Submitted by Anna Hemelt on the 2018 fall semester study abroad program in Granada, Spain…
This week is my last full week in Granada, as next week, I have final exams and then leave. On Thursday, I was lucky enough to experience a flamenco show at Peña La Platería in the Albaicín in Granada. Even though I’ve been in Spain for 15 full weeks, I don’t know very much about flamenco, so I had no expectations. This show was amazing. It only lasted a little over an hour, but when the dancers, guitarist, and singer were on stage, I couldn’t take my eyes away. They dance with so much force and passion, and I think that it was an emotional experience for everyone in that room.
Flamenco is based on the traditional folkloric music of Andalucía, Extremadura, and Murcia. There is a guitarist, a singer, a chorus (who was snapping and clapping and making additional noises), and a dancer or two. There were two acts to our show; in the first one, there was a female dancer, and in the second one, a male. Both dancers had so much passion. I was sitting in the front row, so I could see their faces while they danced, and it was obvious how passionate they are about their dance.
Photos and videos during the show weren’t allowed, but I was able to take a picture of the stage before the show, which is the picture below. There is also a picture of the side wall of the beautiful “theater” where we watched the show. The third picture is a photo of the Alhambra lit up at night, a view that we saw right as we walked into Peña La Platería.
