Discover the most significant, intriguing, and mysterious aspects of what UNESCO has declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage: the passionate musical and dance form of flamenco. Widely celebrated in its native Spain—where there are myriad flamenco academies, competitions, festivals, and dedicated flamenco critics—the spell of flamenco also extends from South Africa to Japan to the United States, where crowds flock to annual flamenco festivals in New York City and Albuquerque, to mention just two prominent examples.
Flamenco can be wrenchingly emotional or laugh-out-loud funny. It can also seem intimidating to new fans. Using film and audio clips, photos, and insightful quotes from flamenco aficionados past and present, including Federico García Lorca and Penélope Cruz, art historian and flamenco scholar Nancy G. Heller introduces the basic elements and vocabulary of flamenco music and dance, demystifying and enhancing the experience for audiences. She emphasizes traditional flamenco, but also traces the innovations explored by its avant-garde performers in the 21st century, who challenge long-established ideas about appropriate instrumentation, costuming, narratives, and gender identity.
Heller, a professor emerita at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, has 40 years of experience studying, teaching, performing, writing, and lecturing about flamenco dance.
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