In 1492， under the rule of King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I， Jews， Gypsies， and Moors were expelled from Spain. Along with native Andalucians， they were forced to take refuge in the Andalucian mountains. There they could escape the Inquisition， which threatened their very survival.

While in exile， the people of these distinct cultures together conceived a new and exciting musical art form， characterized by pride， passion， and defiant dignity. It incorporated acoustic-guitar playing， singing， chanting， dancing， and staccato hand-clapping. This bold， provocative，1 and unique style was named“Flamenco”。

Considerable debate surrounds the origins of the word“Flamenco”。 Some believe it simply means“Flemish”。 Others contend2 that it comes from the Dutch word， vlaming， meaning "fiery“，”flaming“， or”brightly colored“。 Others trace it back to the Arabic felag mengu， which refers to all persecuted people who fled to the mountains to escape the Inquisition.

The intensity of Flamenco inspires a sense of magic， and evokes3 from its audience an intense reaction. The staccato of the dancer's heels against the floor， and the sharp bursts of clapping punctuate the singer’s haunting wail. The bright， swirling dresses add to the spectacle， and elicit4 cries of encouragement from the spectators. These elements， along with the musical virtuosity of the guitarists， combine to create a performance which， once seen， is never forgotten.——by Randy Peters

公元1492年，在國(guó)王費(fèi)迪南二世和王后伊莎貝拉一世的統(tǒng)治下，猶太人、吉普賽人和摩爾人被逐出西班牙。這些人跟當(dāng)?shù)氐陌策_(dá)盧西亞人一起，被迫在安達(dá)盧西亞山區(qū)避難。在那兒，他們才能躲過威脅他們生命的宗教審判。

流亡期間，這群有著不同文化背景的人共同構(gòu)思出一種嶄新并能鼓舞人心的音樂藝術(shù)形式，它以自豪、熱情和高傲的尊嚴(yán)為特征。結(jié)合古典吉他的彈奏、歌唱、吟誦、舞蹈和斷續(xù)的擊掌。這種大膽、煽情、獨(dú)一無(wú)二的風(fēng)格便稱作“弗拉門戈”。

關(guān)于“弗拉門戈”一詞的起源人們爭(zhēng)論不休。有些人認(rèn)為它僅僅只是“佛蘭德斯的”的意思。其它人則主張它是從荷蘭文字“vlaming”而來(lái)，意思是“如火的”、“燃燒的”，或“色彩明亮的”。還有人追溯到阿拉伯文“felag mengu”，指的是那些遭到迫害，逃往山區(qū)躲避宗教審判的人。

弗拉門戈的熱情激發(fā)了神奇的魔力，也博得了觀眾們熱烈的反應(yīng)。舞蹈者的腳后跟斷續(xù)地敲擊著地板，伴隨著響亮的擊掌聲，更加深了演唱者縈繞的悲嘆。鮮艷、飛揚(yáng)的裙擺使表演場(chǎng)面更加壯觀，引得觀眾頻頻叫好。這種種因素，加上吉他手精湛的音樂技巧，結(jié)合起來(lái)創(chuàng)造出一種過目難忘的表演形式。