La Yerbabuena, a star of the 2005 Flamenco Festival USA
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It appears surprising that no Spanish-speaking country is among the countries that have the greatest flamenco following, and that the United States are well ahead of any of them, only lagging behind Japan. The ever-rising number of academies, schools, shows and tablaos (establishments with a stage used for flamenco performances) are evidence of this. The US even has its own flamenco festival, the Flamenco Festival USA, which was first held in 2001.
The first contacts established by flamenco in the United States go back to the decades of the thirties and forties of the twentieth century. In that period, in the main US cities, and especially in New York, small colonies of Spanish, flamenco persons settled, which included and were boosted by artists who undertook long tours, and by those who had gone into exile following the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).
Some of these artists, and others who emigrated in the subsequent decades, settled definitively in the United States. They passed on the flamenco tradition that they brought with them to their children, who are the main artists on the current North American flamenco music scene.
Among them, the outstanding artist is Omayra Amaya, the grand-daughter of the great Carmen Amaya, as well as the Encinias (Joaquín, Eva o Marisol Encinias, among others), descendants of the bailaora (flamenco dancer) Clarita (Clara García de Aranda), who belong to another family steeped in flamenco tradition that migrated to the United States.
Carmen Amaya, "Queen of the Gypsies"
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The success enjoyed by Sabicas (Agustín Castellón Campos. 1912-1990), one of the guitarists who revolutionised the way in which his instrument is played, is a unique case. He arrived in New York in 1936, where he stayed until his death. His reception was such that in 1941 he played in the White House for president Roosevelt.
Flamenco is also taught in the United StatesThe United States boasts a large number of flamenco schools, many of which are funded and headed by the most important artists in the North American country. They are responsible for passing on all the tradition involved in this art form, in the same way as happens within flamenco families.
Eva Encinias is the founder of the Instituto Nacional de Flamenco (National Flamenco Institute, based in Alburquerque, New Mexico), one of the most reputable flamenco centres throughout the United States. Teaching flamenco, divulging this art all over America and giving opportunities to young up-and-coming artists are only some of its goals. To do this, the institute also has its own Conservatory of Flamenco Art.
Elba Hevia y Vaca and Mónica Herrera established the group Pasión y Arte (Passion and Art), based in Philadelphia, which describes itself as a non-profit educational and cultural organisation which divulges the rich cultural heritage of southern Spain.
There are also many companies that tour the United States presenting their flamenco shows. Carlota Santana and Roberto Lorca founded Flamenco Vivo, a dance company whose shows include elements drawn from all the cultures that contributed to the development of flamenco.
A flamenco class in "Pasión y Arte"
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Apart from being the co-founder of the Conservatory of Flamenco Art, which is part of the National Flamenco Institute, Omayra Amaya, possibly the best bailaora on the North American scene, also has her own dance company and school, "Amaya, Flamenco sin Límites", which is based in Miami (Florida). With her group, Amaya has been able to put together a unique repertoire.
Richard Ogilby, a reputable guitarist, is the founder of Gitana Blanca, a flamenco company or, more exactly, both a "flamenco theatre" and guitar school at the same time, in which improvisation, a fundamental aspect of flamenco art, is deemed to be of great importance.
Publications, festivals and filmsThere is also some editorial activity that contributes to the divulging of flamenco art throughout the North American country. There are several specialised magazines that are widely read. The leading ones are Flamenco Connection, which has been published since 1994, and Flamenco USA. They are responsible for sounding out what happens on the current flamenco scene, both in North America and in Spain.
The flamenco scene in the United States is completed by the Flamenco Festival USA which has been held on a yearly basis in different cities like New York, Washington, Boston, Hartford, Chicago and Cleveland since 2001. The festival features the participation of great artists, regardless of where they come from, or what flamenco tradition they follow, so that all of the different trends and styles are represented in this festival.
In its different editions, flamenco greats like El Güito, Manuela Carrasco, Farruquito, Antonio Canales, Vicente Amigo and Eva la Yerbabuena have taken part in the festival.
This festival also includes other activities that are aimed at divulging this art form, such as flamenco lessons taught by artists of renown, cycles of conferences and of film screenings, and exhibitions of traditional Spanish cuisine. It is the most important flamenco gathering in the United States.
The world of cinema has also turned its attention to flamenco. The bailaora Deborah Greenfield has choreographed several cinema works: the feature films "Camera Obscura" (Hamlet Sarkissian. 2000) and "Skeleton Woman" (Vivi Letsov. 2000) and the short "Madrugada", in which flamenco dancing is the main protagonist, and it also carries all the responsibility for the narrative element.
In the year 2002, the Sevillian director Francisco Millán directed the documentary film "Around Flamenco", which shows the intensity with which it is lived in the United States, especially in New York. In its stills, it is possible to see artists like Sara Erde, Tío Diego, who emigrated to New York in the 1940s, and Enrique Vargas, a Russian who settled in the city of skyscrapers.
Due to its enthusiasm for flamenco, the United States is another of the driving forces of international flamenco. The interest for flamenco in the United States is both intense and unstoppable. Its fans demand the presence of great flamenco figures in the Flamenco Festival USA and in the many tablaos and academies that exist. Little by little, the United States is becoming important in the spreading of flamenco.
Leading artists:
Omayra Amaya
Joaquín Encinias
Eva Encinias
Marisol Encinias
Elba Hevia y Vaca
Mónica Herrera
Carlota Santana
Richard Ogilby
Deborah Greenfield
Sara Erde
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