page_title: Juana la Macarrona
section_title: Early career
hierarchical_section_title: Juana la Macarrona / Fame as bailaora / Early career
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Flamenco Tänzerin
context_page_description: Juana la Macarrona was a famous Spanish flamenco dancer. Born as Juana Vargas de las Heras in the barrio Santiago at Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, she later added the name La Macarrona. Her Gitano parents started her on her dancing career, which lasted well into the twentieth century.
context_section_description: Her mother was Ramona de las Heras Valencia, a flamenco singer, her father Juan de Vargas Barrío, a flamenco guitarist. At the age of seven Juana began dancing in the streets to their accompaniment. Hers was a flamenco family. Among her gypsy ancestors was Josefa Vargas, also a bailaora. More distant ancestors were among the earliest flamenco performers known. María Vargas, Juana's sister, was the lesser-known dancer María La Macarrona. Juana landed her first regular job at a café cantante in Sevilla, but she earned more in the streets by the equivalent of "passing the hat". Later she danced beside the singer El Mezcle at a flamenco café in Málaga.
  At about the age of 16 Juana was "discovered" by Silverio Franconetti, the legendary flamenco cantaor (singer), at whose Café Silverio in Sevilla she then danced. Quickly La Macarrona became a well-known bailaora throughout Spain, dancing in company with the best flamenco performers (singers, dancers, guitarists) at well-known café cantantes. By the early 1890s Juana was appearing at illustrious venues in Paris, and elsewhere in Europe. Entertained were several "zares de Russia", a "shah de Persia", various "reyes, principes y duques", as well as "señoríos" and "comerciantes". La Macarrona performed her baile at the Paris Exposition of 1889. She had become rich and famous.
caption: Flamenco dancer by Castelucho (c.1905).
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