The flamenco tradition is deeply rooted here in La Herradura. Born in the Andalucía region of Spain with influences from old Muslim, Jewish, and Romani folklore, the dance has become a part of the Spanish identity.
The songs and dances are full of passion that comes from the depths of the performers’ souls. It’s far from superficial pop with glamorous babyfaces. Life experience is needed to be a good flamenco artist. It reflects real life, and at its best, flamenco is great art.
Both tourists and locals flock to the restaurants when flamenco is performed. Our little community has several performances a week, mostly by local artists. Some of the staff in one of my favorite restaurants perform every Sunday, and it’s fantastic to experience a small community with so much musical talent.
The dancing style is one of the most intense I have seen. The facial expressions and movements are firm and dramatic. The performers give their all; the guitar music is vital and insistently rhythmic.
I heard that the dance also reflects the movements of flamingos, but I don’t know how much truth there is in that. The long story of flamenco is very vague; the music form was first mentioned in writing only in the 17th century.
Anyhow, the flamenco tradition is alive and well all over Spain, and here are some photos from one of the local restaurants here the other Sunday.
