Carmen Amaya (1913-1963) was a flamenco dancer and singer from Barcelona. Her dancing won quite a bit of attention from the likes of film directors and US presidents along with the usual dance fanatics.
What strikes me about her dancing is the polarity between her two halves. She carries her upper body with a masculine roughness and strength, but her lower body is softer, and more feminine. I realize that this might just be a quality of flamenco, but Carmen pulls it off more poignantly than I’ve ever seen.