The word flamenco has an international resonance, yet few people know much about flamenco itself - for most it means a colourful Spanish dance but behind the superficial image lies a significant history and evolution. This study explores this history from its earliest beginnings in songs, to its present sophistication in the combination of leading singers and dancers. The religious and ethnic influences on flamenco are analyzed as well as its place in literature, the themes that appear in it songs, its grounding in Andalusia and the 20th-century revival of its basic meaning under the aegis of the poet Lorca and other Spanish notables.