{"id":7788,"date":"2026-10-29T15:31:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T14:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syamhope.com\/?p=7788"},"modified":"2026-10-30T18:05:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T17:05:33","slug":"labito-della-voce-arte-flamenco-y-raices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syamhope.com\/en\/a\/labito-della-voce-arte-flamenco-y-raices\/","title":{"rendered":"The dress of the voice: art, flamenco and roots"},"content":{"rendered":"
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  1. Which voices are unheard behind a world-renowned tradition whose roots are not always acknowledged? <\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. And what happens when a culture is admired while the people who have handed it down through generations remain unseen?<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. How can we bring together a nomadic people's history, a village's memories, and a story of a humble dress now turned into a fashion trend?<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    \u201cThe Dress of the Voice\u201d<\/span><\/strong> is an original artistic and social research project by<\/span> Art SyamHope<\/strong><\/span> born from a connection with the people, stories and traditions of <\/span>Benarrab\u00e1<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, a village in Andalusia - and supported by the <\/strong><\/span>Rooral Creative Residency Rooral<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. At the heart of the research is the dress associated with flamenco, explored not simply as an aesthetic object, but especially as a meeting point for memory, identity, cultural heritage and a sense of belonging.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Through interviews, testimonies, observation and artistic experimentation, the project explores the relationship between art, Cal\u00f3 culture, flamenco and collective memory<\/span><\/strong>. Behind a dress, a word or a piece of music lie family stories, discrimination experiences, resistance and knowledge that continue to live on through the people who preserve and pass them down.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    When words can make roots invisible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    What do we name a tradition? And who has the right to identify with the chosen word?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    During the research, an important issue emerged around the Spanish expression traje de flamenco<\/span><\/em>, commonly used to refer to the women's dress associated with flamenco. For Cal\u00f3 people, this term can be offensive when it contributes to separating the dress and its tradition from their Cal\u00f3 roots, turning them into a folkloric or regional symbol that appears to belong to everyone, while the contribution of the Cal\u00f3 communities who have kept these traditions alive and passed them down risks becoming invisible<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It is not about declaring that an expression is necessarily offensive to everyone, nor about imposing a single way of naming things. Rather, it is about listening and understanding<\/span><\/strong> the historical and personal meaning that an object, such as a dress, can carry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Recognising these roots does not mean to deny the other influences that have contributed to the flamenco development. Rather, it means ensuring that it's not at the expense of the people and communities it roots back to. This is why, in \u201cEl vestido de la voz\u201d<\/span><\/strong> (The Dress of the Voice), the local Benarrab\u00e1 people's contributions are essential to understanding flamenco history, expression forms and oral transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Today, some progress has been made. For example, the Andalusian Flamenco Law<\/span><\/strong> recognises the role of the Cal\u00f3 people in the history of flamenco (Junta de Andaluc\u00eda \u2013 Andalusian Flamenco Law<\/a>). Also, two commemorative dates have been officially recognised: 8 April, International Roma Day<\/span><\/strong> (though it isn't officially recognised everywhere internationally) and 22 November, the Day of the Arrival of the Cal\u00f3 People in Andalusia<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, nationally, daily language still includes expressions that seek to erase or avoid acknowledging Cal\u00f3's significant contribution to our ethnographic heritage (art, music, cuisine, language, traditional craftsmanship and much more). The aim, however, is to keep moving towards a more inclusive coexistence <\/span><\/strong>and social recognition<\/span><\/strong> that truly acknowledges this value. convivenza <\/span><\/strong>pi\u00f9 inclusiva e un riscatto sociale<\/span><\/strong> che riconosca questo valore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Certainly, \\\\flamenco\\<\/span>\\<\/strong>\u2501 recognised by UNESCO as an \\\\Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity\\<\/span>\\<\/strong> since 2010 \u2501 would not exist without Cal\u00f3's commitment. However, despite a painful legacy, they have continued to pass down and preserve this treasure, even without words, through \\\\ the memory of their own voice\\<\/span>\\<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A livello istituzionale spagnolo viene riconosciuto oggi come una tradizione viva, trasmessa attraverso la pratica, l\u2019oralit\u00e0 e le relazioni (Junta de Andaluc\u00eda \u2013 Flamenco e patrimonio culturale immateriale<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cSometimes people never get to know us. I would love to have the opportunity to show them that we are not all criminals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>by Auxi \u2013 Mar\u00eda Auxiliadora Nu\u00f1ez Nu\u00f1ez<\/strong>
    Cal\u00f3 woman from Benarrab\u00e1 and the first woman in her family to marry someone from outside the Cal\u00f3 community<\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Cal\u00f3: language, identity and historical memory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The Art SyamHope social art research<\/span><\/strong> has also led to reflections on the historical memory of Cal\u00f3 communities and the repeated forms of repression inflicted on them in Spain until just a few years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The notes gathered highlight, in particular, the period of Franco\u2019s dictatorship, during which repressive and assimilationist policies targeted Roma people through surveillance, the criminalisation of aspects of their everyday lives, and the persecution of their traditions and economic activities. The notes also document the stigmatisation of Cal\u00f3, which the authorities described as criminal slang, and the repression of cultural expressions, including those that are now part of flamenco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This local memory forms part of a broader history of persecution and cultural loss. The Junta de Andaluc\u00eda itself, in its account of the history of the Roma people in Andalusia<\/a>, acknowledges that historical persecution has contributed to the loss of a significant part of their culture and language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Speaking about Cal\u00f3 culture<\/span><\/strong> therefore means recognising its ethnographic heritage<\/span><\/strong> (art, language, cuisine, cultural practices\u2026), much of which has also been embraced by Spanish culture itself. But it also means making space for the people who keep its traces alive through family relationships, stories, gestures and shared experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Within the Genal Valley<\/span><\/strong>, Benarrab\u00e1<\/span><\/strong> offers a real-life example of positive coexistence with the Cal\u00f3 community. A key figure in this story is Manuel N\u00fa\u00f1ez Romero<\/span><\/strong> (born in 1948), known as Manolete<\/span><\/strong>. In interviews with artist Sofia Candeo of Art SyamHope<\/span><\/strong>, he shares a remarkable piece of local history: thanks to the family tradition into which he and his brothers Luis<\/span><\/strong> and<\/strong><\/span> Sim\u00f3n N\u00fa\u00f1ez<\/span><\/strong> were born, flamenco came to Benarrab\u00e1 and gradually spread throughout the village.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    The dress reflects this tension, too. Among the memories gathered in Benarrab\u00e1, Manolete recalls his grandmothers Ana<\/span><\/strong> and Rafaela<\/span><\/strong> wearing long, colourful skirts, decorative traditional combs and flowers in their hair every day. The elements now associated with the imagery of the flamenco dress were, in these memories, part of daily life and a way of dressing rooted in humility<\/span><\/strong> and rural life<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The testimony of To\u00f1i N\u00fa\u00f1ez<\/span><\/strong>, Manolete\u2019s great granddaughter and a social expert, offers an additional perspective, highlighting the distinction between \u201ccoexistence\u201d and \u201cintegration\u201d<\/span><\/strong>, as well as the importance of carefully choosing the words and expressions we use and often take for granted in everyday life:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    CO-EXIST<\/strong> = to live together, with mutual respect and on equal terms, each person retaining their own identity as it continues to evolve.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    IN-TEGRATE<\/strong> = to include someone from outside, but only on the condition that, in order to be accepted, they must lose their own identity, become a \u201cwatered-down\u201d version of themselves and prove their worth.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

    \"El vestido de la voz\" really comes as a wish to listen to and preserve Benarrab\u00e1 and its people's history.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The N\u00fa\u00f1ez family: <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The flamenco as a shared heritage in Benarrab\u00e1<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    A deep part of the research is related to the N\u00fa\u00f1ezs presence in the Benarrab\u00e1 Flamenco history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Through the interviews conducted by artist Sofia Candeo of Art SyamHope<\/span><\/strong>, Manolete emerges as a living piece of history, through whom family stories, migration, music and village life intertwine. Born in 1948 and brought to Benarrab\u00e1 as a child, Manolete recalls his family\u2019s journey, marked by war and persecution, which eventually led them to Benarrab\u00e1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here, following their family tradition, Manolete and his brothers Sim\u00f3n and Luis N\u00fa\u00f1ez spread Flamenco singing and playing music<\/span><\/strong>, eventually founding the Pe\u00f1a Flamenca<\/span><\/strong> in the 1970s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After Sim\u00f3n and Luis passed away, friends and local people who had shared moments of their lives with them wanted to keep the memory and artistic legacy of the two brothers alive. So, in 2013, with the family\u2019s support, the \u201cSim\u00f3n y Luis N\u00fa\u00f1ez\u201d Flamenco and Cultural Association<\/span><\/strong> was founded. For years, it organised a festival featuring renowned artists such as Camar\u00f3n de la Isla<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The memories shared by Carmen N\u00fa\u00f1ez<\/span><\/strong>, Manolete\u2019s daughter, highlight the deeply collective nature of that experience, in which families, friends and locals all contributed towards covering the costs of the performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Over time, the festival has become an established event in Benarrab\u00e1\u2019s cultural life. Even today, it continues to be shaped by relationships, shared commitment and recognition of a tradition kept alive not only by members of the family or the Cal\u00f3 community, but also by all the friends and associations who <\/span>recognise the value of flamenco tradition and its roots<\/span><\/strong>, as embodied by Luis and Sim\u00f3n N\u00fa\u00f1ez.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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    Recognising this history means understanding that flamenco has not always been the performance we know today, shaped by commercialisation: <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Flamenco carries an inner history of suffering, a struggle to endure and continue sharing its art coming from the heart through voice and rhythm. Its roots lie in values of humility, sharing and rural life, <\/span>in the community and in generations which Flamenco brings together<\/strong><\/span>, through real people, their families and relationships built over time.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

    \u00abI can't live without Flamenco\u00bb<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    During the artistic research for The Dress of the Voice, a question put to Manolete opened up a reflection on the essence of flamenco<\/span><\/strong>: what does it represent to him?<\/p>\n\n\n

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    \u00abI can't live without Flamenco\u00bb<\/em>\n- Manolete (from the interview at Tere's Bar, Benarrab\u00e0)<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
    He adds that flamenco comes from the diaphragm and the heart: you have to be born with it and feel it within you, because technique, although it can be learned, is not enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    His daughter and poet Carmen describes an equally deep connection with flamenco. Even though she cannot sing, play an instrument or perform the characteristic flamenco handclapping rhythm, she has lived with this art at home since childhood, with her father Manolete and her uncle always singing, especially during celebrations and gatherings shared in the streets of the village. Today, she keeps these memories alive by sharing this passion with her children and writing poetry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
    These testimonies bring to life a dimension of flamenco that<\/span> art keeps alive through memory, listening and participation<\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
    And we can learn that the cultural wisdom is not just in the past but keeps living in the body, breath, rhythm, and the memory of who has lived a tradition on their skin.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n
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    The hands that guard the memory: <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    The dressmakers' know-how and the Flamenco textile context<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    Alongside the testimonies <\/span><\/strong>connected to flamenco, the research also encountered the knowledge and expertise of dressmakers Mar\u00eda Barranco Garc\u00eda <\/span><\/strong>and M\u00f3nica Cri\u015fan<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Through their interviews, the research explored the textile context of the dress as we know it today. It also emerged that the dress is given different names depending on how it is cut, sewn and adorned, with contemporary styles increasingly shaped by fashion rather than tradition, often overlooking its Cal\u00f3 origins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Every dress also tells a relationship between material and person, in which colours, patterns, volumes and shapes can express preferences, personality and moods. Choosing what to wear <\/span><\/strong>is not just about outward appearance, but also about how a person wishes to feel and present themselves to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    These skills require time and physical strength, too (just imagine how heavy a dress made from at least 14 metres of fabric can be!). Thanks to the people who keep them alive, manual and craft skills <\/strong><\/span>are passed down through the generations, allowing this flamenco performance tradition to be appreciated today for its visual beauty during \u201cLas ferias\u201d<\/span><\/strong> and \u201cRomer\u00edas\u201d<\/span><\/strong> (festivals eagerly awaited throughout the year and of great importance in Andalusia).<\/p>\n\n\n
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    To create starting from the site: having the artist present on-site brings value<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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