Hispanic Heritage Month: Carmen Amaya

We are deep in Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15). There is so little Hispanic history that is taught in school that most of us who are not either a) brought up in a Hispanic/Latin culture or b) actively seeking out the knowledge on our own will never know the rich history. This is unfortunately true for so much of history that isn't White, Anglo-Saxon, Christian, or Catholic. We know that history is told and perpetuated from the perspective of the victor, so often that erases the other side. So let's do the work to learn a more complete history. 

Carmen Amaya was born in either 1913 or 1915 OR 1918. There is some debate on what her actual date of birth is since there is no birth record and her certificate of baptism was apparently destroyed in a church fire. Depending on which historian you believe it will be one of those three years, but the official date of birth given by the Library of Congress and on her death certificate indicates that it was 1915. Another reason that she may not have had a record of her birth is due to her Romani heritage. The Roma people in Spain are mainly in Andalusia, but also in Catalonia, Madrid, and Valencia. Carmen was from Catalonia and her father was a Romani guitar player. She started going out with him while he performed when she was a child. 

Amaya was a powerhouse and commanded the stage with her dance. She also subverted classic gender roles in flamenco dance. She traded the traditional flamenco skirts and soft, feminine dance moves for high-waisted, traditional men's clothing and more masculine movements in her early career. She was and still is widely regarded as one of the best flamenco dancers that have ever lived.  She spent time in America, performing on stage and in several movies. While in the United States she performed for FDR who in turn invited her to perform at the White House. She also met the Queen when she traveled to London. 

Unfortunately, Amaya passed away at the early age of 45-50, depending on which birth year you're going off of. She was truly remarkable and has an incredible story. There are a couple of links below that are worth a read if you're interested in learning more about her.  

https://amazingwomeninhistory.com/carmen-amaya-queen-of-gypsies-flamenco-dancer/

https://www.andalucia.com/flamenco/dancers/carmenamaya.htm