FLAMENCO DANCING

Flamenco dance is a Spanish musical genre that is usually accompanied with dance. The most important part of flamenco dance is without a doubt the singing that accompanies the dance, or the “cante”. Originally, flamenco was made up only of the song with an accompanying handclap. Gradually throughout the 19th century the guitar was added to the dance and genre. Flamenco is a large part of the Spanish culture, but actually originates from the region of Andalusia. It took a bit of time for flamenco dancing and song to become popular. Through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries flamenco began to separate itself from the local folk music and began to become popular outside of Andalusia. Usually the members of the flamenco bands do not have formal training so they rely on their ear and the tune of the other members to play in harmony using many different techniques. One of the ways that guitarists, for example, increase the harmony is by using transition chords as well as chord substitution. The dancer has a singer and often times there is a guitar and other instrumental accompaniments. There are many different styles of flamenco that are used throughout society, but most often each dancer has spent many years specializing in their particular flamenco form.