(artículo) Flamenco Bodies in the films of Carlos Saura. Claire Hewett

This essay will attempt to analyse the portrayal of flamenco dance in the recent films of Spanish director Carlos Saura. The image of the flamenco dance is invested with multiple meanings in terms of colonialism, folklore, class, race, gender and sexuality. I will initially put the current depictions of flamenco in a historical context, which will lead to a general examination of the use of flamenco in film. I will then situate the films Bodas de Sangre (1983),Carmen (1985) and Flamenco (1995) within Saura’s body of work, this will include an analysis of the methods he uses to turn flamenco into a film and his cinematic treatment of dance. A corollary to this discussion is the use of mise-en-scène and the notions of fiction and reality
when applied to dance performance. The second section of the essay will look at performance and the dancing body as a site of political and social tensions. After discussing the common performance roles of men and women in flamenco, I will explore whether female and masculine roles are seen to change in Saura’s films. Finally we will question the status of Saura’s flamenco bodies as symbols of Spanish nationality.
Dance is often derived from and adapted to the circumstances of a country, and consequently dance styles often cross borders. As a visible symbol of a nation, flamenco appears remarkably solid in its associations with Spain. However there are never any easy paradigms with questions of national with dance as with film. Flamenco’s origins are a matter of conjecture due to a lack of documentation. It is widely believed to have originated in Andalusia, in southern Spain. Although the type of scale used in the accompanying songs and some of the dance moves suggest that flamenco dates from the Islamic occupation of Andalusia during the eighth to fifteenth century, and is a combination of Muslim, Jewish and Christian influences.
Flamenco is most closely associated with gypsies, who are said to be the descendants of eleventh century Indian immigrants who eventually settled in Spain around the fifteenth century. Gypsies have suffered much social discrimination in the countries where they have settled, which has informed the words of many songs, this protest is usually considered apolitical. Flamenco is distinct from contemporary dance and classical music, using no system of notation for the style of singing, playing and dancing. Flamenco is passed on down the generations by oral tradition, teaching and imitation. In the nineteenth century flamenco emerged as a popular cultural practice performed in social and commercial environments. The twentieth century saw flamenco become a state-sponsored art form in Franco’s Spain and a staple of Spain’s burgeoning tourist industry.

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