The photo below shows a busker, (listening to him play, a better description would be concert artist) playing in the little square where we were having lunch. I felt very spoiled and priveleged when I gave the man a couple of Euros, and he played just for Julie and I. How very southern Spain, lunch around 3:00pm sitting outside in the square, and listening to beautiful guitar music wafting in the air.
We went to two proper formal flamenco concerts, both very enoyable, but both different. The first was very traditional. Held in a small room, about thirty chairs placed around a small stage. You can see how small the stage was when you see that four people just about filled it up. There was no eating, drinking, or photos, you just went to sit, listen and watch. The second show was more cabaret style, held in a restaurant with people wining and dining. The second show had two guitarists, three singers, two male, and three female dancers, whereas the first one had just a guitarist, a singer and a female dancer.
A quick flamenco 101 in case I get carried away but I'll try not too. Flamenco is "back to front music" In that in other music, the singers and dancers, follow the music, in Flamenco it's the other way round. Flamenco is also like jazz, in that all the participants know the song, but when improvising if one has a musical idea, the others can pick it up and bounce off it. This spark can be the singer, dancer, or musician, but generally the dancer leads. This is why sometimes the participants are often glancing around at each other, or gazing at the dancer's feet and or body. Sounds complicated? It isn't really once you get the hang of it.
So in the first show, the guitarist played some solo pieces. Stunningly beautiful, and I could have just listened to him all night, then the singer came on and another Flamencio dynamic appeared. Both singer and musician intertwined and weaved in and out of each other's music. Already you could feel the emotion and concentration in the air. Finally the dancer arrived, and the next dynamic arrived.
Generally the dancer leads, and it is her role to interpret the words that are being sung to her through dance. What a great dancer she was. She didn't use her body and hands much, just amazing footwork and changing rhythms.
All three participants were almost spent by the end of the performance.
The second cabaret show was different. Because no photos were allowed, I've had to take images from the internet to try and show you the excitement and specatacle of a big Flamenco show
The lead female dancer in this used a beautiful flowing dress to exaggerate her grand gestures and exuberant body movements, not too much feet at all.
This show had male dancers, and the lead dancer had all the arrogance macho, dignity, and energy needed in a dancer. He chose to dress in street clothes to project the image of the macho street dude.
His footwork was amazing too. To say that it was an "energetic" performance woud be an understatement. Sadly, neither of the guitarists got to play a solo, although one of them sounded as if he could have been very good given the chance. But it was the lead singer who was the leader of the troupe.
He had the voice with all the microtones and timbres of Flamenco's roots. It was he who was the "conductor" of the performance. He was the one who was always aware of what was happening on stage. Using his voice, heimplored the dancers to even greater heights, and with just three of four handclaps of foot stamps this takes the music into a new direction.
If I had a "dream team," it would be the guitarist and female dancer from the first performance, and the lead singer and lead dancer from the second.
So you see Flamenco is thriving in Seville just as it has been for hundreds of years. Long may it reign.
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