Dance is something that humans have enjoyed for millennia. All over the world, different forms of dance have become synonymous with certain countries, and their popularity has spread all across the world. For example, despite the fact that Salsa originated in Cuba and Latin America, it is now possible to learn the dance here in the UK at somewhere like these salsa classes London based dance studio https://rvdance.co.uk/dance-classes-london/salsa-classes-london
Another dance that has grown hugely in popularity away from its home country is the flamenco. Becoming popular all around the world and in particular in Japan, where there are now more places where you can learn Flamenco than in Spain, which is where the dance originates from!
Flamenco dancing first originated in Southern Spain. It is believed to have been around for over 200 years, although it is hard to trace its exact start date. The dance itself is also accompanied by a lot of finger clicking and hand clapping as well as guitar playing – it is a high energy dance!
Something that is strongly associated with the flamenco dance is the clothing style. The outfits worn for flamenco have changed over the years, but what has evolved is an instantly recognisable and elaborate style of clothing.
Female flamenco dancers will often wear dresses which are characterised by a lot of flowing ruffles and a tight waist. The colours that are most traditionally used are red and black, although other colours are still used in these dresses. Polka dot patterns are also used in many flamenco dresses, and as well as ruffles at the bottom of the dress there are many styles of dress that also have ruffles on the sleeves.
Male flamenco dancers also have clothing that is traditionally worn and associated with the dance. Usually, it consists of a white shirt which will be worn under a short black jacket. The trousers will be tight fitting and also black. Accessories include scarves, often made from silk, as well as the traditional style hat called a Cordoba hat. For both men and women, the shoes are important, as they have metal in the soles – this makes the tapping and clicking sounds that are a big part of the dance style.