Reinventing Spain's 'ageless art' of flamenco

Stamping her heels to the brisk strumming of a guitar, Merche Esmeralda, 68, twirls her black shawl in the sunshine as the Madrid traffic streams by a roundabout behind her.

At an age when most top ballet and contemporary dancers would long ago have hung up their pumps, this flamenco star still shines - and now a generation of new artists is rising to follow.

?This is a great time for flamenco. There is an impressive new generation, extremely technically accomplished in singing, guitar-playing and dancing,? said David Calzado, a specialist flamenco blogger who writes for ABC newspaper.

Esmeralda was the poster girl at June?s Flamenco Madrid festival, for which her open-air dance was a promotion.

Now two other major festivals are coming up, where the old guard will dance, strum and sing their tragic laments alongside the new blood that must drive forward this traditional art form.

From August 6 to 22, the small southeastern town of La Union hosts the Cante de las Minas International Festival -- the most important date on the flamenco calendar, said Rafael Manjavacas, director of the specialist website deflamenco.com.

Then a new festival, Flamenco on Fire, will draw some of the biggest names away from their southern homeland to the northern city of Pamplona from August 22 to 30.

Born centuries ago among the poor gypsies of southern Andalusia, flamenco has been shaken lately by recession and by the death of its most revered figure of modern times: the guitarist Paco de Lucia.

?Everyone was sad about Paco de Lucia,? said Calzado. ?Now we have to move on.? Spain was plunged into mourning when De Lucia died in February last year at 63. The new king Felipe VI bowed his head at De Lucia?s coffin.