What’s The Flamenco Dance? All about this Spanish Dance

What’s Flamenco Dance?

Flamenco is a type of Spanish people dance that originated in Andalusia in southern Spain. Flamenco is thought for its passionate, elegant actions and its percussive footwork. The phrase flamenco comes from the Spanish phrase for “fireplace” (Fuego), and it’s mentioned to be one of many fiercest and most passionate dances on this planet.

Flamenco dance is often accompanied by guitar music and singing. The dancers usually put on brightly coloured attire or skirts with frilly underskirts, and so they usually use castanets (hand-held percussion devices) so as to add to the rhythm of the music.

Flamenco has turn into fashionable worldwide, and there are actually many various faculties and kinds of flamenco dancing. Nevertheless, the roots of this passionate dance kind stay in Spain.

The Origin of Flamenco Dance

Flamenco has its roots within the Romani individuals who migrated to Spain from India within the fifteenth century. The Romani had been identified for his or her vigorous music and dancing, which doubtless influenced the event of flamenco. Over time, flamenco developed into a definite type that was fashionable among the many working-class individuals of Andalusia. Within the nineteenth century, flamenco started to realize reputation past Spain, significantly in France and the US.

Flamenco is a mix of the most effective within the dance tradition of the peoples who inhabited the territory of Andalusia for hundreds of years. The origins of flamenco ought to be sought within the Moorish musical tradition. The Spanish Romany music additionally had an enormous affect on this type – many consider that the primary actual bearers of the type are the Spanish Gypsies.

Within the XV century in Spain from Byzantium, which ceased to exist in 1453, got here the Gypsies, who settled on the southern coast of the nation within the province of Andalusia. They usually adopted and reinterpreted native musical traditions, similar to Moorish, Jewish, and Spanish correct, and from this fusion of musical traditions, reinterpreted first by the Gypsies after which by the Spaniards, flamenco was born.

On the finish of the XVIII century, the persecution of the Roma got here to an finish and flamenco entered the taverns and cantinas and located freedom. On the finish of the 20th century, flamenco started to soak up Cuban melodies and jazz motifs, and as well as, parts of classical ballet received their everlasting place there.

There are a lot of speculations about how the phrase flamenco itself got here to be. Probably the most romantic one associates it with the German phrase “flammen” – to burn. The primary point out of this phrase within the literature dates again to 1774. However it refers to not dance however to a knife of Flanders’s work. German gypsies allegedly got here to Spain with such knives. In any case, by the nineteenth century, the phrase “flamenco” was on no account related to both dance or tune, although in a technique or one other it referred to the gypsies.

Right this moment, flamenco is loved by individuals everywhere in the world. It stays an vital a part of Spanish tradition and continues to evolve as a dynamic and ever-changing artwork kind.

How one can dance flamenco – Approach?

The essential steps of flamenco are comparatively easy, but it surely takes apply and precision to bop with the grace and energy that characterize this stunning artwork kind.

Listed below are some ideas that can assist you get began:

1. 1. Rise up straight along with your ft about shoulder-width aside. Loosen up your shoulders and maintain your head degree.
   2. Posture. Steadiness, a way of your personal physique and weight are the primary circumstances for profitable mastering of the dance. That is crucial for making sharp lunges, jumps, and turns. No much less vital is posture. Slouching and stiffness of the shoulders makes the dance ugly. A straight again supplies extra alternatives for quite a lot of actions of the arms, legs, head and physique. As well as, stunning posture reduces the danger of damage and will increase self-confidence.
   3. Start by gently rocking facet to facet, shifting your weight from one foot to the opposite. As you turn into extra snug, you possibly can improve the depth of the motion.
   4. The essential actions of flamenco. Golpe – a full foot strike offers a full sound. You make a loud sound along with your foot to the ground, as when you had been stamping. Planta – strike or putting the foot on the ground with solely the toe with the heel excessive up. In different phrases, you hit with the pads of your fingers, attempting to not contact the metallic a part of the shoe to the floor. This may be with or with out sound. Ponta or Punta translated as the large toe. Punta means to strike the toe behind the physique or in entrance of the supporting leg with a right away elevating it someplace to the extent of the ankle of the supporting limb. The “level” made offers a loud sound.

1. Hand motion. Your arms ought to be rounded, and all the time maintain your elbows raised and half-bent. Transfer on to the examine of the actions of the higher a part of the physique you possibly can after you study to all the time maintain your posture and management your physique within the dance.
2. The following step is to grasp the actions of the wrists. Attempt to make your wrists as spherical as doable. Attempt to not transfer your arms intensely whenever you make actions with them. By no means put your elbows down.
3. Subsequent, begin tapping your ft in fast succession, retaining a gentle rhythm. As you turn into extra snug with the steps, you possibly can add arm actions and turns.
4. Flamenco is all about feeling the music, so don’t be afraid to let your self go and specific your feelings by means of your dance.
5. Observe, apply, apply! The extra you dance, the higher you’ll turn into at transferring with grace and energy.

What are the Castanets?

Castanets are handheld percussion devices which can be historically utilized in flamenco dance. They’re fabricated from two hardwood or plastic shells which can be held within the hand and clicked collectively to create a pointy, percussive sound.