Flamenco Dictionary

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Dance

The flamenco is a living dance and constantly in progress, but its basic characteristics have been crystallized between 1869 and 1929, the golden period of flamenco.
The foundation of the flamenco dance is its indissoluble relation with the guitar, indispensable instrument of the flamenco.

Dances of Candil

ld rural holiday coming from Andalusia and Extremadura; mainly celebrated by the youth, and the nother of these young persons.
When they celebrated big processions the most important person of the village or of the neighborhood assumed the responsability of managing difficult situations.
At the begining of the XVIII. Century, these kind of parties are called popular parties as its music and dances, the fandangos.

Debla

Debla, it belongs to the songs without guitar, to the group of free styles, Debla, in the "calé" dialect, means "goddess". Like that the gypsies, when they gave that name to this old form to sing, wanted to proclaim it like the goddess of all the flamenco styles. In relation with the martinete and the carcelera. The debla is full of "melismas", more devastated and hurt that the martinete.

Decir

To sing with a special style, giving intensity and a full communication to the song.

Desplante

Moment of the dance when we close a section, or the end of different steps, very typical for the flamenco dance esthetic. Corresponding to the simple rasgueos of the guitar at the end of a tune. Executed with a strong foot knock on the floor.

Duende

The Andalusian "duende" (spirit) is like a mysterious and ineffable spell. Mysterious power that everybody feels but nobody can explain. In the flamenco imaginary the "duende" is more than technique or inspiration. To find the "duende" there is no exercises neither map. When a flamenco artists has this mysterious charm we say that he has "duende" or he sings, dances with "duende".