Background
Flamenco history in short
Where flamenco comes from and how it reached the stage: Andalusian gitano roots, the cafés of the 1880s, flamenco opera, the tablaos and UNESCO in 2010.
Book flamenco in Valencia ↗Quick answer
Flamenco developed within the gitano subculture of Andalusia. Its stages moved from a first singer café in Seville in 1881 to bullrings and theatres between 1920 and 1955, then to tablaos from the 1960s. UNESCO inscribed it on its heritage list in 2010, and describes Andalusia as its heartland. A Valencia show is that tradition played in another city.
Roots in Andalusia
Wikipedia traces flamenco to the gitano community of Andalusia and credits the region's Romani people with a large part in shaping it and turning it into a profession. UNESCO locates its heartland in southern Spain's Andalusia, with roots too in Murcia and Extremadura, and says many groups, above all the Gitano people, see their identity in it.
Handed down in families
UNESCO says flamenco is passed on by dynasties, families, social circles and flamenco clubs, each with an important part in keeping it alive and spreading it. That is one reason a performance can feel personal: each artist brings their own character to the stage, as the Valencia ticket's description also says, within forms that have been handed on for generations. The art's three parts are song, dance and guitar, and UNESCO names the communities and families that pass them on.
The first singer café
In 1881, Wikipedia says, a café for flamenco singers opened in Seville under Silverio Franconetti. It calls such venues cafés cantantes, and describes them as night bars that offered drinks alongside singing, playing and dancing, which is the habit the later tablaos inherited.
Flamenco opera and the theatres
Wikipedia says that from 1920 to 1955 flamenco moved into bullrings and theatres, in a phase it calls flamenco opera, and it names this the golden age of the genre, with singers such as Antonio Chacón. The move to larger stages changed the audience: more people could see flamenco, and the art adapted to be seen from a distance as well as from a table.
Tablaos and today
Wikipedia's article on the tablao says the 1960s brought tablaos across Spain, and that they often serve drinks, sometimes with tapas or a full meal. Today flamenco is staged in tablaos, theatres and cultural centres in Spain and abroad, including Valencia, where an hour-long show can take place in a small theatre setting or in a restaurant venue, depending on the option you book.
UNESCO in 2010
UNESCO added flamenco to its list of humanity's intangible cultural heritage in 2010; Wikipedia gives the date as 16 November 2010. The record presents the art as song, dance and instrumental playing joined together, which is the same three-part line-up you see on a stage in Valencia, with the guitar, the voice and the dancer each doing their part, and the hand-clapping keeping them together.
What this means for a Valencia evening
A flamenco show in Valencia places an Andalusian tradition in a different city, and the setting is part of the evening: a small theatre room, or a restaurant venue, depending on the option. What carries across is the line-up UNESCO describes. Read the guide to the words used on stage before you go, and the ticket guide when you choose an option.
Frequently asked questions
Is flamenco only from Andalusia?
UNESCO sets its heartland in Andalusia and names Murcia and Extremadura as other places with roots. Today it is performed well beyond those regions.
When did UNESCO recognise flamenco?
UNESCO added flamenco to its heritage list in 2010.
What is a café cantante?
Wikipedia describes cafés cantantes as night bars that offered drinks alongside singing, playing and dancing.
Sources