What are the three differennt kinds of flamenco?

Question: What are the three differennt kinds of flamenco!?

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Cante
Foreigners often think that the essence of flamenco is the dance!. However, the heart of flamenco is the song (cante)!. Although to the uninitiated, flamenco seems totally extemporaneous, these cantes (songs) and bailes (dances) follow strict musical and poetic rules!. The verses (coplas) of these songs often are beautiful and concise poems, and the style of the flamenco copla was often imitated by Andalucian poets!. Garcia Lorca is perhaps the best known of these poets!. In the 1920s he, along with the composer Manuel de Falla and other intellectuals, crusaded to raise the status of flamenco as an art form and preserve its purity!. But the future of flamenco is uncertain!. Flamenco is tied to the conditions and culture of Andalusia in the past, and as Spain modernizes and integrates into the European community, it is questionable whether flamenco can survive the social and economic changes!.

Cante flamenco can be categorized in a number of ways!. First, a cante may be categorized according to whether it follows a strict rhythmic pattern ("compas") or follows a free rhythm ("libre")!. The cantes with compas fit one of four compas patterns!. These compas-types are generally known by the name of the most important cante of the group!. Thus

Solea
Siguiriya
Tango
Fandango
The solea group includes the cantes: solea; romances, solea por bulerias, alegrias (cantinas); La Cana; El Polo

Baile
El baile flamenco is a highly-expressive solo dance, known for its emotional sweeping of the arms and rhythmic stomping of the feet!. While flamenco dancers (bailaores and bailaoras) invest a considerable amount of study and practice into their art form, the dances are not choreographed, but are improvised along the palo or rhythm!. In addition to the percussion provided by the heels and balls of the feet striking the floor, castanets are sometimes held in the hands and clicked together rapidly to the rhythm of the music, or clicking using just fingers!. Sometimes, folding fans are used for visual effect!.
Palos
Flamenco music styles are called palos in Spanish!. There are over 50 different palos flamenco, although some of them are rarely performed!. A palo can be defined as musical form of flamenco!. Flamenco songs are classified into palos based on several musical and non-musical criteria such as its basic rhythmic pattern, mode, chord progression, form of the stanza, or geographic origin!. The rhythmic patterns of the palos are also often called compás!. A compás (the Spanish normal word for either time signature or bar) is characterised by a recurring pattern of beats and accents!.

To really understand the different palos, it is also important to understand their musical and cultural context:

The mood intention of the palo (for example, dancing - Alegrías, consolation - Soleá, fun - Bulerias, etc!.)!. Although palos are associated with type of feeling or mood, this is by no means rigid!.
The set of typical melodic phrases, called falsetas, which are often used in performances of a certain palo!.
The relation to similar palos!.
Cultural traditions associated with a palo (ie: men's dance - Farruca)
Some of the forms are sung unaccompanied, while others usually have a guitar and sometimes other accompaniment!. Some forms are danced while others traditionally are not!. Amongst both the songs and the dances, some are traditionally the reserve of men and others of women, while still others could be performed by either sex!. Many of these traditional distinctions are now breaking down; for example, the Farruca is traditionally a man's dance, but is now commonly performed by women too!. Many flamenco artists, including some considered to be amongst the greatest, have specialised in a single flamenco form!.

The classification of flamenco palos is not entirely uncontentious, but a common traditional classification is into three groups!. The deepest, most serious forms are known as cante jondo (or cante grande), while relatively light, frivolous forms are called cante chico!. Other non-musical considerations often factor into this classification, such as whether the origin of the palo is considered to be gypsy or not!. Forms which do not fit into either category but lie somewhere between them are classified as cante intermedio!. However, there is no general agreement on how to classify each palo!. Whereas there is general agreement that the soleá, seguiriya and the tonás must be considered cante jondo, there is wide controversy on where to place cantes like the fandango, malague?a, or tientos!. Many flamenco fans tend to disregard this classification as highly subjective, or else they considered that, whatever makes a song cante grande is not the song itself but the depth of the interpreter!.

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