Flamenco Show

A couple of weekends back I had the opportunity to go see a flamenco show. What I saw was a professional show, called a tablau show. Though not true flamenco, which is completely improvised as more of a "street art", the tablau was still a good example of the dance and music itself.

It is very hard to separate the dance from the music, since the two are so closely intermingled. The music is very rhythmic, comprised mostly of some of the most intricate guitar work I have ever heard, some drums, and clapping. Most of the percussion work, however, is provided by the dancers themselves. Their shoes have very thick, hard soles on them to produce all kinds of sound, much like a tapdancing shoe. Unlike tapdancing, the flamenco is much more intense and flowing. The best way I can think of to describe the sounds is it sounds like a river or rainstorm of sound, where the dancer and guitarist play off each other to control the ebb and flow of the sounds. I also found it interesting that the female dancers wore flowing traditional dress, but the male dancers all seemed to wear some kind of business suit. In either case, the extra material was used as a way to keep the visual flow of the dance.

Also while I was there, I had a chance to try jamòn bellota. It is a type of ham reputed to be the best in all of Spain. It is made from farm raised Iberian pigs which are fed only acorns their whole life, which gives the meat its own unique flavor. Personally, I loved the taste, though it was a little unusual to eat uncooked ham, though it has been cured and aged for a long time.