Holy Flamenco

Last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing a real traditional Flamenco show in Madrid, Spain. If there's every an opportunity to see one near Burlington I definitely recommend it! Though the show was hardly what I was expecting, it was a really amazing cultural experience.

When I pictured a Flamenco show in my head, I was thinking there would be a male and female 

dancer, and they'd sashay across the floor together in big sweeping steps- not so. There was a guitar player, and a male and female singer, and then 2 female dancers and a male dancer (who had an uncanny resemblance to Michael Jackson). The guitarist would play as the singers alternated passionately belting out verses of songs, though unfortunately I didn't understand many of the words. Then one of the dancers would come in, and it was like they were adding the percussion to the music with their feet. And then at some points all the other music would stop, and the dancer would just tap and tap, and toss their hair, and beat out an entire song with their feet. From some of the beats, it seemed impossible that anyone could move their feet that fast, or maintain the rhythm, but they did. 

Definitely the highlight of the show was when one of the women dancers came out to do her dances at the very end. She at least in her late 50's, but she strutted onto the stage in a beautiful red dress with her hair perfectly done, her face all made up, and a huge smile on her face the entire time. Everyone in the room loved her, which I could tell from the chorus of "ole's" that were shouted at the stage as her feet moved faster and faster. All in all, it was a great experience, and a nice way to spend a a few hours of my evening in Madrid. Ole!