Luis Lavaur’s theory on the romantic origins of flamenco

Luis Lavaur’s 1976 work, ‘Teoría romántica del cante flamenco’, presents the thesis that flamenco evolved from bolero dances, Andalusian folk dances, or ‘palillos’ dances. Although it had little impact on the flamencology community at the time of its publication, the work traces the origins of the ‘flamenco’ label to the mid-19th century.

Lavaur argues that the transition to flamenco was influenced by the success of Spanish dances in Paris and London during the 1830s. Figures such as Pauline Duvernay and Fanny Elssler achieved fame in European Romanticist capitals by performing Spanish dances that catered to an aesthetic seeking the exotic.

According to Lavaur, the eroticized or ‘sensual’ character attributed to Spanish and Gypsy dancers was largely a French creation rather than a reflection of the actual reality of Spanish dancers at the time. This shift from Spanish-style dance to ‘Gitanismo’ was a natural progression driven by these external romanticized perceptions.