Forms of Flamenco Expression

Here is a little excerpt taken from Wikipedia explaining one of my favorite musical forms of guitar playing.

“Flamenco is expressed through the toque — the playing of the flamenco guitar, the cante (singing), and the baile (dancing)

Toque
The flamenco guitar (and the very similar classical guitar) is a descendent from the lute. The first guitars are thought to have originated in Spain in the 15th century. The traditional flamenco guitar is made of Spanish cypress and spruce, and is lighter in weight and a bit smaller than a classical guitar, to give the output a ’sharper’ sound. The flamenco guitar, in contrast to the classical, is also equipped with a barrier, called a golpeador. This is often plastic, similar to a pick guard, and protects the body of the guitar from the rhythmic finger taps, called golpes. The flamenco guitar is also used in several different ways from the classical guitar, including different strumming patterns and styles, as well as the use of a capo in many circumstances.

Cante
Foreigners often think flamenco is primarily a dance form. However, the origin, and heart, of flamenco is the song (cante). Although to the uninitiated, flamenco seems totally extemporaneous, these cantes (songs) and bailes (dances) follow strict musical and poetic rules. The verses (coplas) are often beautiful and concise poems, and the style of the flamenco copla was often imitated by Andalusian poets. Garcia Lorca is perhaps the best known of these poets. In the 1920s he, along with the composer Manuel de Falla and other intellectuals, crusaded to raise the status of flamenco as an art form and preserve its purity.

Cante flamenco can be categorized in a number of ways. First, a cante may be categorized according to whether it follows a strict rhythmic pattern (”compas”) or follows a free rhythm (”libre”).
The cantes with compas fit one of four compas patterns. These compas-types are generally known by the name of the most important cante of the group. Thus
Solea
Seguidilla
Tango
Fandango

The solea group includes the cantes: solea; romances, solea por bulerias, alegrias (cantinas); La Cana; El Polo

Baile
El baile flamenco is a dance form known for its emotional intensity, proud carriage, expressive use of the arms and rhythmic stomping of the feet. As danced at a professional level, it is a highly technical dance form requiring years of study. The music itself is complex, and the footwork is lightning fast and must be executed with extraordinary precision. In addition, the dancer may have to dance while using props such as castanets, shawls and fans.

Professional flamenco dancers are usually older than other dancers, and have a longer career. In other dance forms, performers turn professional in their teens to take advantage of youthful strength and fitness. In traditional flamenco, young people are not considered to have the emotional maturity to adequately convey the “duende” (soul) of the genre. Many flamenco dancers hit their peak in their thirties and will continue to perform into their fifties and beyond.

As with any dance form, many different styles of flamenco have developed.

In its most authentic form, flamenco can be seen danced informally at gypsy weddings and celebrations in Spain. There is less virtuoso technique in gypsy flamenco, but the music and steps are fundamentally the same. The arms are noticeably different to classical flamenco, curving around the head and body rather than extending, often with a bent elbow.

“Flamenco puro” is considered the form of performance flamenco closest to its gypsy origins. In this style, the dance is always performed solo, and is improvised rather than choreographed. Some purists frown on castanets (even though they can be seen in many early 20th century photos of flamenco dancers).

The type of dance most Europeans would call “flamenco” is a commercialized style, developed as a spectacle for tourists. To fill the stage and add variety, group dances are included, and even solos are more likely to be choreographed to maintain quality. The frilly, voluminous spotted dresses are derived from a style of dress worn for the annual Feria in Seville (the original is actually too tight to dance in!).
“Classical flamenco” is the style used in some Spanish flamenco dance companies, and maintained by some to be “authentic”. It is characterized by a proud, upright carriage – for the women, the back is often held in a marked back bend. Unlike gypsy flamenco, there is little movement of the hips, the body is tightly held and the arms are long, like a ballet dancer. In fact many of the dancers in these companies have trained in contemporary dance or ballet as well as flamenco.

“Flamenco nuevo” is the new wave in flamenco, characterized by pared-down costumes (the men often dance bare-chested, and the women in plain jersey dresses). Props such as castanets, fans and shawls are rarely, if ever, used. Dances are choreographed and include influences from other dance styles.”

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This excerpt was taken from Wikipedia.