The passion of Flamenco dancing in Nerja, Spain

by Victor Grigore, Webphoto.ro

The Flamenco music and dance emerged three centuries ago in that melting-pot that Andalusia is. The Southern Spain was home to not only Spanish, but also a vivid Gipsy community with artistic inclinations. The place still bears the marks of Arab rule and the influences that the colonies in the New World were having over the Metropolis. Who had the greatest influence over this style so full of passion and tension is yet unknown, as it is the name Flamenco itself, which some believe comes from something that literally means flaming.

Like it was later the case with Argentinian tango, the moves were considered at the time too explicit, too vulgar, so the dance remained an expression of the subculture in the suburbs of Andalusia. The dances are accompanied by clapping, tapping, guitar moments of virtuosity and vocal songs full of emotion and melancholy.

The artists went from learning the moves on their own after watching others to attending well established Flamenco schools that take training very seriously and compete among each other. The rhythm is kept with colorful fans and the costumes are an essential element in Flamenco, with tight pants and colorful shirts for men and long dresses with ruffles and long cracks revealing the legs and allowing for more complicated moves. The shoes for Flamenco are also specially designed for the loud moments that resemble the more recent tap-dancing.
Nerja, where these pictures were taken, is a small city near Malaga, in Andalusia, on the coast of Mediterranean.