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Flamenco: The Genuine Southern Spanish Art

Visit Andalusia To Know How Their People Express Themselves Beautifully With The Flamenco Dance

Today Flamenco has thousands of aficionados worldwide. Flamenco has never been more popular in Spain and abroad than it is today with a new generation of new flamenco performers who have broadened flamenco's appeal to an international audience. 

This passionate and seductive art form is a mysterious culture that has been burning in Andalusia for nearly five hundred years. To people who visit Andalucía to witness a flamenco performance is an absolute must.

Andalusia is a land where music and dance is just part of everyday life, and the Andalusians express themselves beautifully with the dance, and especially with the flamenco dance.

Flamenco has been shrouded in mystery for many years, and only in recent years it has become known. Flamenco is presented in many different varieties, and the colorful polka dot dresses, castanets, and mellow tones of the acoustic guitar have become emblematic of Andalucía, but these do not represent the authentic side of flamenco. There is a huge difference between cante jondo and the flamenco performed in the tablaos and commercial venues of today.
 

Flamenco is an individualistic, yet structured, art. Song, dance and guitar are blended into passionate rhythms that are often improvised and spontaneous. Flamenco has any imaginable theme, from up to date stories, to politics, to love, to history, to humor, etc. Often however, the tragic lyrics and tone of flamenco reflect the sufferings of the gypsy people from whom it originated.

Flamenco exists in three forms: Cante, the song, Baile, the dance, and Guitarra, guitar playing. 

The source of Flamenco, however, lies in the tradition of singing. The singers' role is important with the guitar playing an accompaniment to the song. Today the solo guitar flamenco has developed into a separate art and is fashionably blended with jazz, blues and pop music.

Flamenco dance has complex patterns of rhythm and sophisticated footwork with the upper body emphasizing grace and posture.

Flamenco's songs are from different regions such as: Fandangos from Huelva, and Alegrias from Cadiz. Other regions, mainly Extremadura and Murcia, have also contributed to the development of flamenco. 

 
There are two main styles in Flamenco: "jondo" - the serious and deep meaning, the cry of oppressed people; and "chico" happy, light and often humorous. The ideal in flamenco is called "duende" (demon or elf), which is a state of emotional involvement, group communication at a deep level and a feeling of sympathy, between musicians, dancers and listeners.

Gypsies are very often named as the fathers of Flamenco, and at least it can be taken for certain that they have played an important part in its creation. The popular songs and dances of Andalusia have also influenced early Flamenco considerably.

Certainly there were other influences, too, as it is no surprise in a country that has been dominated by most diverse cultures and civilizations during its different historical epochs. There were the legendary Tartessos, and seven centuries of Muslim occupation that hardly could have passed without leaving traces. All that, directly or indirectly, influenced Flamenco.

The best flamenco dancing is in Andalusia, in southern Spain. You must visit a tablao in Seville, Granada or Cordoba. Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz and Triana (a neighborhood in Seville) are also the emblematic places that saw the birth of the genre. Andalusia is home to the Flamenco Routes: themed itineraries that will take you to Andalusia's most traditional flamenco destinations, along with the places where major legends of the genre, such as Camarón de la Isla and Paco de Lucía, grew up and gained their inspiration.

A unique occasion to see great masters in action are fiestas and festivals like the Flamenco Biennial, the Las Minas Festival of Flamenco Song, Noches de Embrujo (Enchanting Nights), and the Cordoba Guitar Festival.

Yes, Andalusia is the spiritual home of flamenco, but it is much more. Axis between Europe and Africa and meeting point of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, this Spaniard region has been coveted by many different cultures throughout history and prehistory. (Watch Video.)

 
The diversity of landscapes and geographical terrain gives rise to an array of environments. In barely 25 miles you can go from the Alpine mountain of Sierra Nevada to tropical areas on the shores of the Mediterranean. Overall, it is the region with the warmest winter temperatures on the European mainland.

The region invites visitors to a range of attractions that goes from impressive monuments in large towns to typical small villages, which have provided a constant source of inspiration for all kinds of artists.

Andalusia maintains its important cultural heritage and monuments, legacy of the region’s ancestors.

The name Andalusia traces back to the Arabic language Al-Andalus and, indeed, Andalusia was the center of power in medieval Muslim-dominated Iberia. Besides Muslim or "Moorish" influences, the region's history and culture have been influenced by the earlier Iberians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Roman Empire, Vandals, Visigoths—all of whom preceded the Muslims—and, of course, the Castilian and other Christian North Iberian nationalities who conquered the area in the latter phases of the Reconquista.



 

Andalusia has many unique ecosystems. In order to preserve these areas in a manner compatible with both conservation and economic exploitation, many of the most representative ecosystems have been given protected status.

Nearly 20 percent of the territory of Andalusia lies in one of these protected areas. Among these many spaces, some of the most notable are the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park, Spain's largest natural park and the second largest in Europe, the Sierra Nevada National Park, Doñana National Park and Natural Park (which has the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation), the Tabernas Desert, and the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, the largest terrestrial-maritime reserve in the European Western Mediterranean Sea.

Due in part to the relatively mild winter and spring climate, the south of Spain is attractive to overseas visitors–especially tourists from Northern Europe. While inland areas such as Jaén, Córdoba and the hill villages and towns remain relatively untouched by tourism; the coastal areas of Andalusia have heavy visitor traffic for much of the year.

The principal tourist destinations in Andalusia are the Costa del Sol and the Sierra Nevada. Andalusia is one of the sunniest and warmest places in Europe, and it makes it a center of "sun and sand" tourism. 70 percent of the lodging capacity and 75 percent of the nights booked in Andalusian hotels are in coastal municipalities. 
 

On the west (Atlantic) coast are the Costa de la Luz (provinces of Huelva and Cádiz), and on the east (Mediterranean) coast, the Costa del Sol (Málaga), Costa Tropical (Granada) and the Costa de Almería. 

Together with traditional tourism, there has also been a strong increase in nature tourism in the interior, as well as cultural tourism, sport tourism, and conventions. One example of sport and nature tourism is the ski resort at Sierra Nevada National Park.

Andalusia has some notable monuments dating back to the Muslim era: the Great Mosque of Córdoba (now a cathedral), the Alhambra in Granada and the Giralda in Seville. There are hundreds of cultural tourist destinations: cathedrals, castles, forts, monasteries, and historic city centers; the city centers of Úbeda and Baeza in the province of Jaén are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Each of the provinces shows a great variety of architectural styles: Islamic architecture, Renaissance architecture, Baroque architecture and more modern styles. Further, there are the Lugares colombinos, significant places in the life of Christopher Columbus, Palos de la Frontera, La Rábida Monastery, and Moguer) in the province of Huelva. 
 

There are also archeological sites of great interest: the Roman city of Italica, birthplace of Emperor Trajan and (most likely) Hadrian; Baelo Claudia near the Straits of Gibraltar; Medina Azahara, the city-palace of the Cordoban caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III, where major excavations still continue.

More specifically, the Alhambra in Granada is one of the most beautiful monumental site ever built by man, and Spain’s most visited. Here you will discover the splendour of the Sultans of ancient Al-Andalus and experience the magical world of the Thousand and one Nights in its gardens and patios.

The Great Mosque, universal symbol of Moorish heritage in Spain, is one of history's most extraordinary works of art. This architectural jewel - a unique space made up of forms, light, columns and colors, allows anyone to feel all the splendor of ancient Al-Andalus.

There are many reasons to come to Seville, the capital of Andalusia. Right in the heart of the city you will find its most important artistic treasure: the Cathedral. Arches, doorways, towers and windows make up this creation that was completed in the 16th century. The most outstanding element on the outside is the Giralda, the church's bell tower that is Seville's universal symbol. It is over 328 ft high, crowned by a weather vane known as "El Giraldillo”, which represents the victory of the Christian faith. 
 
 

Andalusia was the birthplace of such great painters as Velázquez and Murillo (Seville) and, more recently, Picasso (Málaga); Murillo and Picasso are each memorialized by museums in their native cities (the Museo Casa de Murillo and Fundación Picasso and Museo Picasso Málaga). 

There are numerous other significant museums around the region, both of paintings and of archeological artifacts such as gold jewelry, ceramics, and other works that demonstrate the region's artisanal traditions.

In terms of fiestas and celebrations, Bullfighting has fundamental importance in Andalusia on account of its deep roots. For three quarters of the year there are bullfights held in many different bullrings, to coincide with local fairs that are the scene for dancing and song accompanied by the guitar and Flamenco music and dance. 

During Easter week, churches bring out their most valuable treasures to accompany the Passion statues for processions that follow their itineraries faithfully year after year. The Corpus Christi festivities are the inspiration for another dazzling parade. The May Crosses festival brings together the sacred and the profane in spectacular harmony.
 

“Romerías” are religious processions that take place in the countryside, heirs of ancient fertility rituals.

Not to be forgotten the Andalusian Mediterranean gastronomy. Basic products such as fresh vegetables and pulses, fruit, fish and virgin olive oil have made Andalusian cuisine a major attraction. Andalusia’s gastronomy is a faithful reflection of its history, packed with aromas, flavors and colors. It is a highly varied cuisine and its traditional products make it different and delicious. 

History, nature, art, traditions, gastronomy… Andalusia has it all.

A land of great traditions, where the visitor will live the magic of Flamenco in its most authentic style.