Flamenco Video

The two videos that I chose are called promo PISADAS. Compañía Olga Pericet en el Festival de Jerez and Agbadza dancing in Ghana. Right away I noticed that these two forms of music and dancing are from two very different countries, which are Spain and Ghana. The first video is portraying flamenco. We first see a woman dancing and we see other people shouting words, clapping, and singing. The woman is dancing side to side with the beat, and as the clapping and music are going much quicker, the woman is moving faster. The woman’s attire looks very elegant and she has bells around her waist. This shows us that while the woman dances, there is also going to be some variation of sounds from the bells that form. I also saw both women and men, of

Instruments like the guitar were being played, and it had a smooth melody that complemented the dancing. Throughout the video there’s a man who looks like he is dressed as a deer or some sort of animal, which was something that I have never seen before. Usually when I think of flamenco, I think of elegant dresses or elegant clothing in general. It showed me that flamenco can be a form of expression. Based on prior knowledge from World of Music, the elements of flamenco were extremely apparent. These elements include cante, toque, baile, palma, zapateado, pitos, jaleo, etc. This video helped me understand flamenco, in the sense that flamenco is not only dancing but includes music, especially the incorporation of sounds from the surrounding. This video also helped me to see that flamenco is very beautiful because you can hear and feel the emotions of both the dancers and the

I find it quite fascinating how different people of different cultures and opposite regions of the globe can have such similarities in their forms of expression within the field of music and dance. In both videos, it is undeniable that the performers moved in a manner that coordinated with the rhythm of the music. This is apparent in the speed pickup of the music in flamenco that correlated with the woman performer’s movement speed. It is also apparent in the number of people who came into the circle as the shouting appeared to be increasing in sound. I noticed that in both performances, there are instruments incorporated. In flamenco, there is a guitar being used, and in the other, there are drums. Another similarity evident across both these performances is the participation of both male and female genders. Although they compare in various degrees, there are a number of differences between them. In the case of flamenco, I found a sense of more professionalism and the importance of visuals concentrated in a focus point, whereas in the other, it seems like there was no particular focus point, it was more of anyone who feels to participate in the performance is welcome to. Another difference is the number of performers that had participated in this expression. For instance, the dance in Ghana has multiple people, men and women, gathering and joining in on the movemements as