Spain: Flamenco!Olé!

We had a fabulous day in Toledo, but the day was not over yet.
I was SO excited for this evening's entertainment -
Flamenco!

But first, while we were waiting for the charter bus in the square next to our hotel, I had to take some pictures of these guys!  This is a store that sells local Spanish handcrafts and goods, and on the second story balconies there are full life-size statues of historical Spanish figures looking out into the square!  So fun!  I love these guys1 

Aren't they great?

In the square waiting for the bus in front of Neptune fountain.  Got a good picture of fountain with the guys, but a city tour bus got in front of the fountain for our picture.  We had a great time with these guys, Fausto & Ann!

We discovered another treat.  I discovered that the music of bells that was heard every hour from our room that I loved...

 ...was actually a glockenspiel right out in front of our hotel!  On the hour the music would start, and the  double doors would open and our would come some life size colorful characters!  They moved and danced and turned. The matador raised and lowered his red cloak, and the flamenco dancer waved her fan!

I just loved it!!!

Finally we boarded the bus to drive us to the Corral de la Moreria.  Madrid has to premier flamenco stages, and this was one of them.  Flamenco dancers from all over come to Madrid and dance in some of the smaller bars and flamenco stages in hopes of being discovered and brought here, so this was the best of the best flamenco Madrid had to offer.

I didn't get any pictures of the front because it was being renovated and was covered in scaffolding.  The inside was old and intimate, just as it should be with flamenco.  They had us really squeezed in there on long narrow tables, and the salmon dinner was fabulous, though we all know we did not come for the food!  T

We were there for the entertainment!  And what entertainment it was!!!

I was surprised at how small the stage was, and the dancers and musicians all shared it at once.  The stage was a raised wood platform so that their feet were at our eye level becasue , you find out real quick that what you really want to watch are the feet!  Flamenco is all about the feet! Incredible!

They wore shoes with chunky heavy heals that were so loud on the wooden platform creating a rythem like tap dancers.  They reminded me of graceful hula dancers on the top half and intense Riverdance on the bottom half.

The three ladies were amazing!

The there were the stars of the show, a man and a woman.  I was dissapointed that they hardly danced together at all as I had expected.  Flamenco, I found out, is not really a couples dance, something romantic, like I had expected.  It is very individual.  Her dance was soulful and she told a story of sorrow and even angish in her dance.  He was very different, so intense, so searious.  He was working hard, and the sweat was just pouring down his face, but he just kept going and going like a machine.  I was tired just watching him!

The men and women dance very differently though their footworks is pretty much the same..  The women are graceful and twist and turn and show off their sexy curves.  His dance was very linear, and masculine, and it was all about speed and power.

The flamenco guitar music was spectacular, though the singing, done by old men, I found a bit jarring.

Wow!  I wish I could move like that!


What an amazing evening!  If you even come to Madrid, you HAVE to pay the money to see some good Flamenco!  I couldn't tell if we were watching dancing, theater, or serious athletes in a sporting event.  There was so much emotion that was intensified by the intimate atmosphere.  This is where I really understood the heat and soul of Spanish culture.  This is where I really got to FEEL Spain!  Olé!