It is 10pm on a Thursday and I am sitting in an atmospheric 18th-century bodega, sipping a glass of vino blanco. I am at Tablao Flamenco Puro Arte in the quiet Calle Madre De Mios neighbourhood in Andalusia’s Jerez De La Frontera. Suddenly, all the lights are off and a spotlight on a rectangular wooden...
Olé Flamenco: from Spain to India, the song, dance, and music continues
June 21, 20240
It is 10pm on a Thursday and I am sitting in an atmospheric 18th-century bodega, sipping a glass of vino blanco. I am at Tablao Flamenco Puro Arte in the quiet Calle Madre De Mios neighbourhood in Andalusia’s Jerez De La Frontera. Suddenly, all the lights are off and a spotlight on a rectangular wooden plank placed in the centre of the room unveils a set of performers all dressed in black. The women, especially, look ravishing in floor-length ruffled garb and heeled shoes; their hair adorned with large red roses.
Trending Video
A Walk With William Dalrymple – CNT Official
What follows is a fiery 60-minute spectacle made of cantaora (female vocalist) Mara Rey’s raw, passionate singing and poetry, tocaor (male guitarist) Lucas Benitez’s soulful strumming and the bailaoras’ (dancers) powerful footwork and facial expressions punctuated by rhythmic palmas (hand clapping); all with commendable improvisation. For us spectators, it is an emotional rollercoaster. In one moment, I feel the goosebumps on my skin from unfiltered pain and longing channelled by the artists; in the next, I want to get up and shake a leg.
Espectaculo flamenco en Cádiz Antonio Alcazar
Corral De La Moreröa Paco Manzano
Flamenco in Andalusia
Jerez De La Frontera is a city often called the cradle of Bulerías, one of the most authentic, fiesta-style versions of the art form. I spent the next few days visiting other Andalusian towns and cities to dive deeper into flamenco listed as World Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. I strolled the streets and squares of Jerez’s mythical barrios or neighbourhoods, which have given rise to iconic flamenco artists like the unforgettable Lola Flores, and immersed my senses in traditional and contemporary flamenco shows at wineries, clubs, and elegant dining venues
I journey through the life of legendary Spanish Romani flamenco singer Camarón de la Isla at Museo Leyenda Camarón in Cadiz and stare in awe at the exhibits at Museo del Baile Flamenco housed in Seville’s characterful 18th-century building. A compás (rhythm) and palmas workshop at the 200-year-old Barbadillo Winery in Sanlúcar de Barrameda allows me to get familiar with the intricacies of the craft, its accents and the metric structure.
A Brief History of Flamenco
The Second Edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Gypsies by Donald Kenrick asserts that Romanis are the prime performers of flamenco which arguably emerged in the south of Spain in the 19th century. The term flamenco, meaning “Flemish” or “exotic”, was historically used to refer to the Romani people of Spain as the word Gitano was forbidden.
Today, Flamenco is every Andalusian’s source of pride but this wasn’t the case in the past. Like Romani communities in other parts of Europe, Andalusian gypsies too were persecuted for hundreds of years. Julio Manuel Ojeda Gómez, founder of Dunacandela (dunacandela.com) who closely works with the artists to organise flamenco tours in Andalusia recalls, “Gypsies have suffered the most throughout the history of Spain. They lived in dire conditions in tiny houses, sharing fire and patio and brightened their miserable days with cante (song) and baile (dance).” Flamenco remained their constant companion; their pathway to transcend grief and exclusion, and restore hope. The art form retains this emotive personality to this day. Flamenco shows often end with Arsa! and Ole! which are jaleos or common expressions performers use for applauding and encouraging each other.
Sebastian Bacan, Gitano musician and son of legendary Flamenco guitarist and composer Pedro Bacan says that flamenco is inseparable from his gypsy identity. “Mainly consisting of characteristic styles bulerías (boisterous and festive), alegrías (happy and light-hearted), soleá (sorrowful), flamenco has always been expressing our innermost feelings. For us gypsies, it was an everyday ritual to pop out of our houses, get together with loved ones, sing out our worries and stresses and have a good laugh. Flamenco has an interesting sense of humour which can lighten any moment,” says Bacan.
My private dance lesson with bailaora Estefania Aranda Acosta at Peña Flamenca La Buena Gente in Jerez presented a precious opportunity for interaction with gypsy cantaor Miguel Lavi who rendered some heart-touching numbers for us that afternoon. During a fun jam session post-class, Lavi shared, “Gitano or Romani flamenco is all about looking inside. It is the music of the soul. A true flamenco artist needn’t chase perfection; all he needs is to be true to his emotions.” Acosta quickly added, “You don’t need a therapist when you have flamenco; we have a song and dance for every mood and occasion.”
Flamenco in India
Helping me connect the missing pieces of the complex jigsaw puzzle that is flamenco is Oliver Rajamani, a Kodaikanal-born, Texas-based musician who has been studying Romani history and exploring its Indian roots. He says, “There are ample theories around the evolution of flamenco but one thing of absolute certainty is its Romani connection. The Europeans had a misbelief that the Roma were Egyptian. Hence, they were referred to as gypsy. However, the Romani people are historically, genetically, and linguistically linked to India. According to renowned geneticist Dr Kumaraswamy Thangaraj, Northwest India is their ancestral homeland, and South Indian Dravidian genetics is the ancient origin of the genetic trail”.
No wonder flamenco and Indian folk ragas and nritya share lot in common. Flamenco dancer Kunal Om Tavri who has ancestral roots in Barmer, Rajasthan has been conceptualising shows that bring together distant cousins Flamenco and Kathak. One of his other performances covered an intoxicating mix of Rajasthani Kalbelia, Flamenco guitar and Sufi and Rajasthani renditions—all blending into each other like a dream. Tavri has been travelling back and forth between India and Spain since 2014, training with the gypsies in centuries-old hillside caves which have always functioned as informal stages for the community. According to Rajamani, South India’s Oppari is the closest representation of what Flamenco’s Cante Jundo (deep songs) originates from. “Indian raga Bhairavi can be heard in Flamenco, as well as in many other European gypsy musical styles,” adds Rajamani.
The connection between flamenco and Indian folk music and dances has intrigued scholars and historians for decades. Controversial flamenco dancer and Valladolid native Vicente Escudero travelled to India in the early half of the 20th century to trace the roots of the art form and was left amazed by the resemblances in flamenco and traditional Indian music and dances. Spanish filmmaker and photographer Carlos in his photographic exhibition featured folk artistes from Mumbai, Kerala, Madras and Rajasthan alongside portraits of great flamenco figures, such as Camarón de la Isla, Lola Flores, Paco de Lucía and Antonio Gades.
Flamenco means different things to different people. To me, it is an extraordinary example of the convergence of diverse cultures. Great things come about when we learn to unstintingly embrace the new without throwing the old out the window.
