Flamenco: Conflicting Histories of the Dance

This analytical history traces representations of flamenco dance in Spain and abroad from the twentieth century to the present, using histories, film, accounts of live performances, and practitioner interviews. Beginning with an analysis of flamenco historiography, the text examines images of the female dancer in films by Luis Buñuel, Carlos Saura, and Antonio Gades; stereotypes of flamenco bodies and Andalusian culture in Prosper Mérimée’s Carmen; and the ways in which contemporary flamenco dancers like Belén Maya and Rocío Molina negotiate the stereotype of Carmen and an idealized Spanish feminine that pervades “traditional” flamenco. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.