3 votes cast)

A particular kind of music/dance (and some would say lifestyle) native to, but no longer restricted to, a small region of Andalucia in Southern Spain. Like American "blues" it probably has ancient antecedents, but as a distinct genre is only a couple centuries old. Not all Andalucian folk music is flamenco. Not all flamenco artists have been Andalucians (eg Sabicas), or even Spanish (eg Greco).

Flamencos themselves (ie guitarists, dancers, singers, aficionados), whatever their own specialty, and for both formal and historical reasons, usually agree that what is fundamental to flamenco is cante (song), i.e. a body of several dozen forms (palos) with specific rhythms, melodies, and in some cases themes, sung in a certain way.

Flamenco guitar started as accompaniment for cante, and in Spain has largely remained that, no matter how technically refined it has become. Probably the same is true of flamenco dance -- that it started as an embellishment through movement of what the singer was doing. Even the virtuosos like Paco de Lucia and the late Sabicas who are famous for solo work (and who play other music besides flamenco) would probably define flamenco in terms of cante rather than of guitar technique. Both started within the tradition as accompanists of cante, and were superb ones. To anyone familiar with cante, even their solos imply the cante from which they came.

 
< Prev   Next >

Newsletter Subscription

Latest Songs

MUCHO MEJOR TE AMO
details...

CARITA DE CHOCOLATE
details...

A TEMPRANO
details...

Calendar of Events

May 2008 June 2008
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31

User Login

Mercado Latest Posts

Gently Used Begoña Cervera shoes
Shoes (03.04.2008)


 
= Ad with Photo

Latest Events

  • Beginner Flamenco Dance - Sevillanas
    May 18, 2008 (12:30 pm - 1:30 pm)
    (Studio Schedule)
  • Beginner Flamenco Dance
    May 18, 2008 (1:30 pm - 2:30 pm)
    (Studio Schedule) This one-hour class will cover flamenco basics including rhythms, basic footwork technique and basic upper body technique. Simple turns will also be introduced. A good workout and great introduction to flamenco dance for anyone. No previous dance...
View Full Calendar

Donation Center

Enter Amount:


Statistics: Browser

Totals Top 5
 38 % Internet Explorer 6.0
 33 % Internet Explorer 7.0
 13 % FireFox 2.0.0.11
 10 % FireFox 2.0.0.12
 7 % FireFox 2.0.0.6
Links to Site

Statistics: Visitors by Country

Totals Top 5
 24 % 
 24 % Commercial
 20 % Network
 15 % Unknown
 < 1.0 % Educational Institutions

FLamencoTalk.com Awards