The flamenca is a Spanish quintain (or 5-line stanza) form with a staccato rhythm meant to replicate the click of heels by flamenco dancers. The flamenca goes by a few other names, including seguidilla gitana (or Gypsy seguidilla), playera, and/or sequiriya.
Here are basic guidelines of the flamenca:
- 5 lines
- lines 1, 2, 4, and 5 have 6 syllables
- line 3 has 5 syllables
- lines 2 and 5 assonate
Poem-
Did Mary like her pets,
Two white mice, Wise and Nice-
It was never known,
They were fed and fancied
But sold when they got old.