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• Flamenco is a folk art and culture from Spain. It is particular to the province of Andalusia in Spain. Historically, it has always been the musical outlet of the poor and oppressed.

• It is passed on by oral tradition which the individual artist uses as the basis for his own variations.

• Flamenco involves singing, dance and the guitar simultaneously.

• The flamenco song involves a synthesis of at least four cultures: – the Gypsies– the Moors, or Arabs– the Jews– the indigenous Andalusians

• Flamenco first became a public, performing art in the second half of the nineteenth century, with the emergence of the café cantante. The first opened in 1842 and did not attract much attention.

• From the turn of the century up to 1936 were the years of the theatrical performances of Flamenco such as “Opera Flamenca” and “Flamenco Ballet”

• Flamenco background and role in religion and culture influences• Flamenco originated from the gypsies in Spain. The culture background in Flamenco is a fusion

of many cultures in one. The arm motions in Flamenco come from India, Java and Japan. The influence of the music used is from India, Persia and the Arabic world. Before Flamenco was performed in local café’s and taverns it was practiced by the gypsies informally. To get the upbeat stomping and clapping Flamenco, is a blending of Indian, Andalusian, North African, and Latin America influences. Flamenco over the years has changed and evolved just like the Spanish culture has. Flamenco was used as a form of entertainment and still is. Flamenco was originated from its singing but tourist liked the dancing aspect more and it slowly changed to being preformed as dance. The tourist over the years have changed and shaped it into what they see Flamenco as. It still has its main roots but, is not its originally form. In fact, cultural products are often the outcomes of geographic and cultural transgressions, which are shaped by consumer demand early in its inception as well as its development as you can see in Flamenco.

• The dance is in a 2/4 time. The music used in flamenco is an acoustic guitar, singing, hand clapping and chanting. The songs are different but all have one common goal and that is emotion. Each song has a purpose and the point of the dancers is to get the emotion across to the audience. When men and women dance together you can see the passion in their eyes and in the movements.

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• The three main components of Flamenco are:Cante, which is the songToque, which is playing the flamenco guitarAnd baile, which is dance.

Foreigners often mistake the flamenco dance as being the essence of flamenco, however it is the cante, the song, which is the most important element of this complex musical and cultural tradition. Originally flamenco was composed purely of cante with the accompaniment of hand clapping and knuckle-rapping percussion, then during the 19th century the guitar had been gradually added. The flamenco guitar has a particularly distinctive sound and playing action of its own, achieved by the use of different timbers for the body and subtly different dimensions and proportions.Flamenco is a Spanish musical genre with origins in Andalusia. Flamenco is the music of the gypsies which was played in their social community. Andalusian people who grew up around the gypsies, and the life, were also accepted as “flamencos”The flamenco’s musical form is known for its intricate rapid passages.

The flamenco song, or cante involves at least four cultures: The gypsies, the Moors or Arabs, the Jews, and the indigenous Andalusians. Flamenco was created by the fusion of the cante Gitano with Andalusian folk music.

Today Flamenco has gained international interest and popularity. Singing, dancing and playing the guitar, either together or separately, have ignited much curiosity.Flamenco is a beautiful art form and it can be highly expressive  the most profound levels.

• Sara Baras was born in 1971 and started to dance at a very early age. Her big break in dance came when she joined a company that showcased flamenco talent. She worked in Paris for two months in 1991. Than in 1992 she took a six months tour of Japan. Her career snowballed from there. She began to dance in a summer flamenco festival and she started being guest aristae for a flamenco troupes. She was called the “new Queen of dance” .

Antonio has been called one of the most revolutionary dancers of the twentieth and a fevered figured in flamenco. He was born November 1936 and as a child he was a messenger boy. He is a good looking me that win the hearts of young women. He married in 1964 but it only lasted for two years. He then married again to an actress. They had three children but this marriage didn’t last very long ether. He went on to marry two more women before dieing in 2004 Antonio was the lead dancer in the company that he danced in. he learned more forms then just flamenco. He studied dance in Russia, Paris and Italy when he took a world tour. His flamenco was a mix of modernism and ancient tradition. His dance won his many awards. In 1961 he founded his own dance company. His company took flamenco to the stage.

Flamenco utilizes percussion steps from toe to heel with the upper body remaining motionless on the y-axis.  The x and z axis have full range of movement remaining to them but there is little to almost no up and down movements in the upper body.Flamenco focuses on arm, leg and foot movements with the female version utilizing more arm movements than the mens version and also utilizing more pronounced leg movements to flourish the long floor length dresses.  The mens version is often louder with the introduction of clapping with the beat of the music and more dramatic stomping.The movements performed with the arms are very graceful, but many of the movements are not as flowing as those found in the polynesian styles.  The percusion from the foot falls are often loud and form a basis for attention grabbing and authoritative purposes.  This is different from what is seen in tap, though both can use percussion attachments on the shoes to help enhance the sound generation of the foot falls.

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