Detail from Andalucia quilt (cotton fabric, polyester, monofilament thread; by Noriko Nozawa) / Houston, TX / Nov. 2007
Andalusia, in Spain's southern region, is known for its Flamenco dancing. Acoustic guitars accompany the dancers and they are urged on with rapid, rhythmic handclapping (see lower right of quilt). An inspired and expressive dancer is said to achieve duende (DWEN-day).
"The duende, then, is a power and not a construct, is a struggle and not a concept. I have heard an old guitarist, a true virtuoso, remark, 'The duende is not in the throat, the duende comes up from inside, up from the very soles of the feet.' That is to say, it is not a question of aptitude, but of a true and viable style -- of blood, in other words; of what is oldest in culture: of creation made act."
~ Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca (from his famous lecture on The Theory and Function of Duende)