Flamenco Nights

This month is a trip down Spanish memory lane as I watched this video I took during a Flamenco show in Barcelona.  Intense and powerful, the Spanish dance of Flamenco is beautiful to watch.

I did some googling to find out the meaning of the word “flamenco”.  The first result came back to tell me that a flamenco was a “big pink bird”.  Okay, I agree with that.

However, in the context of dance and culture, the best definition I found was that a flamenco was someone who was born in Belgium (formerly known as the Flanders region).  It is said to have become popular after Charles V (a Belgian) called out the phrase “Bailadle al flamenco” after he witnessed a performance in Andalucia.

Very much entrenched in Spanish culture, the Flamenco was originally performed throughout the southern region of Andalucía.  Popular within the gypsy culture, it is a fiery and passionate dance that takes influences from early Greek, Roman and even Indian, Moorish and Jewish cultures to create a rich history in the cultural development of Spain as a nation.

As you watch this short video, it will demonstrate another example of how dance and music can bring people of diverse backgrounds together as one.