Ironically, we could not find any flamenco dancers in Cebu. While Senor Gomez flew in from Manila, he’s dancers all came from Bacolod.

Flamenco is a dance which is full of passion and heart. When I dance it, I feel like all my stresses disappear. You literally throw your anger and resentment on the stage and leave it there! My aunt’s school in Singapore has majority Japanese students and they have excellent technique but very few have “duende”. Most of them have travelled to Spain, and learned to play the guitar as well.

Casino Espanol de Cebu just finished its celebration of Dia de Santiago and for the past 2 weeks has various events, one of which were flamenco dancers brought in by Senor Gomez of Manila.

“El duende is the spirit of evocation. It comes from inside as a physical/emotional response to music. It is what gives you chills, makes you smile or cry as a bodily reaction to an artistic performance that is particularly expressive.”

“The meaning of duende as in tener duende (having duende) is a rarely-explained concept in Spanish art, particularly flamenco, having to do with emotion, expression and authenticity. In fact, tener duende can be loosely translated as having soul.”

“According to Christopher Maurer, editor of “In Search of Duende”, at least four elements can be isolated in Lorca’s vision of duende: irrationality, earthiness, a heightened awareness of death, and a dash of the diabolical. The duende is a demonic earth spirit who helps the artist see the limitations of intelligence, reminding him that “ants could eat him or that a great arsenic lobster could fall suddenly on his head”; who brings the artist face-to-face with death, and who helps him create and communicate memorable, spine-chilling art. ”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duende_%28art%29

I once heard a Gypsy flamenco dancer say with “duende” she must bare her soul to the audience, and at the same time they must feel she is looking into their souls.