Young and old stars sustain flamenco's shine
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," says David Calzado, a specialist flamenco blogger who writes for ABC newspaper.
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