Flamenco is a dance based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gypsy subculture of the region of Andalusia.
Learning about flamenco means understanding the cultural background of Spain and it is not only about learning the dancing styles and moves. Comprehending the origins of flamenco will help you appreciate flamenco from a different point of view.
In this article, you will learn about what is art, culture, and tradition and how exactly flamenco fits in all these categories, and finally, you will learn a little bit about flamenco history.
Learn about the history of flamenco dance.
Art
The question of whether dance is an artistic expression has been asked for a long period. Many would argue that dancing represents a form of art because it shares many characteristics with other forms of art.
There are many other reasons why dancing is considered an art form, but here is a small list of some of the main reasons:
- Body movement and rhythm - when a dancer has music they adjust their body and their movements to the beat and the rhythm of the music. Moving the body to the beat of the music is about interacting with the chords, beats, and notes the song has. Dancers must learn about the fundamentals of timing like the tempo or compas (beats per minute) and time signature (beats per measure and time value of notes).
- Expression of emotion - artists commonly express moods and emotions and it is a way to evoke those feelings in an audience. The same can be said about dance. Performers can portray anger, love, sadness, joy, jealousy, and more through their dancing and they communicate all these feelings to an audience.
- Telling a story - it's the artist's job to tell a story with different tools and resources. A dancer typically tells a story through dance moves, facial expressions, songs, interactions with other dancers, and so on.
- Music - music is a very old form of art and through the centuries it has become attached and associated with dancing. They exist separately but are put together for many different cultural and traditional rituals and styles like flamenco, tango, salsa, hip hop, and more.
- Choreography and performance - choreographies are about getting the performers in sync and having everyone perform the same dance moves at the same time. Dancers are great performers and great at interacting with audiences.
Dancing is an art form because it provokes and evokes feelings. Flamenco is most definitely art because it combines all the elements previously mentioned as well as combines Spanish tradition with history and songs.
Read more about the subject on how flamenco got started?
Culture
The culture of a country is a mix of typical food, music, garments, history, religion, traditions, language, and more. Cultures are often defined as a set of patterns and behaviors presented in a given group of people and learned through social norms.
Many countries around the world are distinguished for their rich cultures and costumes like France, Spain, India, China, Russia, and so on.
Culture is not something set and done, it is constantly changing because the population is constantly moving and evolving. Every century is different because different historical events are shaping our civilization.
People usually have a hard time defining what cultures are because it can be so many things and no answer is entirely wrong. Anything that shapes a country or a group of people can be considered part of their culture. That is why things like religion and language are key aspects of a culture.
However, there are plenty of other things that can be considered culture.
Spanish culture is considered one of the richest in the world because of its many influences and adaptations from different groups of people. One of the most important groups that shaped Spain's culture was the gypsies.
The Andalusian gypsy brought to Spain musical influences, artists, singers, songs, musicians, and many other forms of culture. With time, the Spanish adapted the traditions of gypsies into their own and thus creating the Spanish culture we all know now.
Flamenco is a huge part of this musical and dancing revolution. The gypsies introduced singing, Palos, Solea, jondo, fandangos, tonic, bulerias, and more in places like Granada, San Antonio, Seville, Andalusia, etc.
Tradition
Understanding tradition is about understanding culture. As we mentioned, cultures are constantly evolving, however, there are a few traits that don't change no matter the amount of time that passes.
Tradition is the part of cultures that don't change, no matter the period or the years that pass. Tradition is called this way because it refers to things that are kept the same through the years and are part of the identity of a culture.
Tradition is also something that gives a group of people strength, it's a way to define, historically, a country's identity, and it usually inspires safety, specialness, or differentiation from the rest.
Any country can have traditional songs, food, dances, festivities, garments, and more. Spain is known for its rich cuisine, beautiful and classical interpretations, flamenco, musical style, and more.
Flamenco is part of Spain's tradition because even though it is a form of artistic expression that has evolved over the years, there is a classical form of flamenco and it has been unchanged for a long period.
This classical form is not only about dancing, it is also about the music. There is a traditional mode of playing the guitar called the Phrygian mode.
The Phrygian mode consists of the notes of the A minor scale starting on E. To add tension I also play G# on the 3rd string. This is very common in Spanish guitar. The Phrygian mode is part of the tradition because it provides sound to the art, and it has for centuries now.
Learn about the top flamenco artists.
History
The history of flamenco is as beautiful as it is complicated. Flamenco has its origins associated with the Andalusian Roma (gypsies) of southern Spain.
However, the exact origins of flamenco are not very clear, but historians believe that it was taken to Spain by gypsies who migrated from India between the 9th and 14th centuries.
Also known as the Andalusian Roma, the gypsies took instruments (like the guitar) and music that they shared with the existing cultures in the Spanish grownds.
The intertwining between Andalusian Gypsy and Spanish traditions created a rich mix that resulted in the rare, beautiful, and unique art form known as flamenco.
Even though flamenco dates back to the 9th century, it had a golden era between 1780 and 1845.
Before this golden era, the musical parts and dancing were just accompaniments, and singing and songs were the main aspects of flamenco.
Flamenco used to be an outdoor activity, something that you could enjoy with your family during a nice day out. It eventually evolved with the first café cante, an establishment founded in Seville.
These cafes (that soon spread from Seville to Granada and Cordoba) gave protagonism to dancers and musicians. During this period, the singers started to take a secondary role in flamenco and the true artists were the dancers.
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The cafes also gave flamenco a commercial appeal.
This commercial appeal was beneficial for the dancers, singers, and artists because they had the opportunity to make a living from their art, something that didn't use to happen. However, some experts considered that the commercial interests in the cafes lowered the quality of the original and authentic flamenco forms.
Many experts worked and currently work to restore and bring back flamenco to its original form. In 1922 some intellectuals created the first flamenco competition where they invited dancers to perform original dances or Primitive Andalusian Cante.
This timely attempt to prevent the further debasement of authentic folk art effectively promoted flamenco to a sophisticated urban public and helped to further the thoughtful development of the art within a modern context.
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Thank you for providing more in depth info!
Exelent, very informative, and enjoyable article.
Thank you for the feedback, Patricia!