Written and illustrated by flamenco dancer and choreographyer Rosana Maya, The Flamenco Fanatic is a newly launched publication that promises to intrigue all fans of the Spanish dance.

Since Maya’s arrival in Malta in 1990, flamenco has gone from strength to strength with extensive local performances. Maltese dancers also regularly cross borders to Spain with annual visits to prestigious festivals.

Flamenco became a self-sustaining art form on the island, with the first all-flamenco school, Alegria Academia de Flamenco, launched in 1999.

A project that has been seven years in the making, The Flamenco Fanatic features a background in the history and evolution of flamenco, technical terminology and an insight into castanets and classical and regional styles of Spanish dance.

Personal experience and poetry enhance the interpretation with the aim of encouraging the enthusiast to delve into the art on a subliminal as well as technical level.

“Flamenco as an art is constantly evolving and requires the dedication, discipline and love to transform a highly skilled technical art form into a spiritual experience,” Maya writes.

The Flamenco Fanatic has 50 illustrations by the author and, besides the information about the dance itself, it also delves into the designing and making of costumes for flamenco.

www.flamencofanatic.com