Stamping her heels to the brisk strumming of a guitar, Merche Esmeralda, 68, twirls her black shawl in the sunshine as the Madrid traffic streams by a roundabout behind her.

At an age when most top ballet and contemporary dancers would long ago have hung up their pumps, this flamenco star still shines - and now a generation of new artists is rising to follow.

"This is a great time for flamenco. There is an impressive new generation, extremely technically accomplished in singing, guitar-playing and dancing," says David Calzado, a specialist flamenco blogger who writes for ABC newspaper.