Flamenco dance and bullfighting are parallel arts with shared traditions, performance conventions and vocabularies of movement. This volume introduces readers to an ongoing discussion in Spanish scholarship about the links between these two quintessentially Spanish arts. The author--a dancer and a student of bullfighting--describes the informal practice of both arts in private settings and their emergence as formal public rituals in the bullfighting arena and on the flamenco stage. Key bullfighting techniques and their influence on flamenco dance style are discussed in the context of understanding the worldview and kinesthetic culture of Spain.

How did flamenco—a song and dance form associated with both a despised ethnic minority in Spain and a region frequently derided by Spaniards—become so inexorably tied to the country’s culture? Sandie Holguín focuses on the history of the form and how reactions to the performances transformed from disgust to reverance over the course of two centuries. Holguín brings forth an important interplay between regional nationalists and image makers actively involved in building a tourist industry. Soon they realized flamenco performances could be turned into a folkloric attraction that could stimulate the economy. Tourists and Spaniards alike began to cultivate flamenco as a representation of the country's national identity. This study reveals not only how Spain designed and promoted its own symbol but also how this cultural form took on a life of its own.

'Whether or not the artistic quality of the bullfight outweighs the moral question of the animals' suffering is something that each person must decide for themselves - as they must decide whether the taste of a steak justifies the death of a cow. But if we ignore the possibility that one does outweigh the other, we fall foul of the charge of self-deceit and incoherence in our dealings with animals.' Alexander Fiske-Harrison In a remarkable and controversial book Fiske-Harrison follows the tracks of a whole bullfighting year in Spain. He trains and takes part in the sport himself. He gives us memorable portraits of bull-fighters and bulls, of owners, trainers and fans - of a whole country. Fiske-Harrison offers a fully rounded and involving portrait of an art as performed for centuries and of the arguments that dog it today.

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 Bunuel, Carlos Saura, and Antonio Gades; stereotypes of flamenco bodies and Andalusian culture in Prosper Merimee's Carmen; and the ways in which contemporary flamenco dancers like Belen Maya and Rocio 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.

This landmark historical text delivers the goods promised in its title. It does not address flamenco dance whatsoever, focusing instead on flamenco song forms with a special chapter devoted to the role of the guitar. Includes Spanish lyrics for dozens of flamenco songs along with English translations and interpretive notes, a glossary of flamenco terminology, plus a recommended bibliography and discography are also provided. Informal in its demeanor, this carefully researched, insightful book will help you develop a deeper appreciation for the flamboyant art of flamenco.

Maia Wojciechowska's 1965 Newbery Medal winner about a young boy struggling with his father's legacy. Manolo was only three when his father, the great bullfighter Juan Olivar, died. But Juan is never far from Manolo's consciousness--how could he be, with the entire town of Arcangel waiting for the day Manolo will fulfill his father's legacy? But Manolo has a secret he dares to share with no one--he is a coward, without afición, the love of the sport that enables a bullfighter to rise above his fear and face a raging bull. As the day when he must enter the ring approaches, Manolo finds himself questioning which requires more courage: to follow in his father's legendary footsteps or to pursue his own destiny?

Born with a silver knife in his back, Ben Wright's exploits and ordeals in his rites of passage toward self-discovery, range from the extreme to the bizarre. His adventures were enhanced and refined by extraordinary encounters with such Twentieth Century luminaries as John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Admiral Ruthven Libby, Jonas Salk, G. Gordon Liddy, Ray Charles, Paul Robeson, Colonel Robbie Reisner, Herbert Marcuse, Angela Davis, Eldridge Cleaver, "Free-Wheeling" Frank Reynolds, Jim Morrison, Richard Brautigan, Michael McClure, Kenneth Rexroth, Robert Graves, Juan Goytisolo, Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Claribellle Alegria, and cunning Charlie Bludorn. To escape upper-middle class mind-numbing conformity and ennui, Ben joined the U.S. Navy after graduating with honors from an Ivy League university. He served his country as a commissioned line combat naval officer, was involved with the first SEAL team, and became a court martial, Intelligence officer in the Viet Nam era. Following military service, and after failing as an Episcopalian priest, Ben became a blue-water sailor, survived a North Sea mine-field Force 12, and also engaged in working as an archeologist/mythographer. He worked as an actor in American feature films, radio broadcaster and producer, but was redeemed to near bodhisattvahood in Tibetan Buddhism. He also served in prisons for forty-eight years as an alcohol and drug counselor (himself a recovered alcoholic of thirty-one years sobriety), founding Clarion Call, a foundation to end recidivism through education. So indulge yourself within these pages, savoring these true life adventures of this Twenty-first Century Renaissance Man, and you will be asking for more. Reserve the second volume, Authenticity: Inimitable Quintessential.