Picture of Michelle with the Flamenco team at Cueva de la Rocio
It is impossible to fully appreciate Flamenco without realizing that it is the art of gitanos or gypsies. Our show took place in the gypsy village where many live in caves. The pictures above are in one of the caves, the decorated round ceilings visible. Gitanos are seen as thieves, which is intertwined with their exclusion from the rest of Spanish society. In their nomadic society they have created a culture all their own, known most famously for Flamenco.
I attached a video below to try and give a small taste of the experience. I found the show to be passionate and mesmerizing. The performers all had beautiful figures, but often that is where the traditional ideals of beauty ended. Their features were very strong (almost masculine), others had very weathered faces. Both were quite fitting given that theirs is not a gentle existence. The music heard in the background was played live. Gypsy singing is always a lament for their people past and present- a howl of pain that could never be mistaken with a shameful sob. (Sorry for the lame quality on the pics!)
