El Farruco

Antonio Montoya Flores, or most widely known as El Farruco, was a gypsy dancer who danced to the most deep-rooted gypsy style of flamenco dance. Born in Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid, in the year 1935, before he became the world famous El Farruco, he spent most of his youth out living on the open road living the traditional gypsy life. His father was a horse and cattle dealer who traded at fairs and markets of Andalucia, while his mother was a Moroccan dancer with whom Farruco would try to entertain audiences at the market. However, Farruco went through a personal tragic experience that would scar him and ultimately influence his career as a dancer. The emotions that he displayed through his dancing came mostly from his first-hand experience with the pain and suffering he had endured. He was married by the age of fourteen, a father at the age of fifteen, a widower at the at age of just sixteen, and his son died at a road accident at the age of eighteen. He went through several losses and pain which greatly influenced the style of dancing that he performed on stage. His dancing style was impeccable and unrivaled by all so far. He spent most of his time at his dance school in Seville, and traveled with different flamenco troupes including Manolo Caracol, Lola Greco, and Matilda Coral. In 1977 he joined his daughters in their team under the title of Los Farrucos. He performed at the 1992 Expo in Seville where he was awarded the prestigious “Compas del Cante.” He appeared in several documentaries about gypsies and flamenco. He died at the age of 62 in 1997. Antonio Montoya Flores stood for pure traditional gypsy “baile flamenco.” He stood for this because he didn’t care about the flashy showmanship or theatrical type of dance, but rather cared for the pure gypsy baile. This, by the way he kept traditional gypsy baile flamenco alive, was important because he showed everyone what this art was truly about, and he stood to be one of the most influential of all of pure baile