Flamenco

The Flamenco was something I have heard bits and pieces about my entire life.  As a Spanish student since I was 11 years old, part of the Spanish culture that I’ve learned about has included this traditional dance.  However, when I finally went to the Flamenco in Barcelona, it was not exactly what I had been expecting.  The two major things that come to mind when I picture the Flamenco are that little but loud clapper that the dancers wear on their hands, as well as big colorful (generally red) frilly dresses.  However, to my surprise, the Flamenco is a lot more in depth than simply dancers gliding across stage in fancy outfits and making lots of noise.  The first thing that shocked me was the speed at which these dancers could move their feet.  I could not even process thoughts as fast as their feet were moving; it was as if they were flying 1000 mph.  I was extremely impressed with not only the speed at which they could move but also their raw talent.  The tricks they were doing seemed, at least to an amateur dancer, to be extremely difficult and impressive.  Aside from the dance moves themselves, I was also extremely surprised at the format of the show itself.  I had pictured the show being completely dance-oriented, but when I got there, I found out that there were storylines and scenes with talking and acting.  I particularly enjoyed the second act of the show, which reminded me of West Side Story in that it featured two rival families who were only civil when the Flamenco dance was involved.  The last thing, although less important, that surprised me about the show was the setting it was in.  I thought it would be similar to an opera house or a play, but instead, the Flamenco show that I attended was a room full of tables at which dinner was served.  This was much more informal than I had anticipated.  The Flamenco, overall, was a great experience and is something that I will definitely remember from my time in Spain.