ABSTRACT
Since the earliest days of flamenco women have been dancers who were well known, admired and sought after. These bailaoras took flamenco dance all over Spain and to all the capitals of Europe. Recent research (including the present study) reveals that cantaoras have also figured significantly in the flamenco tradition. But what of female guitarists? How have they figured in the history of flamenco and why are they so rare in contemporary flamenco? In my exploration of the role of female guitarists in flamenco, I begin by looking at the historical role of female guitarists in the nineteenth and early twentieth century and propose some reasons why the situation has changed in current practice. I present the perspectives shared by the cantaoras that I interviewed concerning the scarcity of, and changing opportunities for, female guitarists. I then present material from an interview I conducted with the only professional female guitarist that I met in Spain, María Albarrán.
