Flamenco

From WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia

Flamenco is a form of Spanish folk music and dance from the region of Andalusia in southern Spain. It includes singing (cante), guitar playing (toque), dance (baile) and palmas, handclapping, and pitos, finger snapping.

History[edit | edit source]

Flamenco originated in the southern regions of Spain, but its exact origins are unknown. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that flamenco was developed through the cross-cultural interchange between native Andalusians, Romani, Castilians, Moors and Sephardi Jews that occurred in Andalusia.

Styles[edit | edit source]

Flamenco consists of a number of styles (palos), which are classified by the rhythmic pattern, mode, chord progression, stanzaic form and geographic origin. There are over 50 different palos, some are sung unaccompanied while others have guitar or other accompaniment. Some forms are danced while others are not. Some are reserved for men and others for women while some are performed by either.

Flamenco today[edit | edit source]

Today, flamenco is popular all over the world and is taught in many non-Hispanic countries, especially the United States and Japan. In Japan, there are more flamenco academies than there are in Spain. On November 16, 2010, UNESCO declared flamenco one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]


External links[edit | edit source]

Flamenco Resources

Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD