It is well known that flamenco arts were originated in southern Spain, forged in the cultural mixing that took place in Andalusia, with the gypsy population playing an important role. Nevertheless, Madrid has been strongly linked to flamenco for centuries. Flamenco in Madrid means heartbreak, joy, passion, intensity, quejío, pellizco, duende.
Spain’s capital is also one of the nerve centres of flamenco in the world. We could not understand arte jondo without Madrid, nor Madrid without arte jondo. Its extensive and varied offer, added to the mediatic boost that artists get thanks to Madrid audiences, make this city a launching point for anyone who wants to succeed in this noble art.
“We could not understand arte jondo without Madrid, nor Madrid without arte jondo. The city is a launching point for anyone who wants to succeed in this noble art.”
Around 1765, the first flamenco references began to be documented in Jerez, Cádiz and the old quarter of Triana in Seville. These were improvised songs around streets, taverns and even barbershops, accompanied by handclapping, without the guitar playing being present yet. We are referring to the dances known as bailes de candil, popular dances that were enjoyed by candlelight on cold nights when there was little work in the fields. When the Napoleonic troops invaded Spain, French-style cafés began to open, with stages dedicated to local folklore. These were the origin of the so-called cafés cantantes, which arose around 1850.
It was there that flamenco took on a new dimension. However, they did not always enjoy a good reputation due to frequent altercations, so much so that in 1908 a ministerial decree forced them to cease their activity at midnight. Gradually, they began to close down and flamenco moved to theatres during the period known as ópera flamenca. In the middle of the 20th century, many cafés cantantes resumed their activity, acquiring their resemblance to today’s tablaos.
It is worth making special mention of cafés such as Naranjeros (Plaza de la Cebada), El Imparcial (Plaza de Matute) or La Marina (Calle Los Jardínes), perhaps the most important of their kind in Spain. Illustrious artists such as Encarnación López Argentinita, Miguel Cruz Macaca, Pastora Pavón La Niña de los Peines, Antonio Chacón and Ramón Montoya performed there. The latter succeeded in transforming the guitar from a mere accompaniment into an instrument with its own flamenco identity.
“Madrid remains a first-rate nerve centre for flamenco. And at our Centro Cultural Flamenco de Madrid, in the heart of Chueca, the quejíos will tear you apart and the taconeos will touch your soul just a few feet away from your face.”
Madrid’s historical importance in the development of flamenco is undeniable. It is with good reason that Spain’s capital has seen the rising of various flamenco geniuses who have travelled and continue to travel the world spreading this identifying feature so related to our culture. The legendary Camarón de la Isla and his friend Paco de Lucía achieved worldwide fame here, to cite just two notable examples.
“The people of Madrid are the most flamenco. Madrid: gateway to Heaven. I think this city is the big entrance door for all of us. I’m from Seville, but I moved here very young, and Madrid has always been my audience. There is no place more flamenco than Madrid: neither Seville, nor Jerez, nor Barcelona… First you must succeed in Madrid if you want to succeed elsewhere,” the bailaor Antonio Canales quoted in an interview published by La Vanguardia in 2016.
Today, Madrid remains a first-rate nerve centre for flamenco. And remember: at our Centro Cultural Flamenco de Madrid, located in the heart of Chueca (Calle del Conde de Xiquena, 6), we have a unique space. A stage with impressive acoustics, without the need for microphones or amplifiers, where the quejíos will tear you apart and the taconeos will touch your soul just a few feet away from your face.
