Turns out there is a lot of music and dance in Granada.
We were walking down the street, hit the Plaza de Carmen, and lo and behold, there was a stage set up and a crowd gathered. On the stage were about 20-30 guitar players of all ages, as well as about 20-30 young girls and a single young boy. In the audience were a bunch of parents and grandparents, many with cameras, or smartphones that are also cameras. It was very similar to a dance recital in the US, only it was in Spain and featured Spanish folk dancing.
How do we know this? Because many of the adults in the audience also started to do the same dance that was being done on the stage. Nancy and Ellen did not participate, but chose to watch.
That night we went to the Cueva de Rocio for the “authentic” Flamenco experience. It was in a cave. It did feature mature women (they don’t have the emotional baggage to truly do Flamenco without life experience), and a few young guys. We were all lined up on the sides of the cave, and it was very fun, although Ellen was concerned about how angry all of the dancers looked. I pointed out that this was not anger, rather it was passion. She remained unconvinced.
The next night we bought tickets for a benefit for Granada. There was dance, Flamenco singing, and guitar. It was at the local auditorium. There was a wedding party being hosted at the restaurant there, so we were able to see the party party. Many of the women were wearing “fascinators,” or at least that’s what Nancy said. I’m not as up on the norms of British society, so I will accept her position on this.
Poster for the Benefit Concert
I enjoyed some of the dancing, much of the singing, and almost all of the guitar. There were some master Flamenco talents that performed. The audience was predominantly Granadian, and we heard many “Ole’s” throughout, as well as some singing along.
It was very cool when the curtains at the back of the auditorium went up. In the distance was the Alhambra, lit up and beautiful.
The only downside was the number of smartphones in use throughout. There was one old lady who got WhatsApp texts throughout the evening, and needed to answer them all. Her husband was monitoring the scores of sporting events. The lady next to me made a phone call during the concert.
Sorry for the quality of the photos, it was dark.
Wonderful! I suspect the audience was dancing the Sevillana! Our daughter danced that to a Flamenco Guitarist at her wedding (she studied flamenco for years and danced semi professionally with a troupe in D.C.). All Andalucians learn the Sevillana!