BLACK MELODIES

Los sones negros, (Black Melodies) is an extraordinary show featuring images, music and dance. The show is based on the fascination 1930's Spanish poets and artists felt when they began to discover Blacks and Black culture in the United States and the Caribbean. In those days, certain intellectuals and artists living in Andalusia treasured two ancestral cultures as the essence of their being: Andalusian culture and gypsy culture. It was then that they discovered Black culture in its African American and Caribbean manifestations. They sensed that Black culture had something in common with gypsy and Andalusian culture, and that it would enrich and complement them. In time, three musical styles that were born out of exclusion and were originally banned would all become part of humanity's common musical heritage: the Cuban Son, flamenco and the blues.

This show was inspired by the influence Black music had on those 1930's artists. Through this music and based on the artists' texts, the show recreates Black music's development and explores the influence of music with African roots on flamenco.