The Zambra is the typical dance of the gypsy wedding ceremonies. Famous in Granada, it is the evolution of earlier Moorish dances and has many similarities with belly dancing.
Developed in the Sacramonte hills in Andalusia, it was abolished for a short time to be considered sensual and sinful, which led the gypsies to hide in the famous Granda caves in order to express their tradition.
We dance barefoot and playing finger cimbalini, with the blouse knotted under the bust and the wide skirt fixed at the hip with wide folds that allow it to float in the air.
The name derives from the Arabic"zumra", which means party:it was the traditional rite of Moroccan weddings prohibited by the Inquisition in the 16th century. After Granada was conquered by the Catholic kings, all Moroccans were forced to abandon the city walls and left at the Sacromonte. Once there, they mingled with the gypsies from India, a nomadic tribe that had arrived at Sacromonte a few years earlier.
The Zambra ceremony was absorbed, learned and transformed by the new Sacromonte tribes, who at some point began to show it and keep it as their tradition. These groups are the only remaining proof of this amazing Moroccan dance. They are the only ones who have kept this ancient discipline alive and those who have made it evolve to the flamenco dance we know today.
La Zambra is today a unique and genuine artistic expression of Granada, of the Sacromonte caves and their gypsies and a sight not to be missed when visiting the city.