Flamenco
WOKs: Arts, Natural Sciences, Human Sciences, History
Flamenco is an Andalusian art form made up of three parts: guitar playing, song , and dance. Flamenco is often thought to have been transported/created by Gypsies who moved into the area in the 14th century, however it's also thought to be influenced by many world cultures, including Latin American, Cuban, and Jewish traditions.
Originally flamenco dancing was not set to music; it was only singing and clapping of hands called “toque de palmas." Some flamenco dancing still follows ancient tradition, but the use of guitars and other musical instruments has become more popular in modern flamenco. Traditional flamenco dancers rarely received any formal training. Instead, flamenco was passed down from friends, relatives, and neighbors. While some flamenco musicians and dancers still learn the flamenco on their own, most modern flamenco artists are professionally trained.
Flamenco dancing can have many different purposes. Whether the dance is intended to be entertaining, romantic, or comforting, flamenco is a very emotional style of dance. Flamenco dancers try to express their deepest emotions by using body movements and facial expressions. As the dancers perform, they may also clap their hands or kick their feet. Many dancers also snap small percussion handheld instruments called "castanets."
Another important component of flamenco is the element known as duende, and this is shrouded in as much mystery as flamenco itself.
Writers and poets over the years have given duende a magical and mysterious meaning, a spiritual significance that goes beyond human understanding. The poet Federico Garcia Lorca romanticized duende saying, “Duende could only be present when one sensed that death possible.”
Originally flamenco dancing was not set to music; it was only singing and clapping of hands called “toque de palmas." Some flamenco dancing still follows ancient tradition, but the use of guitars and other musical instruments has become more popular in modern flamenco. Traditional flamenco dancers rarely received any formal training. Instead, flamenco was passed down from friends, relatives, and neighbors. While some flamenco musicians and dancers still learn the flamenco on their own, most modern flamenco artists are professionally trained.
Flamenco dancing can have many different purposes. Whether the dance is intended to be entertaining, romantic, or comforting, flamenco is a very emotional style of dance. Flamenco dancers try to express their deepest emotions by using body movements and facial expressions. As the dancers perform, they may also clap their hands or kick their feet. Many dancers also snap small percussion handheld instruments called "castanets."
Another important component of flamenco is the element known as duende, and this is shrouded in as much mystery as flamenco itself.
Writers and poets over the years have given duende a magical and mysterious meaning, a spiritual significance that goes beyond human understanding. The poet Federico Garcia Lorca romanticized duende saying, “Duende could only be present when one sensed that death possible.”
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First Order Questions:
How do flamenco guitars differ from standard guitars? Who and what are 'gypsies'? What effect do the acoustics of Sacramonte caves have on the sound of flamenco? Second Order Questions: What typifies a 'genre' in art? How is it that art can communicate ideas that language cannot? (duende) Can flamenco be taken out of Andalusia? |
WOKs: Sense Perception, Emotion, Imagination, Memory, Language, Intuition |
