Flamenco on the Global Stage - by K Meira Goldberg & Ninotchka Devorah Bennahum & Michelle Heffner Hayes (Paperback)

About the Book

The language of the body is central to the study of flamenco. From the records of the Inquisition, to 16th century literature, to European travel diaries, the Spanish dancer beguiles and fascinates. The word flamenco evokes the image of a sensuous and rebellious woman--the bailaora --whose movements seduce the audience, only to reject their attention with a stomp of defiance. The dancer's body is an agent of ideological resistance, conveying a conflicting desire for subjectivity and autonomy and implying deeply held ideas about history, national identity, femininity and masculinity.

Book Synopsis

The language of the body is central to the study of flamenco. From the records of the Inquisition, to 16th century literature, to European travel diaries, the Spanish dancer beguiles and fascinates. The word flamenco evokes the image of a sensuous and rebellious woman--the bailaora --whose movements seduce the audience, only to reject their attention with a stomp of defiance. The dancer's body is an agent of ideological resistance, conveying a conflicting desire for subjectivity and autonomy and implying deeply held ideas about history, national identity, femininity and masculinity.

This collection of new essays provides an overview of flamenco scholarship, illuminating flamenco's narrative and chronology and addressing some common misconceptions. The contributors offer fresh perspectives on age-old themes and suggest new paradigms for flamenco as a cultural practice.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

About the Author

K. Meira Goldberg teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology; she has taught at and guest lectured at Sarah Lawrence College, Duke, NYU, Flamenco Festival International in Albuquerque, Ballet Hispanico, Julliard, Bryn Mawr, Princeton and Smith College. Ninotchka Devorah Bennahum is a professor of dance history, theory, and performance studies in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Michelle Heffner Hayes, dancer, choreographer and dance scholar is currently a professor and chair of the Department of Dance at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.