An Andalucian Journey: Gypsies and Flamenco 1

The flamenco of southern Spain is more than music and much more than an exhilarating dance for the tourists. It's the soul of a culture, and its roots go back to the 15th century when gypsy travellers made their way via Asia and North Africa to Spain. Today the real flamenco is kept alive by the gypsy families of Andalucia. Through their private family rituals, baptisms, marriages and fiestas, the new generation of Andalucian gypsies learns flamenco from its elders, the great solo cantores and the most powerful and accomplished dancers of flamenco in the world. Today the families are no longer travellers - they are integrated, socially and economically, with the population. But they keep alive their traditions with pride, and in this film Arena travels to meet them and to see and hear the real flamenco. Tonight the journey from Seville to Utrera.