With the flourishing development of flamenco music emerged the equally rapid evolution of flamenco dance, which first appeared recognizeably as a structured dance in the 18th century. While flamenco's design in its origin revolves around the hearty voice of the singer, the impassioned flamenco dancers stunned audiences in special music cafés - called cafés cantantes - and quickly began stealing the show. Centuries of cultural melding later, what ironically began in caves as a form of …show more content…
In fact, depending on the criteria of mood intention, the set of melodic phrases and the cultural traditions behind each song, flamenco dance actually manifests itself in more than 50 distinct Palos (types of flamenco dance)! Both flamenco music and flamenco dance involve a great deal of personal improvisation which takes its form through the spontaneous expression of the performer's emotions at each moment of the performance. However, personal expression must adhere to the strict framework of flamenco music's traditions and rhythmic patterns.
In a flamenco performance, the dancer - or bailaor(a) - will often stand motionless for the first moments absorbing the strums of the guitar, the clapping, and the singing until the inspiration hits him/her. Then he or she will launch into a flamenco dance every bit as passionate as the song being belted out by the cantaor- you can even see the explosion of emotions in the dancer's facial expressions thoughout the