Organized by flamenco dancer and teacher Yohanna Escamilla and Studio Arte in Norwalk, Connecticut. Flamenco is a music and dance form that originated in Andalusia, in the south of Spain about 200 years ago. It encompasses a great number of styles with different origins, melodies, rhythms and types of verses or stanzas which have also their own dance forms. What we’ll do in this lecture/demonstration is to give the audience the tools necessary to understand and simplify something that at first may seem overwhelming. There are several traditional patterns that repeat within the verses and the rhythms as well as the cord progressions of each style. There are also connections you can make between different styles that will help you realize that after all it is not that complicated. Objectives:
To give the audience an understanding of flamenco that goes beyond the stereotypes and clichés. Exposing its universal value as an artistic and cultural expression. Analyze flamenco in depth as a genre in a participatory, casual and fun environment. Explore its Arabic, Moorish, Jewish, African, Hispanic-American and Gypsy roots within the context of the traditional folk and popular music of Spain from the Renaissance, to the Baroque and the Romantic eras.
This lecture/demonstration can be tailored to the needs and expectations of different types of audience. From audiences that already have had exposure to flamenco or complete novices.