Flamenco is without any doubt the most authentic artistic medium of Andalusia, and thus of Málaga. This art’s deepest roots are in remote and unknown lands, and its antecedents are so ancient that no documentation exists that might help clarify some aspects of it. According to the most recent research none of the usual theories offered as to the origins and provenance of flamenco can be discarded, such as that crediting the Gypsies with introducing this remarkable form of expression into Andalusia, or the theory that takes into account the influence left upon the territory of Andalusia by some of the ethnic groups from North Africa.

Some researchers also find features in common between flamenco and certain Jewish folk rhythms. It was José Cadalso who, in his famous work “Cartas Marruecas” (Letters from Morocco, 1789), made the first known written observations about flamenco. This author attributes its origins to the Gypsies who, as is well known, were at least originally from India, and it is noteworthy that flamenco does incorporate some Asian rhythms. Flamenco is, in short, a hybrid art enriched by many cultures but at the same time so original and sui generis as to be absolutely distinct from any other type of folk art. 


Whatever the case, documented professional flamenco as we think of it today first appeared in the middle of the eighteenth century and its most important features were well established a century later. Beginning at that time, it took to the streets and became a feature of popular fiestas and was taken up by the type of cabaret known as a “café cantante”. It was in these establishments that the term “jondo” was coined to define the purest manifestations of this art into which trends were beginning to be introduced that were not altogether to the liking of purists, something that continues today.  

With the growing popularity of the café cantante establishments flamenco reached its “golden age”, with all facets of this art (singing, dancing and the playing of instruments) developing as never before. Dancing, however, benefited most from this flamenco upsurge, becoming the main attraction to café cantante clientele, while the guitar began to take a leading role and became the indispensable instrument for accompanying the singing and dancing.

In Granada, the Generation of 27 intellectuals, headed by Manuel de Falla, founded a flamenco competition in order to support this art and to find new star performers. De Falla’s interest in flamenco led him to introduce “cante jondo” into his opera “La vida breve” (The Short Life), which debuted in Nice in 1913 and caused cultivated society re-examine its perception of flamenco.

With the appearance of tablaos (flamenco theatres), flamenco took on unstoppable momentum. Leading professionals founded companies that made lengthy tours not just through Spain but also in foreign countries, and today flamenco has come to be welcome in the most important theatres and concert halls in the world. Throughout Europe, the United States and Japan, especially, there is a growing body of enthusiasts that demand flamenco not as a spectacle but rather as a discipline to be studied.