Guitar and dance: The art of flamenco at Emory

On Saturday, August 31, four flamenco artists from Spain filled the Emory Performing Arts Studio with sound — music, song and dazzling footwork — as part of Atlanta’s annual A Través flamenco festival.

The performers sang and gave introductions in Spanish, and there appeared to be enough Spanish speakers in the audience who took in every word. For those who didn’t understand, it didn’t matter. The international languages of music and dance spoke loudest of all.

Dancer El Bocadillo dropped a jacket sleeve in a timeless, flamenco gesture, revealing a custom-made shirt emblazoned with images of Camaron de la Isla, a legendary flamenco singer with whom he spent time as a child.

Dancer and singer Macarena de Jerez is one of the few female festeras — artists who sing and dance, hyping up the audience with both humor and dark emotion.

Macarena de Jerez is respected for embodying the feminine elegance of Andalucía. She is one of the most sought-after artists in her hometown of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, and is a sweetheart of Andalucía for carrying tradition to the stage in her music, dance and fashion.

Macarena de Jerez is one of the few female festeras, most are men – festeros. These artists sing and dance, hyping up the audience with humor interlaced with dark emotion, song interlaced with movement.