Flamenco

Flamenco is a song, music and dance style which is strongly influenced by the Gitanos, but which has its deeper roots in Moorish and Jewish musical traditions.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Flamenco culture originated in Andalusia (Spain), but has since become one of the icons of Spanish music and even Spanish culture in general.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

According to Blas Infante in his book "Or?genes de lo flamenco y secreto del cante jondo", Etymologically, the word Flamenco comes from the Arabic word Fellahmengu, "Peasant without Land". This is related to the huge amount of Ethnic Andalusians who decided to stay and mix with the Gypsy newcomers instead abandoning their lands because of their religious beliefs (Moriscos). After the Castilian conquest of Andalusia, the so-called Reconquista, most of the land was expropiated and given to warlords and mercenaries who had helped the Castilian kings enterprise against multicultural Al-Andalus. When the Castilians later ordered the expulsion or forceful conversion of the Andalusian Moriscos, they took refuge among the Gypsies becoming fellahmengu in order to avoid death, persecution or forced deportation. Posing as Gypsies they managed to return to their cultural practices and ceremonies including the singing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Originally, flamenco consisted of unaccompanied singing (cante). Later the songs were accompanied by flamenco guitar (toque), rhythmic hand clapping ( palmas), rhythmic feet stamping and dance (baile). The toque and baile are also often found without the cante, although the song remains at the heart of the flamenco tradition. More recently other instruments like the caj?n (a wooden box used as a percussion instrument) and castanets (casta?uelas) have been introduced.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Nuevo Flamenco", or New Flamenco, is a recent variant of Flamenco which has been influenced by modern musical genres, like rumba, salsa, pop, rock and jazz.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Song: :For other senses of this word, see song (disambiguation)....

Music: Music is a natural intuitive phenomenon operating in the three worlds of time, pitch, energy, and under the three distinct and interrelated organization structures of rhythm, harmony, and melody....

Dance: Dance (from Old French dance, further history unknown) generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression (see also body language) or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting....

Flamenco related Images and Photos (experimental)

Flamenco	Flamenco	Flamenco	Flamenco I
Flamenco II	Flamenco II	Flamenco II	Flamenco Dancer I
The Flamenco Dancer	Female Flamenco Dancer Cordoba Spain	Spanish Flamenco Dancer Merche Esmeralda	Spanish Flamenco Dancer Merche Esmeralda