Contrary to popular belief, Flamenco is a genre of Spanish music, not a type of dance. Originating from Andalusia, the Southern region of Spain, it is famed for its passionate, heart-rendering singing alongside guitar accompaniment and dancing.
Seville offers one of the best and most authentic flamenco shows in the whole of Spain. Tucked away in the back alleys of the old town, La Carboneria (highly recommended by Lonely Planet) may appear inconspicuous during the day; come night time it is transformed into two huge bars offering FREE flamenco shows nightly. This place is usually sardine-packed with tourists and locals alike (but in most cases tourists outnumber the locals).
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| The garage is transformed into a lively flamenco bar once the sun sets. |
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| Vintage interior decor |
Food-wise it was pretty bad with canned and ready-made ingredients; drinks were mediocre. But then again, I guess people came here for the free Flamenco show.We were greeted by a local singer wannabe/guitarist at the opening scene with a selection of English and Spanish pop. More people started to come after 10pm and by 11pm, the crowd grew even bigger and louder. Finally, it was time for flamenco!
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| The unappetising bar food :/ |
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| The flamenco dancer (left), cantaores aka the singer (middle), guitarist (right) |
The show started off with a heart-wrenching, passionate “deep song” sung by the solo singer, often accompanied by intense palmas (hand-clapping). There are parts of the song where it was sung solo and parts where it was sung under the accompaniment of the strumming of the guitar. If only I understood what he was singing I could enjoy the song better because honestly, it was too long and boring (*yawns).
And finally came the moment we’ve been waiting for: the flamenco dance! The dancer performing that night was not the usual pretty Spanish girls clad in colourful, glamorous flamenco dresses. Wearing only a plain apple green dress with ruffle finishing, she gave us a world-class flamenco dance. It was perfectly executed, highly energetic and passionate, crowds were utterly pumped and thrilled each time she throws a high flying kick in the air, accompanied by her flawless swirls and twirls.
Ole-ole-ole! The crowd enthused as the show comes to an end as everyone is craving for more. She cracked a wide bright smile on her sweaty cheeks amidst the thundering applause from the audience..A perfect end to yet another night in the Andalusian capital 🙂
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| Highly-focused |
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| The crowd was super pumped! |
