Due to its structure, rhythm, style and character, flamenco dance is an artistic manifestation that combines singing, dancing and clapping. Therefore, their learning is arduous and complex.

In fact, in flamenco classes, a lot of time is spent on executing the technique correctly, especially the braceo and floreo. braceo and floreo. The movements are not always the same, varying according to the music, choreography and clothing. But what does the braceo in flamenco and why is it so important in this genre?

Flamenco is a very visual art in which dancers speak with their arms and hands. dancers speak with their arms and hands.. They sound and sing with clapping and clicking or are used to convey passion, delicacy, lament, pain or elegance, depending on the time of movement the performer makes with them.

For this reason, the braceo in flamenco is fundamental, since it is what that confers magic and grace to the dance. Semicircular movements from top to bottom on the outside of the torso and from bottom to top in the center of the body, which are performed in time to the music. This is accompanied by what is known as floreo, the movement of hands and fingers in which the wrists move in a circular motion and the fingers open and close as if they were the petals of a flower.

The posture during braking is essential, as well as the coordination of the arms with the rotation of the wrists, as they are performed in all moments of the dance. Movements that develop at the same time as movements in space and other movements of the body and feet.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that the movements between male and female dancers are different.. In the case of women, the hand movement is done by spreading the fingers apart, in different directions, bringing the middle finger inward while gently opening the fingers with a twist of the wrist. In this way, the hands alone confer a special charm to the dance. On the other hand, men do not open their fingers, but have them slightly together and tend to move from the inside out, with greater energy and intensity in the turning of the wrist.

Examples of Braceo

Throughout the history of flamenco, many of the movements that dancers have made with their hands have become an authentic tradition within this art. Some examples of braceo and floreo are the following:

• The fact of not peeling off the fingers for men.
• Forming a circle with the middle fingers and thumb for women or making ringlets or conches.
• Peel off only two fingers, the middle and index, in the case of men.. But it was also a very common movement of the dancer Pastor Imperio, who used it with a hand turn down and inside.
• Other forms that are also frequent is the movement of the hands as if they were grasping fistfulswith the hand open as a farewell, calling someone or totally tense as a rude gesture.

Thus, in flamenco dance, these elegant and delicate movements become a true work of art when everything is in harmony with each other.The movement of the arms as well as the hands, fingers and body. When we go to a flamenco show, on stage everything seems simple, but the truth is that it is not.

Achieving the right technique requires a lot of dedication and effort to make everything flow naturally. For the final result to be adequate, it is necessary that the arms are well positioned and that the fingers and hands move correctly. And not everything goes in flamenco.