Flamenco

Flamenco is a musical phenomenon that in spite of its popular roots, survived different periods and trends, and transcends borders and nationalities. It is a living art which has drawn on all kinds of different musical trends without losing its own personality. However, its main characteristic is its relationship with the audience, which participates in an emotional and heartfelt manner. Even when it is the first time that someone approaches this discipline, their feelings are stirred, and it reaches their heart. The distinctive, mysterious quality that makes this happen is known as duende. This is why flamenco is also known as arte jondo (deep art) because it goes deep into one's feelings.

Flamenco Forms

Flamenco Guitar

Nowadays, the guitar may be acquiring excessive prominence in flamenco. However, it is this instrument that has had the greatest effect and has developed the most within this art form, particularly if one considers that until the mid-twentieth century, the guitar playing lay in the background. However, at present, it is not uncommon to witness concerts that only feature guitar playing. Paco de Lucia started off this innovative period, and he has been the flamenco musician who has become most popular worldwide. His personal style has created a tradition, and he has been followed by other great guitarists like Canizares, Riqueni, Tomatito and Vicente Amigo.

Paco de Lucia: Paco de Lucia revolutionised the way of accompanying and of understanding flamenco guitar playing. With Camaron de la Isla, he formed the great artistic partnership in the final quarter of the twentieth century.
Tomatito: Tomatito has performed alongside artists like Elton John and Frank Sinatra, he has given jazz-flamenco concerts with the accompaniment of the pianos of Chano Dominguez and Michel Camino, he recorded the Spanish version of the song Woman with the singer Neneh Cherry, he took part in films like The devil's advocate, featuring Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves, and Flamenco by Carlos Saura.
Juan Martin: Juan Martin is a celebrated virtuoso of the flamenco guitar who has been voted into the top three guitarists in the world by US magazine Guitar Player,he is a native of Andalucia, where he still has a home in Malaga. He spends much time on tour and in London where he has formed an international company, Flamencovision, for the promotion of high quality flamenco which he rehearses and brings direct from Andalucia.

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Flamenco Guitar Music

Cositas Buenas

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Duquende Y La Guitarra De Tomatito

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Aguadulce

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Arte Flamenco Puro

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Musica Alhambra

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Flamenco Forms

Flamenco Dancing

Today, the bailaor (flamenco dancer) is more of a ballet dancer than was the case in the past, and this has been at the expense of depth. Matilde Coral argues that the technique has eaten up the artistry. Antonio Canales, Joaquin Cortes, Belen Maya, Israel Galvan and Sara Baras have introduced elements of innovation and research into their dancing, and they have triumphed on stages at both a national and an international level. There is also another generation that keeps up the high quality, orthodox style of dancing. It includes Javier Baron, El Mistela, Javier LaTorre, Eva La Yerbabuena, Juan Ramirez, Joselito Fernandez, Antonio El Pipa, Farruquito.

Joaquin Cortes: Joaquin Cortes is currently the most famous dancer worldwide. Although he was already the leading light in the Ballet Nacional when he was twenty years old, he achieved worldwide fame with his show Pasion Gitana, which he brought to over thirty countries.
Sara Baras: Sara Baras is the most prestigious bailaora at an international level, and she has already undertaken an intense activity which includes performances all over the world. She learned how to dance from her mother, Concha Baras, and she already started to excel when she joined the company of guitarist Manuel Morao in 1989. Her talent was rewarded with important awards like the Madrono Flamenco of Montellano (Seville), the first prize in the television programme-contest Gente Joven on TVE (Spain's public television broadcasting company) and later, in 1999 and in 2001, she received the Max prize for the Best Female Dance Performer.
Eva La Yerbabuena: Eva La Yerbabuena set up her own dance company in 1988, which was made up of young, extremely talented bailaores. Her stage shows, which she performed and choreographed herself while her husband, the guitarist Paco Jarana, wrote the music for them, have been acclaimed worldwide: in the Theatre de la Ville in Paris, the Opera in Wupperthal (Germany), the Tampere Flamenco Festival, the Mont de Marsan Festival (France), the Universal Exposition in Hannover (Germany), the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico
Farruquito: Farruquito was a child-prodigy of the dance scene, when he was eight he was already performing in his first season at the Sala Zambra in Madrid, at eleven he appeared in the video for 'Camaron Nuestro' and, the following year he was featured in the film 'Flamenco' by Carlos Saura alongside the patriarch of his lineage, El Farruco.

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Gitano (Gypsy) - PAL DVD

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Flamenco

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Los chavos en "La Yerbabuena" se sienten fuera del FIC.(Festival Internacional Cervantino)(TT: The kids in "La Yerbabuena" feel left out of the FIC.)(TA: ... Festival): An article from: Proceso

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Tell us about your favourite Flamenco Artists

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Aug 5, 2007 @ 12:25 pm

Great lens! I voted 5 stars - I invite you to check out mine too, and rate it for me! Live Streaming Video

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Karendelac Karendelac Jul 4, 2007 @ 6:43 pm

Congratulations on a well designed site.
This was most informative and I learned a lot !
Best wishes,
Karen
Karen at Karens
Kinkade Art Store

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LaurieKristensen LaurieKristensen Jun 29, 2007 @ 11:28 am

Hi Sandy, interesting lens, 5 stars... I saw your post on Forum KnowHow. Wishing you all the best... Laurie

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mrcarter mrcarter Jun 26, 2007 @ 4:23 pm

cool. would you mind if I used your section on the different flamenco guitar forms on my blog showmeguitars.com

5 stars

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Flamenco Forms

Flamenco Singing

Some people believe that the eagerness to innovate and excessive orchestration have made flamenco singing lose authenticity, making it more commercial. Nonetheless, they have brought younger people who considered it an obsolete genre closer to flamenco. Camaron de Ia Isla and Enrique Morente have been the main innovators in the last twenty years. The first brought together musical elements from different milieux such as rock, salsa and pop music, and he introduced instruments that were very far removed from flamenco, like the drum kit and bass guitar, into songs that belong to the traditional palos (forms). In this way, he managed to attract a sizeable young audience to flamenco. However, it was Enrique Morente who, at sixty years of age, led the trend known as "new flamenco" or "young flamenco". In his latest offerings, he is returning to flamenco roots.

Camaron: Camaron was unquestionably the driving force behind the new trends in flamenco, and his personal style conquered the world and started a tradition which has a huge number of followers. It was said of him that his heart didn't fit in his chest, and that his soul 'suffered' in every performance that he gave. His premature death, caused by lung cancer, turned him into a flamenco legend.
Enrique Morente: Enrique Morente is one of the great revolutionaries of flamenco, and without him it would be impossible to understand present and future flamenco. He was the first to adapt the verses of Spanish poets to write his songs. With his enthusiasm for innovating, he created a flamenco mass in which he blended flamenco with Gregorian chanting.

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Flamenco Singing

Links

Arte Flamenco: Worldwide sales and delivery of flamenco products.
Los Gitanos De La Luz Blanca: Flamenco shows and dance instruction by Giselle, hosted by Moonlite Fantasy Productions.
FotoGalería de Flamenco: Exhibition of photographs about Flamenco music. Dancers, singers, guitars.
Flamenco.org: A well organized and non-profit site listing events and classes, artists and organizations, and many other resources.
Miguel Ángel: A ballet flamenco dance performer and choreographer.
Flamenco in Washington DC: Flamenco performances, workshops, dance and guitar lessons, places to buy castanets, flamenco shoes and CDs. Updated frequently by guitarist Michael Perez.
Ana Montes Flamenco Danzarte: A performer and teacher of flamenco dancing, located downtown Seattle, WA, USA.
AGM: Promoter of Flamenco dance, singing and guitar.
Flamenco y Mas: A flamenco dance group, located in Ireland.
Escuela de Baile: Information about the London school including time tables, location map and registration form.
Bettina Castano Flamenco: Includes information about tour program, musicians, a photo gallery, products, courses and workshops.
Irene Carrasco Flamenco Dance: Take flamenco dance lessons in the home of flamenco, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, with one of the young stars of flamenco dance.
Daniel de Cordoba Bailes Espanoles: Features flamenco dance information, classes, and a calendar of events.
Flamenco Dance with Victorio: Flamenco choreographer, dancer and teacher presents information on his dance classes in New York City, USA. Includes a biography and a gallery of flamenco photography.
Flamenco in Malaga Andalucia: Brief flamenco singing and dancing history, links, and message board.
Flamenco Dance Classes in Oregon and Washington: Schedule, photos and FAQs for Flamenco Dance Classes by Laurena Marrone, an instructor who has been extensively trained in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.
Flamenco Dance School: Classes for entertainment and performance dancing. Sarita Bashir has over twenty years of dance experience, 12 of which are with Flamenco dancing.
Fuensanta 'La Moneta': Young dancer from Granada. Biography, reviews, contact.
FlamencArte: A cultural association that offers flamenco consulting services to students planning to study Spain.
Lucero Flamenco Custom Dancewear: Offering custom flamenco skirts for the flamenco student and professional.
Pasión Flamenco: Flamenco school located at Basle / Switzerland.
Bianca Antonia: Brief biography, flamenco pictures, dance wear information, chat, message board and links.
Flamenco Workshops in Jerez: Learn Flamenco in the city where this art was born: Jerez (Andalusia).
Flamenco Buzz: Boston-based flamenco aficionado, Mari Katsigianis presents a potpourri of flamenco announcements, review, photos and editorials. Includes her own writings and those contributed by other aficionados from around the world.
Flamenco Santa Cruz: Classes and workshop in CA, USA.
FlamencoBravo.com: Dance news, class schedules, performance dates, Spanish dance information and gossip. Run by Juan Talavera.
Puella Lunaris' Danza Mediterránea School: Flamenco, belly dance, archetypal dance, modern dance from a Spanish-American dancer, researcher and lecturer.
Estudio Barrera: A non-commercial flamenco studio in Chicago.
Antonio Vargas: Flamenco dancer and choreographer with flamenco workshops and performances in North America.
The German Flamenco Pages: Extensive information about Flamenco, list of worldwide flamenco sites, discussion forum.
An Introduction to Flamencodance: Flamenco dance instruction video available from Anna Dueñas León.
Yuka Hayashi Flamenco: Performing and teaching traditional Flamenco in Japan. Venues include Tokyo, Osaka, and Yokohama.
Teodoro Morca: Dancer, choreographer and teacher of the Morca method of Flamenco.
Mozaico Flamenco featuring Oscar Nieto: Official site of renowned flamenco dance and cante performer, and teacher Oscar Nieto, including class information, photographs, articles, and glossary.
Flamenco: The Dance of Andalusia: Brief article discussing the history, influences, and types of flamenco dance.
Deborah Greenfield's Rosa Negra Flamenco Company: Los-Angeles based performer and choreographer of modern dance and flamenco.
Gloria de Jerez: Professional flamenco dancer and teacher from Jerez de La Fronterea, Spain.
Ilusion Flamenca: Flamenco dance group based in South London. Information about classes and shows, and a photo gallery.
Kara's Flamenco Page: Featuring detailed information and history about flamenco, Spain, sound and picture galleries, and a fan page.
Flamenco Costumes: Teresa Torkanowsky offers flamenco costumes for sale to large companies, small groups, and individuals.
Flamenco Guitar Music from Stan Wiest: Flamenco Guitar Music from Stan Wiest serving New York, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Sal's Flamenco Soapbox: Educational charts, diagrams, dictionary, and essays relating to flamenco theory and history.
123 Flamenco: Photos of flamenco dance at the West Valley College.
Alegría Española: A school in Saskatoon that offers classical background in flamenco dance.
Pureza Flamenca: Flamenco show produced in Madrid, recommended and subsidized by regional Arts Council.
Flamenco Dance with Suzuki: Beginning and intermediate class offered in Berkeley, California.
Escuela de Bulerias: Biographies on Juan Moraos and Raquel Quijano, who offer flamenco dance classes and workshops in Madrid, Spain.
Antonia Maria: A pictorial record of a flamenco teacher, her classes, and her amateur troupe in Belfast, Northern Ireland.