"Contemporary Flamenco, Cultural Legacy + Experimental Imperative" with Michelle Heffner Hayes

The uneasy relationship between innovation and tradition in flamenco belies its history as a form that is recognizable in its codes, yet resilient enough to sustain itself through continuous change. A look at flamenco's history reveals its capacity to assimilate specific influences and transform in different contexts. Contemporary flamenco, for all its experimental tendencies, recaptures some of flamenco's historic antecedents and imbues them with a new significance. In this lecture—part of Pásion y Arte's 2014 Philadelphia Flamenco Festival—Michelle Heffner Hayes will use historic descriptions and video clips, from the 20th century to the present, to explore what is introduced and lost in each context, and how these elements shape flamenco as we know it. As an ongoing discussion, the presentation will culminate in questions and comments from the audience.