FLAMENCO
For my first Genius Hour project, I decided to investigate a little bit more about flamenco. I chose this topic because I am from Spain, but I felt like I didn’t know a lot of information from one of the most famous activities in Spain, the dance of Flamenco. Two years ago, I had received some classes, but I still wanted to find out deeper information about it and important facts.
This was my main research question which I needed to answer by the end of this project: What is the meaning of flamenco dance and where does it come from? How to dance it?
Where did it come from?
Flamenco came from Andalusia 
(Wikipedia) which is located at the southern autonomous community of Spain. Although some say it also came from Rome and from the nomads (people who live in different locations moving from one place to another). It was mostly danced in canteens or cafes to entertain people and create a better atmosphere. After a while, flamenco became a richer cultural mix.
When did Flamenco start?
Flamenco developed in the 14th century, however, it became way more popular in the 19th century, when the guitar as well as dancing accompaniments were introduced.
(A.Romeu)
What type of dance is this?
Flamenco is very different from ballet, in fact, there is a huge difference between those two. While ballet is calm and gentle, flamenco is rough and unique. If you ever see the face on a flamenco dancer, you’ll see that their face is very hard, as if they were angry with you or something. This is because flamenco expresses a lot of emotion and strength.
(RoomSevilla)
This dance falls into three different categories.
- Cante jondo – expresses the most emotion and shows/talks about →death, and other dark stuff.
- Cante chico – expresses →romance and less important subjects.
- Cante intermedio – mix of the two cantes above.
This are some important and most famous accompaniments that you’ll find in Flamenco:
- Guitar
- Hand claps
- Improvised dancing
- Singing
- Castañuelas- this is an instrument that you play with the tips of your fingers making a wood tapping sound. They look like this–>
(Castanuelas.com)
Flamenco with piano?
A while ago, I went to see a flamenco concert called « L’Art de la Haine et de l’Amour » which was very unique because the main instrument wasn’t the guitar, in fact, it was the piano. Yes, the piano! It was very surprising because piano is more likely to join ballet.
But what made this concert look so much like flamenco although the instrument wasn’t there, was the force of the pianist; Pablo Rubén Maldonado. He used his whole arm, from his shoulder to this fingers, and he was literally punching the piano. This shows that flamenco is nothing sweet and calm. It uses a lot of strenght both in the dance and the instrumental side.
(le soleil)
What are some moves?
(Wikimedia Commons) Your hands are positioned in front of you making a circle shape. The hand movements are a bit different for men than for women. They are both making rotations inside and outside, but men have to have their fingers together, while women can open them. While doing this, you have to try to keep your elbows from moving.
General Moves:
Men- Focus more on feet movements (zapateo) and heel tapping (taconeo).
Women- Focus more on arms (braceo), fingers (florea) and uper torso movements.
Dress Code
Flamenco’s outfit plays a big role on performances and culture.
(Viva España) 
(flickr)
The professional flamenco dress usually is figure hugging and long (ankle length). However, the not professional ones are shorter and not that tight. The color of the dress is usually red, black or white, and it is decorated with a pattern of polka dots and fringes. Some accessories that you might see are: ribbons, long rounded earrings, bracelets and combs. Lastly, how women dancers might arrange their hair is by making a bun with a rose on top of the bun, or behind the ear.
Reflection
This project has helped me learn a little bit more about my culture and one of the most important things Spanish’s citizens celebrate. However, this project hasn’t helped the world or the community because this is a project about something cultural. In the next Genius Hour, I will learn about Zero Waste, which will help the community around me to learn what happens with all the trash we produce and how we can prevent it.
Here is the link to my flamenco slide show presentation. Check it out!: Flamenco Presentation
Works Cited
“Castanets palo pink african”. Castanuelas.com
https://www.castanuelas.net/3559/castanets-palo-pink-african.jpg
“Localización De Andalucía.” Localización De Andalucía, Wikipedia, upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Localizaci%C3%B3n_de_Andaluc%C3%ADa.svg/2000px-Localizaci%C3%B3n_de_Andaluc%C3%ADa.svg.png.
A. Romeu. “Juerga Flamenca.” ALCOCER ANTICUARIOS, antiquesalcocer.com/paintings.html.
Fatima. “RoomSevilla.” Tradition of Flamenco, 1 May 2017, roomsevilla.com/media/blog/images/flamenco_guitar.jpg.
“Who Are the Jury Members?” ¡Viva España!, www.vivaespana.ru/upload/Karen-Lugo-Flamenco.jpg.
Currystrumpet, “Granada flamenco dresses for kids” Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/currystrumpet/8180342263
Wikimedia Commons “File:Hand drawing.png” 12 January 2017. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hand_drawing.png
Le soleil, “Spectacle flamenco au Grand thêatre : L’artiste espagnol Pablo Rubén Maldonado en attraction le 14 octobre”, http://www.lesoleil.sn/2016-03-22-23-38-25/item/70451-spectacle-flamenco-au-grand-theatre-l-artiste-espagnol-pablo-ruben-maldonado-en-attraction-le-14-octobre.html
(iStock)
(flickr)
(flickr)
