Those of you who know what flamenco is might like to skip the following paragraph, those who don't should not expect to learn everything about flamenco from this page - flamenco cannot be explained in a few words - but I hope to be able to give some hints. If you want to read about flamenco, I recommend Pohren's book (D.E.Pohren, The Art of Flamenco), but better still: go to flamenco performances, look, listen, and talk to the aficionados. If there is no live flamenco near your place, there are some good anthologies on CD. For details, see the resources listed below.
I found my way to flamenco via the dance, but actually flamenco consists of three elements: singing ("cante"), guitar playing ("toque") and dancing ("baile"). Most people agree that cante is the central element, contrary to popular views stemming from shows with a strong emphasis on baile or from flamenco guitar concerts. Another popular misconception is that flamenco is one style - actually, flamenco is a general term for some 30 to 50 forms, only part of which are danceable: Soleares, Siguiriyas, Bulerias, Alegrias, Tientos, ... to name just a few.