Antoñita Singla (born 1948)
is a Catalan-born Romani
flamenco
Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...
dancer and actress. She often went by the stage name Antoñita La Singla or simply "La Singla".
Early life
Antonia Singla Contreras was born in 1948 in the neighborhood
Somorrostro de la Barceloneta, in Barcelona, Spain.
At the time of her birth, this neighborhood was a
shanty town
A shanty town, squatter area, squatter settlement, or squatter camp is a settlement of improvised buildings known as shanties or shacks, typically made of materials such as mud and wood, or from cheap building materials such as corrugated iron s ...
and a Romani community. A few days after her birth she was in pain, perhaps caused by
meningitis
Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...
, and lost her hearing.
In 1968, she made a partial recovery from her medical condition.
While she was growing up, La Singla learned to dance rumba, fandango, bulerías and flamenco with considerable skill.
Singla began to dance by watching her mother clapping, absorbing the rhythm and turning it into a really remarkable dance full of emotions. It is said that she did not speak fluently until the age of 16.
Career

Singla began her career at the early age of 12, dancing in some taverns in Barcelona. She was known for wearing pants in a
bailaor style when performing dramatic dancing, something also done by
Carmen Amaya
Carmen Amaya Amaya (2 November 1918 – 19 November 1963), nicknamed ''La Capitana'' (English: ''The Captain'') was a Spanish Romani flamenco dancer and singer, born in the Somorrostro district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
She is often ha ...
and a few other flamenco dancers before her.
In 1960, she launched her artistic career by participating in the group project
Festival Flamenco Gitano in which personalities such as
Paco de Lucía
Francisco Sánchez Gómez (; 21 December 194725 February 2014), known as Paco de Lucía (), was a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer, and record producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he was one of the first flamen ...
,
Camarón de la Isla
José Monje Cruz (5 December 1950 – 2 July 1992), better known by his stage name Camarón de la Isla, was a Spanish Romani flamenco singer. Considered one of the all-time greatest flamenco singers, he was noted for his collaborations with Pa ...
, and
El Faraón
José Luis Barajas Fernández is a retired Mexican professional wrestler, or '' Luchador'' as they are called in Spanish. Barajas is best known under the ring name, El Faraón (Spanish for "the Pharaoh"), a ring name and persona he used throughou ...
, among others, participated. This 1965 event was the brainchild of German organizers of Blues and Gospel festivals, who decided to invest in flamenco, later participating in numerous television programs. In addition, the Festival Flamenco Gitano toured Europe and the American continent. The first performance took place in the German capital, Berlin. La Singla was more famous internationally than in Spain.
In 1963, she performed as an actress and dancer in the film
Los Tarantos, directed by
Francisco Rovira-Beleta. The film is based on a play by Alfredo Mañas and tells the story of the fierce confrontation between two Roma families in Barcelona: "Los Tarantos" and "Los Zorongos". Antoñita La Singla participated in the film as 'Sole', one of the dancers. In addition, thanks to the filming of the movie, Singla was able to meet Carmen Amaya,
with whom she was compared too. The film, Los Tarantos was nominated for an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
in 1964 for "Best Foreign Language Film".
Another important milestone in the career of Antoñita Singla was her performance in the flamenco club Los Califas, a 1964 flamenco club whose
tablao flamenco was inaugurated on October 15, 1965. The club owners heard about her through the artistic manager Antonio Fernández. A few days later she traveled to Madrid ready to debut in "Los Califas".
Obviously, it was not easy to accompany "La Singla", since she lacked the hearing and speech needed to interact with the musicians. Nevertheless she flawlessly executed the performance in its entirety. It was this unusual situation that drew professionals from the flamenco dance community to the ''Los Califas'' dance club.
Legacy
As of 2017, Singla lives in
Santa Coloma de Gramenet
Santa Coloma de Gramenet (), informally simply known as Santa Coloma, and formerly as ''Gramenet de Besòs'' between 1936 and 1939, is a municipality in Barcelonès county, in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the south-east side of the Catal ...
,
in Catalonia, Spain far from the tablaos.
On April 15, 2017, one of the brothers of the artist, Juan José Singla Contreras, and his partner, Santiago Parra, opened a flamenco tablao
in Barcelona with the name of La Singla to pay tribute. The location of La Singla is located in front of
La Monumental
The Plaza de Toros Monumental de Barcelona, often known simply as La Monumental (), is a bullring in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was the last bullfighting arena in commercial operation in Catalonia. It was inaugurated in 1914 und ...
bullring, and it is the first new flamenco establishment that has opened in the city in 30 years.
In 2023 a documentary film ''
La Singla
La Singla, also spelled La Sengla, is a 3,714 m mountain of the Pennine Alps, located on the border between Switzerland and Italy. It is the highest summit lying between the valleys of Bagnes (Valais) and Valpelline (Aosta Valley
The Aos ...
'' was released, which was about Singla's life, career, and contained interview to her.
References
External links
*Video:
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Singla, Antoñita
1948 births
Living people
Spanish flamenco dancers
Deaf artists
Spanish female dancers
Dancers with disabilities
Spanish people with disabilities
People from Barcelona
Spanish Romani people
Actors with disabilities
Romani flamenco dancers