Flamenco Dance Performance in Spain: Mind those steps

Slowly, the lights overhead dim. The tapping on the wooden stage, known as the tablao, grows louder. The metal strum of the guitar builds up the mood. The singer picks up the higher pitches and, in his shrill voice, syncs the lyrics effortlessly in the leaps and dips of the musical notes. The entourage claps hard in rhythmic intervals. A woman graces the foreground. Dressed in black and red Sevillana outfit, she taps her feet in rapid motions and rotates with simultaneous hand movements. In Madrid’s Café de Chinitas, a flamenco dance performance is in progress.

In popular opinion, Flamenco is mistakenly considered just a Spanish dance form. While dance is a major component, ‘Flamenco’ as a whole is incomplete without the guitar music, lyrics of the song, the feet tapping and hand clapping of the entourage (or sometimes the audience). It is performed on a wooden stage to let the percussions made by the feet reach a dramatic crescendo. In 2010, UNESCO enlisted Flamenco as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Andalusia based ethnic Roma (also called Romani) people, known in Spain as Gitanos, are considered to be the founders of Flamenco. The earliest credible documentation of this artform was found in the 1700s. While some believe it has been with the Roma for many years before the 1700s, others disagree. I am surprised to hear that the scientific ethnicity tracing of the Roma people revealed they are a West Indian diaspora who had migrated farther westward throughout the Eurasian landmass since the 700 CE.

Indian Roots: Flamenco history

The Roma people, originally inhabitants of Rajasthan and Punjab region, had over the years migrated to Persia (Iran), Turkey, Greece, the Balkan countries, France and reached Spain. Another faction diverted from Turkey and migrated through Middle-East to North Africa and finally crossed the Gibraltar Strait and converged with the other faction in Spain.

In the process of this dispersion, these original Hindus have embraced Islam and Christianity as their religions overtime. In fact, there are evidences of a unique syncretic cult of Saint Sarah, which is basically the Hindu Goddess Kali as a Christian patron. Sanskrit-based ‘Roma’ language has similarities with Hindi, Punjabi, Marwari and Bengali, though eventually, the Romas had picked up the languages of the distant lands.

The Romas arrived in Spain around 1300-1400 CE. By then southern Spain was already awash with Moorish culture as a result of the long Muslim rule of 700 years. Though the Muslim rulers were driven out in that century itself, they had left remarkable influence in the Iberian Peninsula through their architecture, art, ingredients and food. Andalusia, being the main stronghold of the Muslims, is also the greatest repository of Moorish cultural fragments. The interaction of the Romas with fragments of Moorish, Jewish and native Andalusian folk music is thought to be instrumental in the culmination of Flamenco.

For many years since the expulsion of the last Muslim rulers of Spain, the Jews and Muslims in Spain were persecuted by the Christian rulers. The cruelty was also extended towards the Romas soon. So for a long time, Romas kept their cultural practices including their songs and dances limited to their tight-knit social circles only. The first public flamenco performance was put up at Café Cantante at Seville in 1842.

While in Café de Chinitas of Madrid

The end of the long white tablecloth flaps on my lap. Flamenco enthusiasts and tourists who want to experience the artform for a night occupy all the red wooden chairs around me. The Verdasco family run Café de Chinitas is busy serving finger food and wine to all of us. Bread is a staple, but other items on the tapas menu can be chosen. I munch on some shrimp with the wine. As soon as we run out of shrimp, Calamari rings replace the platter.

We (I and my group) are having a tapas dinner tonight. It’s not a full course meal, but a mix and match of appetizers, snacks and drinks that we are free to choose. We can also share our platter with each other without social judgment. This is my second tapas dinner in Madrid, but I am a lot less focused on the food tonight.

The show: Flamenco dance performance

Onstage, three women and one man take turns dancing while two men take turns singing and two other men play the cypress wood guitar. Everyone seated onstage taps their feet, and those neither dancing nor playing the guitar clap as well. Every song is associated with a unique dance. Expressions vary according to the songs, sometimes somber, other times uplifting—expressions are an integral part of flamenco dances.

I can see the similarities of flamenco with Indian dances, particularly kathak. Even the finger movements (mudra) and hand movements can very much lead us(Indians) to believe that flamenco might have been influenced by our classical dances, but it is outside my capability to credit or discredit this theory. What I do clearly notice is the Middle-Eastern and African influence on the music. It is much more probable that outside of Andalusian and Moorish influences, majority of the other elements of flamenco were drawn from Africa and Africans (beyond Moorish Africa).

Like wine, flamenco dancers are better the older they are. It is said that without actual life experiences it is impossible to just ‘fake’ the deep soulful expressions that flamenco dances require. This is well proved onstage. The mature dancers give sweeping expressions, by which the mood of the song could be easily assumed (even without knowing the language).

After one-and-half hours of dancing with castanets and performing different palos (the various styles of flamenco), the performers wave us goodbye. It’s past 11’o clock at night when we emerge out of Café de Chinitas, and by looking at the streets of the city, for the third consecutive night, I am convinced that Madrid sleeps extremely late!

NOTE: In light of COVID-19 Café de Chinitas might have shut down or not arranging flamenco shows. Please enquire before going.

Did you enjoy reading about the Flamenco dance performance, history and facts? Have you been to any Flamenco show? Comment below and let’s talk!

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Disclaimer: Tania was hosted by Spain Tourism Board. All thoughts and opinions expressed in the post are of her own.

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