Flamenco 💃 Pt. 1

Spain

Barcelona

Flamenco Fun Facts - Part 1

If Spain is known for one thing, it’s flamenco dancing. So naturally, while in Barcelona (2019), my travel partners wanted to see a flamenco performance. It had been years since I had experienced “the flamenco” so I was very excited at the suggestion. Our tickets were booked at a touristy dinner theater which made me a bit skeptical. But as it turned out, the dancers were phenomenal. They did not disappoint.

When the world opens up, if you find yourself in Spain, make sure you add “flamenco performance” to your list of things to do. If you really like the dance form, but don’t want to sit through a performance, ask around for a neighborhood bar known for playing flamenco music - believe me, you’ll love the “free performances” from uninhibited locals. And don’t be shy, join in!

Flamenco Fun Facts - Part 1

💃The origins of flamenco are varied and inconclusive. Many historians attribute the dance form to the nomadic Romani Indians (Yes, Indians from India), who migrated to the south of Spain between the 6th and 11th centuries.

💃 Additional influences came from both the moorish (north African) and Jewish cultures that dominated southern Spain for centuries.

💃 It really wasn’t until the 18th and 19th centuries that flamenco was considered respectable and “of Spain.” Before the 1700s flamenco was viewed as the “unscrupulous behavior of Spain’s ethnic minority.” Bringing flamenco inside (bars and restaurants) and away from el campo (the field) served to legitimize and bond the dance form to Spanish identity.

🌺 I just love the singer’s chant and the dancer’s passionate facial expressions.