Flamenco Fiesta...

Quoting from Wikipedia, about the 18th Century:
"During this period of development, the "flamenco fiesta" developed. More than just a party where flamenco is performed, the fiesta, either unpaid (reunion) or paid, sometimes lasting for days, has an internal etiquette with a complex set of musical and social rules. In fact, some might argue that the cultural phenomenon of the flamenco fiesta is the basic cultural "unit" of flamenco."


Well, I'm finally posting about Flamenco of Andalusia, Southern Spain. I witnessed it in Seville. What struck me first, was the immense stamina and skill required to perform this complex foot tapping dance. Flamenco is expressed through the toque -- the playing of the flamenco guitar, the cante (singing), and the baile (dancing). A widespread misconception about this art is that the dance the essence of Flamenco but the truth is that it is the unique music that is the heart of this art form. I felt the music had an lovely Arabic touch to it. The singer rhythmically clapped her hands giving a wholesome effect to the experience. The dance is characterised by the emotional sweeping of the arms and rhythmic stomping of the feet. While the dancers put a lot of practice into their art form, the dances are not choreographed, but are improvised along the palo or rhythm. The picture I clicked in Seville shows the two dancers appreciating the singer and the guitarist.