Micaela Flores Amaya, (born 1938) better known by her stage name, La Chunga, is a spanish flamenco dancer, and painter of naïf art.

Early life

Micaela Flores Amaya was born in Marseille, France, in 1938, although the exact date of her birth remains unknown. Her parents were Andalusian

Romanis The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic Itinerant groups in Europe, itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have Ro ...

, who emigrated to France during the Spanish Civil War. When she was less than a year old, her family moved to Barcelona. Additionally, she is the sister of flamenco dancer Lorenza "''La Chunguita''" Flores Amaya, and cousin of famed flamenco dancer Carmen Amaya. La Chunga started dancing when she was six years-old in the "Ca La Rosita", a well-known bodega for the Romanì community in

El Poble-Sec El Poble-sec (; ) is a neighborhood in the '' Sants-Montjuïc'' district of Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). The neighborhood is located between Montjuïc mountain and the Avinguda del Paral·lel Avinguda del Paral·lel (; en, Avenue of the Paral ...

. It was at this time she was discovered by painter Francisco "Paco" Rebés, during one of her improvised street performances. Rebés would later take her under his tutelage, and assume the role of her godfather.

Career

La Chunga became the 'muse' of several writers, including

Blas de Otero Blas de Otero (15 March 191629 June 1979) was a Spanish people, Spanish poet, associated with the Social poetry movementDebicki, Andrew P''Spanish Poetry of the Twentieth Century: Modernity and Beyond'', p. 74.University Press of Kentucky, 1994. ...

, Rafael Alberti,

José Manuel Caballero Bonald José Manuel Caballero Bonald (November 11, 1926 – May 9, 2021) was a Spanish novelist, lecturer and poet. Early life Caballero was born in Calle Caballeros, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. His father was Plácido Caballero, a Cuban whose mother ...

and

León Felipe León Felipe Camino Galicia (11 April 1884 – 17 September 1968) was an anti-fascist Spanish poet. Biography Felipe was born in Tábara, Zamora, Spain, while his parents were travelling. His father was a public notary and comfortably off. ...

, as well as several painters, including

Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

, Dalí and the aforementioned Francisco Rebés, who made her an attractive character for intellectuals and encouraged her to paint. A 1958 photo shows Salvador Dalí inviting her to make art by dancing on a blank canvas. During intervals, Dali would paint beneath her feet. She was known for her barefoot style of flamenco dance and described as "The Barefoot Dancer". She was admired by Picasso as a "shining naif". She also exhibited in several galleries in Paris and Madrid. Since then, Chunga has participated in many tours and some movies. She married the cinema director José Luis Gonzalvo and they had a daughter, Pilar.

Filmography

*''

Tip on a Dead Jockey ''Tip on a Dead Jockey'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Taylor and Dorothy Malone. It is based on ''The New Yorker'' 1954 short story by Irwin Shaw. Plot Phyllis Tredman is shocked when her husband ...

'' (1957) directed by

Richard Thorpe Richard Thorpe (born Rollo Smolt Thorpe; February 24, 1896 – May 1, 1991) was an American film director best known for his long career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Biography Born Rollo Smolt Thorpe in Hutchinson, Kansas, Richard Thorpe began his en ...

*''Back to the Door'' (1959) directed by José María Forqué *''El último verano'' (1961) by Juan Bosch *''Juan Pedro the Scyther'' ( (1969) by José Luis Gonzalvo * "Cierto reflejos: La Chunga" (1978) by Mario Gomez Martin *''

Vampire in Venice ''Vampire in Venice'' ( it, Nosferatu a Venezia), also known as ''Prince of the Night'' and ''Nosferatu in Venice'' is a 1988 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Augusto Caminito and an uncredited Klaus Kinski, and starring Kinski, C ...

'' (1988) by Augusto Caminito *''Papa Piquillo'' IMDb, La Chunga (1998) by Alvaro Saenz de Heredia

Prizes

*Medalla de Oro del Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid, *Medalla Oro de la Asociación de la Prensa de Sevilla *Trofeo Delfín de Alicante *Premio del Ayuntamiento de Alicante *Premio Cidale de los Almendros.

References

External links

Biografía
1938 births Living people Spanish Romani people Romani flamenco dancers Romani painters Spanish flamenco dancers Spanish female dancers 20th-century Spanish painters 21st-century Spanish painters 20th-century Spanish women artists 21st-century Spanish women artists {{Spain-artist-stub