Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Flamenco Stylin - Colorful Flavors

Flamenco season is underway in Spain. It started in earnest with the annual Seville Spring Fair, profiled in a post below. The City's main event, Sevillanos get into the spirit in a big way. On the streets, and at the fairgrounds, the women are all in their Flamenco finery. High style & Awesome eye candy. Good music, good food, good fun. And very colorful.

While in Seville, make sure to pay a visit to the Museum del Baile Flamenco on Calle Manuel Rojas Marcos, #3. For techies, the museum is a multimedia wonderland. (The Author spent a good five minutes just checking out the servers & gear.) Some links to YouTube videos of well-known Flamenco artists are here. Let me know if you find any broken ones.


The artists referenced in the linked document above represent some of the traditional performers often associated with Flamenco. Traditionally, a sizeable majority of Flamenco singers are men. Worth noting are the female Flamenco stylists like La Nina Pastori and Matirio. Matirio is known for her on-stage presence and persona. She always appears in large black sunglasses, and usually with blood-red lipstick and a brightly colored hair comb. Quite the image.
From Breast Cancer awareness campaigns to her ads for Absolut Vodka, Martiro's considerable talents and reputation have resulted in a lot of attention and awards. She has appeared with many, well-known artists, published a book with a Spanish poet and starred in Spanish-language movies. She often plays with her son Raul Rodriguez, a virtuoso guitarist. Her throaty, contralto voice and dramatic technique take her beyond simple singer to performance artist. Read her bio here. And then cruise by her web site. Here's a taste of what you'll find.





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