(by Linda Machado)

I recently came across an article on eHow discussing Character Shoes vs  Flamenco Shoes.  I had expected to read an article that discussed the differences between these shoe types.  Well, it did, but what I also found in that article was shocking.  

Here we have a “contributor,” Ms. Fiona Miller, the author of the article,  talking about the differences between character shoes and Flamenco shoes.  Her opening sentence was correct.   Things went downhill from there.  The 2nd sentence “While Flamenco dancers can, in fact, use character shoes at the beginning of their training, it is important to later invest in a good pair of Flamenco shoes in order to get that authentic Spanish sound.” This statement is, in fact, "bass ackwards."  Flamenco shoes are THE most important part of your Flamenco tools and ARE most critical for new dancers at the BEGINNING.  It is the seasoned professionals that could get by without nails, but those professionals understand the consequences of doing so.

Using character shoes for Flamenco dance, especially by a beginner who does not yet understand proper technique, can result in serious foot and leg injury. 

Over the years, some of my beginning students have come to their first class with character shoes. They say the dance shoe store said it was ok because they were beginners.  This is a classic case of a student not asking a teacher for advice before buying anything and of a salesperson uneducated about Flamenco shoes just trying to make a sale.   And, unfortunately, I am unable to allow the student to take the footwork portion of the class in character shoes.  Until they have proper Flamenco shoes I cannot allow them to “stomp” their feet on the floor.  You can imagine how unhappy everyone is at this point.  (Bad Flamenco experience now beginning!)

Many new dancers are often hesitant to spend money on shoes “just in case I don’t like it.”  I can almost guarantee that if you start Flamenco without proper shoes, you won’t like it.  You will have a bad experience and likely come away with an injury.  Flamenco dance takes commitment, including committing the financial resources necessary to get proper equipment and proper instruction.  Inappropriate equipment and lack of qualified instruction will lead a dancer nowhere; except maybe to an orthopedic doctor; even more so if the dancer is over 50.  If you decide to take hangliding lessons and ask your neighbor (a plumber who put a sun shade in his back yard last summer) to teach you and use your bed sheets (budget concern) you will likely get what you pay for – a big medical bill.

Further down in Ms. Miller’s article she expresses concerns about Flamenco shoes with nails being loud and damaging the floor.  They are and they do.  Which is why the 2nd most important thing in Flamenco footwork is the type of surface you should dance on.  Dancing with improper shoes and on improper surfaces will damage you, which is more important than any floor. 

I am deadly serious about safety.  My new students get the “safety talk” before they take 1 step.

1.       Your shoes must have nails – no nails, no footwork.

2.       You may only dance on a WOOD surface (with some cushioning underneath, like a carpet). Never, never, ever, dance on concrete or tile – ever.  (I ask them to repeat this 5x)

3.       You can only lift your leg from the knee backwards  towards the butt, not from the thigh upwards towards the chest (and I demonstrate it) before “stomping” on the floor.

4.       If your “stomp” hurts your (or anyone else’s) ears, it is too hard.

Very often we turn to the internet for information about a subject we are researching – for advice, instruction, recommendation, etc.  When it comes to medical advice, the internet has changed us from “passive patients” into “proactive participants” in our own healthcare.  But I am sure we are all aware that when researching medical information you need to check the credentials of the person providing the information.  Would you take medical advice from a person who has a Masters in Computer Gaming Software and spent the last 5 years reading gardening books at the library?  Where is the relevancy in what this person shows as credentials to the subject you are researching?  You want medical advice?  Get it from someone who has credentials, academic or practical experience, but in any event, experienced on the specific topic!  And the old saying still applies today, “you get what you pay for.”

Ms. Fiona Miller has credentials, but all in language and education.  Where is her Flamenco dance experience?   I had ballet as a child.  Does that make me a pointe shoe expert?  Hardly.  And as a writer, I am unqualified to write an article informing people on pointe shoes.  I might be able to research the subject, but without personal experience (other than wearing a pair as a child) and practical knowledge about pointe shoes, I would not be doing my readers justice.  I am a contributor to DanceUS.org; I only contribute on Flamenco as I have no experience or expertise (other than a general passing knowledge) in any other dance type.   

We as researchers (and anyone who Googles anything is a researcher) need to temper our enthusiasm to learn by becoming even better researchers.  Research the “experts” themselves on the subject you are researching.  Then take all the information you come up with, put it in a bowl, mix it around, add a little common sense, and see what commonalities and conclusions you can draw.  Use your instinct – trust yourself a little more – rely on experts, but do your homework and go with your “gut” feeling – you will never let yourself down!

So, where do you buy proper Flamenco shoes?  First ask you instructor.  He or she should be able to direct you to the best sources.  If he or she says you don’t have to have nails, I would seriously consider finding another instructor.  Flamenco footwork is difficult to master (partly because you have to use the whole body at the same time, not just the foot).  And if you start out with improper shoes, you are starting off in a negative position.

So here are some Flamenco shoe FAQs and their simple answers:

Do I need Flamenco shoes to start Flamenco?
                Not only “yes,” but “absolutely yes.”

Can I use tap (or ballet or ballroom) shoes?
                Not only “no” but “absolutely no.”  And no ice skates, roller skates, water skis or snow skis.  Nor should you use Flamenco shoes for any of these activities.

I don’t want to buy the shoes until I see if I like Flamenco dance first.
                This is like telling your swimming instructor you want to see if you like swimming first before you get into the water.  No water, no swimming; no Flamenco shoes, no Flamenco footwork.

Where can I buy Flamenco shoes?
                Ask you instructor first – he or she should be able to direct you.  If your instructor says nails are not important - again, find a new instructor.


Here are some of my personal Flamenco shoe recommendations, and why:

I believe that the best place to buy ethnic dance wear is from the country where the dance originated.  Chinese dance, China; German dance, Germany, Spanish dance, Spain. 

Flamencista
Flamencista is company that sells shoes (and all Flamenco dance accessories) made in Spain and that will fit all budgets. The top-of-the-line Gallardo shoes have a fine reputation and long history.  Flamencista has excellent customer service.

Miguelitos
If your budget will not allow Spanish shoes you could try Miguelitos,  a Mexican folklorico shoe company. They make shoes in all sizes, even baby-sizes.  My 18-month old dancer had a pair.  (Yes, even the babies need nails on the shoes)  These shoes do not have the weight of a Menkes shoe, but they are leather with wood heels.  I have seen some of these shoes with improper strap placement; also, I have seen that the toe boxes on the men's boots are not very strong, resulting in collapsed toes when doing Flamenco footwork.  I would recommend you check them out very carefully to be sure what you are buying is proper for Flamenco dance, which is different from Folklorico dance – including the footwork technique.

Not Recommended
I cannot recommend Sansha shoes.  Why?  Mostly because the heel (and possibly sole) is plastic.   While these shoes are reported by students as comfortable to wear, you can “stomp” the floor with all your might and still not get the crisp, sharp sound of a wooden heel.  And believe me, beginning students, especially children, will pound the floor with all their might to try and make a sound like the instructor, all to no avail – the shoe will not let you do it.  Sansha shoes used to be very inexpensive – that no longer is the case.  And for the prices dance stores sell them for, a student would be better off saving up their money and investing in a Mexican or Spanish shoe.

It would seem that we are indeed at the turn of another century.  Audiences that think Flamenco is a pink bird think Flamenco dance is a "sexy" dance.  It is neither.  It is passionate.  But the uneducated observer does not know the difference between sex and passion.  And when dancers perform nearly naked and when dancers incorporate obscene gestures into their dance, they are simply pandering to the uneducated masses.  When a man calls a Flamenco dancer and asks for "sexy girls that like to have fun" to perform at a bachelor party, and when a church calls looking to book a performance and says "I know that Flamenco is supposed to be sexy but is there anything you can do that is not so sexy since we are family oriented?" - Flamenco is in serious trouble. 

Flamenco has enough trouble being understood by an audience.  It does not need any further confusion.  When dancers lose respect for themselves, and then lose respect for the art form itself, contributing to the audience's misconception as to what Flamenco is supposed to be, there appears to be little hope for the survival of the art.

Do we need to wait for 2050 to come around to see a revival of the "ART" of Flamenco?

Flamenco has never been important to the general population of Spain.  Flamenco has always been the concern of the Andalúz and the Gitano.  The Spanish attitude is best conveyed by the Madrileño I met in a California restaurant 20 years ago: I proudly told him I was a serious aficionado of Flamenco and loved Andalucía.  He replied disdainfully “If one must see Flamenco, one must endure Andalucía and the Andalúz”.  This is not a new attitude, but an attitude with centuries behind it.  Paco de Lucía (creator of modern Flamenco and the economic boom that accompanied it) stated 22 years ago “…Each day I hear phrases indicating that people are ashamed to have Flamenco representing our country”.  (Hoy 11/25/86)

One must understand there is not just one Flamenco, any more than there is one Rock and Roll.  There is the popular music of rumberos like the Gypsy Kings, there are the fusions of Flamenco with other musics, there are the stage presentations of theatrical dancers (dating from the late 19th century and still very popular, considered to be the essence of Flamenco by the uninitiated), there are the flashy solo guitar players; none of these are really Flamenco.  These hybrids, based on Flamenco, are more entertainment than the art that Flamenco is.

Although Flamenco’s roots are thousands of years old, what we call Flamenco started as a Andalucian family affair some 300 years ago.  Commercialization started around 1840 and was in full swing by 1860.  By 1910 the commercialization of the Spanish dance (called Flamenco) of La Argentina, La Argentinita, Vicente Escudero, Pilar Lopez, et al, had become distasteful to Flamencos, and Flamenco retreated into the family again.

In the early 1950’s Flamenco came into the public area once again.  Artists like Antonio Mairena, Melchor Marchena, and Aurelio Sellé began to get the respect they deserved.  Some very commercial artists like Manolo Caracol began to perform genuine Flamenco again.  In the 1970’s Camaron de la Isla and Paco de Lucía created what we call modern Flamenco.  By the 1980’s artists like Juan Peña and Enrique Morente were making a good living.  Around the turn of the 21st century this bubble of commercial activity began its inevitable decline.  One must understand this was an unusual era (1970-2000) of commercial success for Flamenco.

Arcangel Fernandez has built some great guitars, but the average Flamenco guitarist, Spanish or foreign, wouldn’t think of paying $13K for a guitar.  Tocaores who want a Madrid-made instrument generally prefer Conde Hermanos, most of which are factory made and far cheaper.  Tocaores who want a hand-made instrument often prefer guitars made in Andalucía, the home of Flamenco: in Granada Antonio Marin Montero, Jose Lopez Bellido, or Manuel Lopez Bellido; in Sevilla Alberto Pantoja or Francisco Ibarra; all of whose instruments, and many others, can be bought at Guitarras-Zavaletas in AZ for half or less what Arcangel Fernandez charges.

The opinion that Flamenco is being kept alive by foreigners because the Spanish no longer care about it has been expressed since the late 1950’s, and probably longer.  While it’s true that foreign audiences are very appreciative of Flamenco, and they provide work for artists, only the Andaluz and the Gitano, and a very few others, actually live Flamenco, and thereby keep it alive.  The rest of us live in their shadow.  Flamenco is not a technique that just can be learned with basic talent and a lot of hard work, like ballet, or French horn; it requires an opening of the heart, soul, and emotions that is difficult or impossible for most people, Spaniard or anyone else.

Flamenco has never been universally popular in Spain.  Since 1860, when the Café Cantante period hit full stride, professional Flamenco artists have been complaining that many Spaniards are embarrassed that foreigners think Flamenco is the Spanish national music.  

Inmaculada Ortega is correct when she states foreigners don’t have the social prejudice against Gypsies which Spaniards have, but she neglects to mention that the prejudice started in the 16th century and still lives on; it is not an attitude the Spaniards recently adopted.  Read “Gypsies and Flamenco”, Bernard Leblon.

Madrid has never been the center of any Flamenco other than the most commercial sort.  When the Cafes Cantantes started booming around 1860 in Andalucía Madrid had very little Flamenco, and even in the days of Antonio Chacon and Ramon Montoya it was only a commercial center, never a real home to Flamenco.  Madrid does attract some of the best Flamenco artists because there is paying work in their art, in clubs and in the recording industry.  Others refuse to work there on the grounds that it destroys the artistic soul to sing or play in the Tablaos.  Antonio Sanchez, a Toacaor who raised his son Francisco, better known as Paco de Lucía, to be the best Flamenco guitarist, would not allow young Paco to play in the Tablaos of Madrid, despite offers of considerable payment.  Several years later Paco made his home in Madrid when he became very busy in the recording industry.

Those artists who do reside in Madrid sometimes gather for juergas but whenever they are discovered by tourists they change the location.  Flamenco is a living, breathing cultural art in the Pueblos of Lebrija, Utrera, and Morón de la Frontera, as well as the cities and environs of Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, Sevilla, and Córdoba.  The Northerners have always found it excessively emotional and slightly embarrassing.

This is another opinion with a long history, and for good reason; Flamenco schools have always been for foreigners or those with no Flamenco in their family.  Foreigners, especially Japanese and American, have been more than half of the academic students for decades.  Tokyo has over 200 Flamenco dance academies, and all of their students dream of studying in Spain.

Gypsies learn Flamenco in their homes, Andaluces frequent Peñas (private Flamenco clubs).  You will never see a bailaora Gitana like Manuela Carrasco coming from a dancing school.  The schools produce dancers who dance choreographies in theatrical shows, a venue which is inimical to the art of Flamenco.  Ask a Gypsy from Jerez “What do you think of the great dancer Antonio Gades?” and the reply will be a question “Are we talking about a bailaor or a bailarin, a flamenco dancer or a ballet dancer?”

Look at the faces in products for sale on flamenco-world.com and deflamenco.com: you will see more young faces than old, more modern music than traditional.  It’s true that young Spaniards, and young Andaluces, have a thirst for world culture and world music.  It’s also true that they will exit a club at 3 AM after dancing disco for hours, and proceed to dance Bulerías in the street to the palmas and jaléo of their peers.  Check out the Romería in Huelva, you will see plenty of young faces.

Another aspect of the Flamenco-youth-new audience equation is that Flamenco is concerned with the tragedies of life, and adults, especially middle-aged and older, are better equipped to express these dark emotions.  Antonio Mairena was considered to be in his prime in his 50’s and 60’s.  Since Camaron only lived to 40 (and Manzanita into his 40’s as well) it’s hard to tell how he would have matured.  Paco de Lucía’s interests and ability to develop them certainly seems to continue growing.  Observation of the careers of longer lived Flamencos; Jose Menese, Los Hermanos Habicheula, Manolo SanLúcar, Jose Mercé, Enrique Morente, would seem to indicate that life experience creates depth.

Flamenco artists have always had difficulty supporting themselves through their art; and have always toured outside Spain, if possible, to increase their revenue; starting early in the 20th century with Vicente Escudero, La Argentina, La Argentinita, and continuing with Carmen Amaya, Sabicas, Carlos Montoya and many others.  Pedro Peña is a school teacher, Miguel Funí is a butcher, Manolo Sanlúcar worked in the family bakery before his fame, Paco Peña became famous in London long before recognition in his home town of Córdoba.  The wealth of Manolo Caracol, Camaron de la Isla, and Paco de Lucía is the exception.  Few Flamencos make more than a working man’s living.  Flamenco as an art is more a way of living than a trade or a profession in which to get rich.

Where has Mar Roman been?  Didn’t Mar do any research for this article?  See “Mundo y Formas del Cante Flamenco”, Antonio Mairena y Ricardo Molina; “Gypsies and Flamenco”, Bernard Leblon; “Flamenco”, Claus Schreiner; “Song of the Outcast”, Robin Totten; “What is Flamenco?”, Fernando Quiñones; “The Art of Flamenco”, “A Way of Life”, and “Lives and Legends of Flamenco”, Donn Pohren.  Perhaps Mar Roman should watch “Latcho Drom” by Tony Gatlif.

Franco hated Gypsies and anything to do with them.  During the Spanish Civil War most Gypsies were Republicans, and Franco’s forces killed many, including the assassination of the great Gypsy poet Federico García Lorca.  The theatrical dance companies like that of Pilar Lopez thrived under Franco, but they featured classical dance, even using ballet slippers in some numbers, and what Flamenco they danced was very diluted with pretentious choreographies, theatrical costuming, and castanets in every dance.  The cante and baile Flamenco of the family gathering, the back room in the tavern, the village celebration, were severely suppressed.  Only when Franco’s economic policies continued to drive the nation to ruin in the 1950’s were resorts built on the Costa del Sol, and Flamenco entertainment hired to entertain tourists.  This Flamenco was usually of a shallow nature; business, not art, was the motivation.  However, the foreign cliché of the Spain with castanets and tambourines was not created in the 1950’s; it dates from the 19th century.  See the drawings of Gustave Doré, and Washington Irving’s “Tales of the Alhambra”.

The extraordinary popularity of Camaron de la Isla and Paco de Lucía from 1970 into the ‘90s created a decent living or better for many flamenco artists.  The days of the Gypsy singer Manzanita’s popularity in Madrid, Ketama in Spain, rumba/pop band The Gypsy Kings worldwide, pseudo Flamenco artists like Ottmar Liebert, Benise, Jesse Cook, or Estéban in the US, created a great economic boom for the Flamenco world.  This was an exceptional period for Flamencos, and not the historic norm; there is now an adjustment settling in, a balancing.

The explosion of fusions with other world musics, which started with Manolo Sanlúcar’s symphonic Flamenco, Raimundo Amador’s rock/blues Flamenco, and Paco de Lucía’s jazz Flamenco, as well as the massive expansion of guitar techniques and inclusion of pianos, flutes and saxophones is possibly leading Flamenco into a period of theatrically decadent decline somewhat like the Ópera Flamenco period of 1910-1950.  However the only people who care, or even notice, are the purists, and that does not include the average Spaniard, who, like the average American, is more concerned with football than the arts.