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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Flamenco Lesson Plans, Activities, and More

Photo by Flavio@Flickr

I love flamenco. Okay. I said it. When I lived in Spain for a short while, I took classes. I hear the Gypsy Kings and immediately my body starts twitching and moving on its own. And I want my kids to feel the same way. So here are some of the resources I have found on flamenco. And one of the best is George Ancona’s book, ¡Olé! Flamenco. It is a great basis for any lessons on this subject.

I’ll be sure to add more to this page as I discover new resources. And if you find some, por favor, share it with us!

This post contains affiliate links.


Flamenco Lesson Plans & Articles:


Flamenco and its Origins – this lesson is suitable for all grades, though I find that it is probably best suited for middle schoolers.

• Flamenco - A Cross-Cultural Art Form - excellent lesson plan from Global Oneness Project (9 - 12th)

Spanish Nights – A great little article from The New Yorker!

• Flamenco’s Foreign Saviors - interesting article from the New York Times




Crafts:


Flamenco Fan – this craft doesn't have good directions, but it looks pretty simple and straightforward.  

• And if you are looking for more decorative ones that are still relatively cheap, you can find many on Amazon (aff link).

Make Homemade Castanets – simple yet perfectly effective!

• Or you can buy some simple wooden ones for kids on Amazon (aff link).

• Fun Family Crafts has several tutorials for making guitar crafts.

• Super Coloring has quite a few flamenco coloring pages.

• This site is no longer available, but I absolutely love these flamenco dancer mini piñatas made from toilet paper tubes. Sharing anyway in case you can figure out how to make them from the picture.



Videos:


For little counters, Sesame Street has a short and lovely video for counting to nine with flamenco dancers:



Flamenco Guitar Barcelona – excellent guitar playing. Good for discussing culture and music.

John Catalano : Rumba Flamenco in the States Two Talented Young Guitarist – Wow! Inspiring!

• For older students, this episode - Flamenco Gypsy Soul from the BBC is a must-watch. Note: It is approximately 50 minutes long: 




Books about Flamenco:




¡Ole! Flamenco
by George Ancona


by Paulina Chalita-White


by Anna Witte
Also available in Spanish: El fandango de Lola



Classes:


Are you or your kids in the mood to learn how to dance flamenco, now? Well, check out this online self-paced class from Mr. D Math (don't be fooled by the name). The classes were recorded in Spain and are taught by a professional flamenco dancer.


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