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Carmen Amaya, gypsy dancer and singer that revolutionised the Flamenco world, was born in Barcelona on 2 November of 1913, right in the now disappeared suburb of Playa de Somorrostro.
She debuted in the Teatro Español when she was only 4 years old, accompanied by her father, the guitarist José Amaya "El Chino" - ´The Chinese´ - , in a performance that gained her the nickname La Capitana (´The Captain´). Since that moment, she started to earn a living as a dancer, performing in venues in the entire city, like the famous restaurant
Set Portes (´Seven Doors´) when she was 6 years old.
In 1923, when she was only 10 years of age, she danced in the Palacio de la Música de Madrid and the following years commenced a tour for all of Spain.
In 1929 she formed part of the Trío Amaya, together with her aunt La Faraonoa and her cousin María, formation that took her to Paris. Years later, in 1935 she performed together with other known artists like Conchita Piquer or Miguel de Molina and in 1937 and commenced a series of solo tours that during various years took her through Europe and America, spreading Flamenco all over the world. In one of her trips she got to perform in the White House responding to an invitation by the President of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt, and also appeared on the cover of the magazine, Life.
Converted in to an international artist, Amaya returned to Spain in 1947 and continued with her performances, but only one year later she returned to her European and American tours that characterised her for the rest of her life.
Her art remained registered forever through her participation in a multiple of films, the last one being, ´Los Tarantos´, of Alfredo Mañas (1962).
She passed away in Bagur in 1963 at the age of 50 due to kidney infection. Her death caused a great commotion in the Flamenco world and a great number of gypsies in all of Spain arrived afflicted to her funeral.
Since then she has received multiple acknowledgements like the Medalla del Mérito Turístico (Touristic Medal of Merit) of Barcelona, the Lazo de Isabel la Católica (Ribbon of the Catholic Isabella), the title of Hija Adoptiva de Bagur (Adopted Daughter of Bagur), a monument in the Montjuïc Park and a street with its name in the district of Sant Martí and in the city of Buenos Aires, amongst others.