Flamenco is a folk art form unique to Andalusia that includes singing, dancing and music. It has been a part of the gitano culture in Andalusia for hundreds of years and continues to evolve.
When the gitanos came to Andalusia from India, they brought with them the complex rhythms and exotic singing, dancing and musical styles of their land. However, as time passed and they were exposed to other forms of music and dance, they integrated the styles of Western, Arabic, Sephardic and even Latin American music with their own to eventually create an art unlike any other in the world.
Granada is home to the unique phenomenon of the Zambra. The Zambra is a flamenco dance performed by the gitanos in the caves of the Sacromonte in Granada. The Zambra dance forms part of the wedding ceremonies at weddings of gitanos granaínos. They also perform it for tourists in the Sacromonte. It was outlawed at one time in history and became known as the “Forbidden Dance”. It’s definitely worth going to a Zambra show to see the caves, although don’t expect it to be the best flamenco. The shows are performed with tourists in mind; lots of flash but perhaps not as much substance as you might get from a peña, i.e. flamenco club.
For fantastic, authentic flamenco, the best place to go is probably Peña la Platería, a membership-supported flamenco club in the Albayzin. Another good place to go is Eshavira. Eshavira is a bar in the lower part of the Albayzin just off Calle Elvira. They have both flamenco and jazz performances. Check their website for the schedule.
Some of the most famous flamenco artists in the world are from Granada including Marina Heredia, Estrella Morente, her father Enrique Morente, the Habichuela family (Juan, Carlos and Pepe Habichuela), Antonio Carmona, Mario Maya and hundreds of others.
If you’re not familiar with flamenco, it’s a fiery, passionate art that expresses the joys, hardships and sorrows of the gitano people. Typically flamenco involves a singer (called a cantaor), a guitarist (called a tocaor), and a dancer (called a bailaor). Other common elements are the caja (a wooden box that serves as both a chair and a percussion instrument) and the palmas (complex rhythmic clapping).
As an integral part of the gitano culture, gitanos begin learning flamenco the day they’re born. They don’t receive any formal training in flamenco since, for them, it would be like studying the mechanics of talking. They don’t need to study it formally to know how to do it. They learn it by living it every day.
Having no formal training, the gypsies were not bound by the classical “rules” of music. Consequently, they freely employ striking dissonances in their music that add to its “spiciness”.
Take a look at these videos of artists from Granada.
