I grew up dancing the Zambras and never gave it a second thought.
As a child, the soulful, passionate music and lyrics of the Zambras I heard all the time around me, made me want to dance, and dance I did.

As a grown-up, when I realized that the Zambras were in danger of extinction, I felt very motivated to dedicate my life to rescue Zambras from oblivion. One of the reasons why I created the Dances of the World Society and particularly the Chanelar Flamenco Project, is precisely to rescues these important aspects of Flamenco that are getting lost and forgotten.

Many people ask me about the history of Zambra. Out of my own personal fascination, I have conducted tons of socio-historical studies on Zambra.  I present a popular multimedia evening on the subject of Zambra, its history and its different forms, complete with projections, performances and an interactive workshop.

Zambras first emerged within the Islamic culture of Spain during the Middle Ages as a way to celebrate, through song and dance, important occasions. Even though the Zambra tradition was forbidden over and over again for centuries, it survived to become a cultural hit in the Flamenco world during the 1940’s. Unfortunately, Zambras are now in danger of extinction.

Over a number of posts, I will get into the details of Zambra’s fascinating history….

RESOURCES:

For downloadable Zambra music and a short film on the history of Zambra included my DVD Zambra Flamenca visit: http://dancesoftheworld.org/flamenco/zambra