AUSTIN — What if part of flamenco’s story begins much farther east than Spain?
That question is at the heart of Flamenco India, Oliver Rajamani’s long-running exploration of the musical and cultural connections between India, the Romani diaspora and flamenco.
On Sunday, December 6, 2026, at 7 p.m., Flamenco India will take the stage at Austin’s State Theatre, 719 Congress Ave. The theatre’s current listings show the performance as on sale.
A different way of hearing the flamenco story
Rajamani describes Flamenco India as an innovative musical journey into the Indian roots of Spain’s Romani flamenco. His project brings Indian musical traditions into dialogue with flamenco, Romani music and Texas traditions, while incorporating original compositions and rhythms.
For Rajamani, the connection is not simply an exercise in musical fusion. It is also a way of considering how people carry culture with them as they migrate—how melodies, rhythms and movement can survive journeys across generations and continents.
India, the Romani diaspora and flamenco
The project centers the historical connection between the Romani people and the Indian subcontinent. Rajamani’s work asks audiences to consider that migration as part of the much larger history surrounding flamenco’s development in Spain.
That perspective can complicate the familiar image of flamenco as an art that emerged in isolation. Instead, Flamenco India presents flamenco as part of a history of movement, encounter and cultural exchange.
The Texas Commission on the Arts describes Rajamani’s music as drawing from Indian, European Romani and Texas Americana traditions. His performance history includes collaborations with artists from flamenco, Indian classical music, jazz, Americana and Romani traditions.
A project with deep Austin roots
Flamenco India has a substantial history in Austin. Rajamani’s project has been presented in the city in different forms over the years, and Austin PBS’s Arts In Context has also documented his exploration of the relationship between Indian music and flamenco.
That makes the State Theatre performance more than another stop on a concert calendar. It continues an Austin-based artistic conversation about where flamenco came from, how traditions travel and what happens when artists place those histories in dialogue.
Why it matters to flamenco audiences
For audiences who know flamenco primarily through its Spanish forms—cante, toque and baile—Flamenco India offers another lens.
It does not attempt to turn flamenco into Indian music. Instead, it explores the connections and differences between traditions, using performance to make questions of migration and cultural memory audible.
In that sense, the production fits naturally into a broader understanding of flamenco as an art shaped by many peoples, histories and encounters.
Flamenco India
Oliver Rajamani
Sunday, December 6, 2026 · 7 p.m.
State Theatre
719 Congress Ave., Austin, Texas
Event details are based on current theatre listings and may be updated by the presenter.