Like blood in your mouth: Topographies of flamenco voice and pedagogy in Diaspora

Abstract

Over the last century flamenco has crossed national, cultural, ethnic and linguistic borders, traveling from its indigenous space of Andalusia to varied performance contexts around the globe. These border crossings have catalyzed new music cultures and markets, transforming flamenco musicology, pedagogy, performance and consumption. Focusing on a small community of flamenco performers in Chicago, Illinois, this ethnographic study examines the “diaspora pedagogy” of Andalusian musician and teacher Tomás de Utrera. Facilitating the symbolic collapse of geographic space, Tomás recreates flamenco's originary musical context in Chicago. Focusing on the articulation of the flamenco voice, I posit diaspora as the principal exigency behind Tomás’ flamenco pedagogy, as well as an animating force behind his “voice of authority “ and the fledgling voices of his students.