Spanish culture night at Cairo Opera House

CAIRO – 6 February 2018: The Cairo Opera House released a press statement discussing their upcoming event as part of the international cultural arts program, announcing a Spanish flamenco performance to be held at the Small Hall on Thursday.

The performance will be led by Spanish dancer Alvaro Guarnido and pianist Yekaterina Lebedeva. The program for the evening includes a live performance as well as a screening of various scenes of flamenco performance in Spain, showcasing the variety and intensity of the cultural art. Scenes included are stated to be street shots, games, girls in a garden, oriental dance, Andalusian dance, impressions, pantomime and fantasia.

The art of flamenco originated in southern Spain and was developed by the Romani people who came from northern India in the fifth century. Modern flamenco, on the other hand, began in the eighteenth century, and was influenced by Romani, Muslim and Jewish music, whose songs were characterized by expressions of sadness and improvisational techniques that were meant to display feelings of great difficulty.

These emotional performances developed as a result of ethnic oppression at the hands of the Spanish monarchy. When some ethnic groups were granted rights in the eighth century by King Carlos, flamenco music grew popular in Spain and eventually became widespread across the world.