Events

Knowing the Flamenco

By Angela Garcia.

Flamenco combines acoustic guitar playing, singing, chanting, dancing and staccato handclapping. The flamenco dancer performs with passion, fervor, even tortured expressions but always striving for grace and dignity.

The guitar — there may be one or several — and the rapid rhythmic handclapping of the singers and dancers set the scene.

Flamenco handclapping produces a sharp, almost piercing sound. Those performers not dancing or guitar playing hold the left arm still. Its bent at the elbow with the hand about neck high and just slightly cupped. The fingers of the right hand slap the left crosswise, covering the hollow.

Try it yourself. If your fingers do not land squarely, the clap is dull, flat. When they hit just right, you’ll hear it.

The dancer does not begin immediately, but waits, absorbing the strumming, clapping and singing until inspired to dance.

Like American jazz, flamenco dancing involves improvisation. Its the dancer’s spontaneous expression of the moment’s emotions. The Spanish call it duende (DWEN-day). The word means goblin or fairy, but to the flamenco dancer it signifies an inner force that fuels an inspired performance.

A dancer with duende goes beyond technical mastery to vent his or her feelings, achieving a powerful, compelling dance. Those who aren’t singing may shout encouragement: olé or ¡baile! ¡baile! — dance! dance! As an observer, you don’t really see good flamenco, you feel it.

Types of Flamenco

There are more than a dozen varieties of flamenco songs. Many are laments. One classic type, the petenera, tells the story of a beautiful girl named Petenera who brings tragedy to herself and her village.

Some songs are named after the Andalusian towns in which they are popular: granadinas (Grenada), malagueñas (Malaga), rodeñas (Ronda) and sevillanas (Seville). Words tend to be arbitrary, and the songs seem to have as many versions as there are singers.

While flamenco songs and dances may differ with the performer and the location, they all have one element in common — emotion. Flamenco done right creates a profound, moving experience.

Your best opportunity to see good flamenco will be at the flamenco show of “Mi Luna Flamenca” in the Teatro Santa Ana Fridayat 5:00 pm. Tickets 200 pesos at the Theatre’s Box Office.