[Tango-L] Dance Flaming: not an isolated phenomenon

[Carol Shepherd]

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Flamenco Purists Bemoan Blending of Dance Styles


Wall Street Journal
July 18, 2007  6:26pm

Flamenco is gaining in popularity around the world, but as the 
centuries-old dance form gains new fans, some adherents to tradition 
worry that quality is taking a hit. The tug-of-war between flamenco 
purists and innovators is similar to conflicts that have dogged other 
forms of art through the ages. In flamenco’s case, reports Graham Keeley 
of Britain’s Independent, the fight is complicated by questions over the 
dance’s origins, and disputes over who deserves credit for which 
innovations.

Flamenco first appeared as an entertainment among gypsies in Spain 
around 1760, deriving its flamboyant dance moves and narrative songs 
from Indian, Latin American and Arabic roots. Dancers and musician 
drawing on flamenco can sell out large spaces in Japan and the United 
Kingdom.

The flamenco singer José de la Tomasa has criticized flamenco’s 
world-famous stars such as Joaquín Cortés for sacrificing the art’s 
roots by adding in moves from other dance styles. To traditionalists, 
Introducing ballet or jazz steps into flamenco is viewed as merely a 
marketing ploy. “In Andalusia, we don’t give flamenco the importance it 
deserves, not just as a first-rate cultural asset but as a potential 
source of revenue. But I don’t think we should let ourselves be guided 
by purely monetary considerations,” says Rafael Infante, an adviser to 
the Seville Flamenco Biennale.

Flamenco modernizers claim they are enriching the form rather than 
destroying it. Tina Panadero, director of the Flamenco Museum in Seville 
and the niece of a well-known flamenco innovator, says the dispute is 
ironic, given the dance’s multicultural heritage. “What people don’t 
realize is that there is no definition of flamenco. It has only been 
around for about 150 years, and is always changing.” – Robin Moroney

Byline: Graham Keely, The Independent

Permalink: 
http://blogs.wsj.com/informedreader/2007/07/18/flamenco-purists-bemoan-blending-of-dance-styles

-- 
Carol Ruth Shepherd
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