A Taste of Flamenco

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I have always considered flamenco to be a fascinating dance form with complex roots. Some state that its roots are in southern Spain, and others point to gypsies who originated in India. Spain has not been rapid to embrace flamenco, which rapidly became identified with the country, and yet to many in Spain was considered vulgar or pornographic. In any case, I have long wished to be able to visit a flamenco center and do some dance photography around that theme,. We did not get the kind of backstage VIP opportunity I might have hoped for, but even in the traditional tapas and flamenco show, photography was permitted, and I have a few images to share.

Flamenco is an individual dance with guitar, percussion, syncopated snapping, clapping and percussive tapping of the floor. The individual dancing expresses the deepest areas of their soul in an intense way.
Female dancers often wear bright, intense colors, and black.
There is often complex and very rapid beating with the feet that builds in intensity to a climax.
The corps is a team, and the nonperfoming members are seated at the back of the stage, encouraging and participating in the rhythmic performance.,
Men also dance flamenco, and their moves have much in common with female dancers, but more forceful rhythmic elements intruced by clapping, tapping or snapping.
The dancer relies on the connection with singers, guitarists and other team members to build the intensity of the performance.

It was Francisco Franco who finally gave in and allowed what he considered to be a stereotype to be promoted for Spanish tourism. Nowadays there is a strong artistic community supporting serious study and promotion of the flamenco art form.