With a creole accent

Betina Bracciale. Buenos Aires, March 2003
Translation: Gary Cook

Argentina is a country built on a foundation of European immigration. Toward the end of the 19th Century, government policy attracted workers from overseas, the majority from Italy and Spain. Between 1880 and 1930, the continued expansion of the local economy coupled with the new possibilities of social mobility encouraged thousands of Andalusians to up and leave. A final wave, full of intellectuals and artists seeking exile, arrived with the onset of the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War. And this South American land's history of flamenco was forged within community groups. More recently, though, flamenco enjoyed an astonishing boom in the nineties, far removed from these Spanish institutions. This turn of events has been most visible in Buenos Aires, with an ever-expanding range of offerings at tablaos, bars and theaters. New faces are appearing all the time, and a lot of youngsters with no Andalusian roots are taking the plunge at flamenco class.

A century of growth

The natives of Andalusia who now reside on Argentinian soil originate from Almería, Cadiz, Granada, Huelva, Jaen and Malaga. It's estimated that between 1880 and 1930 the number of immigrants in that region was between 100,000 and 150,000 (1). During those years some made their homes in the cities of Buenos Aires, La Plata and Rosario. Others opted for the Mendoza and San Juan provinces, with their warm climate reminiscent of the south of Spain, and to which the new settlers were drawn by the emblematic vineyards and olive groves of the region. Another popular destination was Comodoro Rivadavia in the province of Chubut, where oilfields began to spring up in the twenties, making it a focal point for a considerable number of Spaniards.

	La Argentinita and Antonio Triana at 'Café de Chinitas'. Buenos Aires, Argentina, 40's (Photo: Luisa Triana's album)

In those days the flood of immigration into Argentina meant that artistic exchanges proliferated, especially in the republic's capital city. These were the years of vaudeville and of tango; Spanish zarzuela operetta was everywhere, as were crooners and opera singers. Out of the Spanish community which had settled in Buenos Aires, a popular urban culture was born. Between 1910 and 1920, the stages of Buenos Aires saw an invasion of dancers like Encarnación Hurtado, La Malagueñita, and Antonia Mercé La Argentina (who incidentally was born at Río de la Plata in 1890, while her parents, both dancers, were on tour) (2). In 1934 La Argentina danced in 'El amor brujo' at Teatro Colón, one of the best-known musical stages in the world and historically associated exclusively with outstanding international acts. Around the same time Carmen Amaya, already a hallowed figure in Spain following her début at Madrid's Coliseum Theater in 1935, performed at Teatro Maravillas a year later and settled in the Argentine capital. On her return to Spain in 1947, she was famous even in the U.S.

In the first half of the century the Latin American capital boasted not only theaters but also flamenco tablaos which received visits from leading Spanish artists. Throughout the rest of the country the redoubts where the Andalusian art form was preserved and transmitted were community groups called asociaciones de la colectividad. These groups have survived up until the present day, and they revolve around a federation that has close links with the Andalusian Regional Government. One of the oldest is the Agrupación Andaluza de Rosario (Rosario being located in the province of Santa Fe) founded in 1915. Then there's the Círculo Andaluz de Buenos Aires founded in the twenties, and that of La Plata (capital of Buenos Aires province), which dates back to 1933. El Rincón Familiar Andaluz de Buenos Aires was formed in 1938.

Alongside the militia and families who came to South America to escape the repression of Franco's regime and the Nazis, there were many Andalusian intellectuals desperate to get away from the horrific situation. All were received with open arms in Argentina. For some, such as musician Manuel de Falla, this land would be their final resting-place. Others, such as poet Rafael Alberti, spent a significant portion of their lives in the country (3).

In the forties, fifties and sixties, visits from flamenco artists enriched Buenos Aires's cultural offerings. While Spain was struggling through the painful post-war years, this corner of South America boasted economic prosperity, and shows brought from the motherland were well-received. Among the acts that stepped up on local stages were Juanito Valderrama, José Mercé, Antonio Molina, Manuel Mairena, Pepe Valencia, Angelillo, El Niño de Utrera, El Niño León, Camarón, Manolo Caracol and Lola Flores, Pilar López, Rosario y Antonio, Antonio Gades, Paco de Lucía and Tomatito. Some great names laid down their roots in Argentina and became leading exponents of flamenco argentino, names such as bailaor Morenito de Granada and guitarist Alberto Torres.

Centro Andaluz de San Juan's amateurs bailaoras

Most of the Spaniards who arrived in Latin America in search of peace and employment, though, were not artists. In 1954 the Centro Andaluz de Comodoro Rivadavia was founded, in 1956 another Andalusian Community Center sprang up in Mar del Plata (Buenos Aires province) and in 1964 yet another in San Rafael (Mendoza province). More recently others have been added to the list in the city of Mendoza, in Cordoba, in Santos Lugares (Buenos Aires province), and in San Miguel de Tucumán; and meanwhile new community groups have also appeared in Comodoro Rivadavia and Rosario. Antonio Juárez, president of the Círculo Andaluz de San Juan, gave us a glimpse of what everyday life was like for the last families who settled in the province in 1957 and 1958. "At home, Spaniards found in flamenco and Spanish folk songs a powerful and warming link with their homeland. There was no immigrant household whose radio didn't play the sounds of the latest singers, singers like Angelillo, Niño de Utrera, Antonio Molina, Miguel de Molina, Juanito Valderrama and the magnificent voices of Lola Flores, Paquita Rico, or Carmen Sevilla... At social and neighborhood gatherings flamenco songs were ubiquitous: at birthdays, at weddings, at feasts…" In the province of San Juan, where the Andalusian Circle has been operational since 1978, Andalusian traditional dancing also plays a role in religious ceremonies. The sisters of la Virgen del Rocío organize a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin Mary located at Rawson parish church. The procession starts out from the city of San Juan, and follows a route four kilometers long. Decorated carriages roll along behind the bailaoras flamencas, lending the event a touch of color and alegría.