An Introduction to Flamenco and Globalisation

Abstract

There is a general assumption by the broader public (at least in the UK and the US) that they understand what flamenco is—an image that usually involves a tall, thin, dark-haired woman in a polka-dot dress, stamping about with castanets. This is evidenced both by my personal experiences (being told ‘oh that’s the dance with the red dress and castanets, right?’) and by the depiction of flamenco in performance posters, programmes, and media. Throughout the course of my research, I began to understand that these outsider assumptions about flamenco, and even those presented in academic books, are vastly different to the complex and multi-dimensional reality that is flamenco. These differences are extensive, including where it takes place, who does it, what ‘authenticity’ is, and what the art complex entails. Flamenco is a tradition composed of a wide variety of genres, styles, conventions, creative aesthetics, identities, and performance contexts. The first part of this chapter provides an overview of flamenco with regards to its components, terminologies, styles, common misconceptions, and what I mean when I refer to flamenco and its ‘original culture’. This will clarify references in latter sections of this book. In the second part, I examine the locations of flamenco, describing its original geographies, as well as typical performance locations. In the third section, I discuss who does flamenco, ascertaining the ethnicities and identities that are formed. Finally, I provide an overview of the art complex’s historical timeline to situate its trajectory from a local, minority subculture to one practised by countless individuals around the world. This chapter contextualises flamenco culture and its path towards globalisation to provide a backdrop for the modes of cultural migration, such as network migration theory and cosmopolitan hubs, which I reference throughout this book.