Does the Duende get lost?

Recently someone responded to a post about Flamenco Explained by saying something like “but won’t the Duende get lost if you explain flamenco?” So I thought I’d write a response here that I could have ready for this purpose, because it’s not a bad question, really.

What is Duende?

Duende is ineffable – it’s not something you can really put into words, and in a way you almost have to earn the definition, not to mention a shot at experiencing real Duende, by hanging out with flamenco in all its forms. But in short, Duende is a feeling you may experience when flamenco gets real – and I mean really real – and I’m almost certain it’s not the same for everyone.

I’m not here to try to teach you how to experience Duende, in much the same way that Flamenco Explained is not trying to explain Gypsy culture, Spanish culture or flamenco culture (nor do I believe there is a single version of any of these things). But I very much believe that you’re going to have a much better shot at experiencing or identifying Duende if you understand how flamenco works.

Magical Moments

So yeah, I probably can’t teach you how to experience Duende. But I can help you understand how flamenco works. When you understand how flamenco works, it will help get you closer to appreciating and hopefully experiencing these magical moments that we get to experience a few times in our lives if we’re lucky.