What Is Spanish Flamenco Dancing?
Flamenco dancing is a traditional song and dance, with an accompanying guitar, tap dance, and complex and clapped rhythms, created by Gypsies who lived in Andalusia, a community in southern Spain, according to Spain's main website. The dance form garnered a lot of attention in the early 19th century as cafe entertainment.
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Form
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A flamenco dance is composed of a singer, dancer and a Spanish guitar. Typically, the flamenco is split into two groups---the group of singers and group of dancers. Men usually play the guitar or sing, while the women often are the dancers, according to TOPICS Online Magazine.
The dance consists of three forms: grande or hondo (grand or deep), intermedio (intermediate) and pequeno (small). The grande form involves dance to profound songs that are intense and tragic in tone, according to Spanish Fiestas. Intermedio dance is to music that is moderately serious and and sometimes sounds Asian. The pequeno dance focuses on soft songs of love, nature and exuberance.
Flamenco dancing in the early days did not focus so much on guitar accompaniment, but through time the additional sound became common and guitar solos also developed, according to Spanish Fiestas.
Wardrobe
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Flamenco woman dancers are known to wear layered or ruffled skirts made of material that hangs loosely and allows them to dance freely. Often, the woman dancers spice up their costume with silk flowers, brooches, fancy earrings, fans or Manila silk shawls, according to Flamenco World. Typically, the male dancers wear black suits.
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History
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The history of the flamenco dates back to the 15th century when Gypsies brought the dance form to Spain, according to TOPICS Online Magazine. Flamenco's roots primarily come from Spain, but the dance was influenced by various cultures and countries, such as Egypt, India and Morocco.
Today
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The modern flamenco consists of influences from a variety of music types, such as bossa nova, salsa and jazz. The dance form has continued to evolve throughout the years. For example, woman dancers focus more on showing their personality in dance, as opposed to in the past they tried to get across their artistry, according to the Don Quijote website.
The dance also varies by the dancer's gender. The men's dance consists more of delicate toe- and heel-clicking steps, while the women's dance is focused on hand movement and the grace of body, according to Spanish Fiesta.
Flamenco Clubs and Festivals
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Tablao (flamenco clubs) are dispersed all throughout Spain, especially prevalent in Andalusia. The clubs that are dedicated to the dance form often display traditional items, such as Manila shawls or bullfighting capes, that have become a part of the flamenco dance, according to Spain's main website.
Spain also has invested time into maintaining festivals, such as the Cordoba Guitar Festival, the Flamenco Biennial and the Las Minas Festival of Flamenco Song, that celebrate the traditions of the dance form.
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References
- Photo Credit spanish dancer image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
