There are other famous guitarists such as Tomatito, Gerardo Núñez, Vicente Amigo and so on. Vicente Amigo is my favorite guitarist now because I think his performance is like a gentle breeze which can help you relax!
I had kept thinking the topic I should introduce this week for many days, and finally I had decided to talk about “tablao.” The information I shared in several weeks maybe was not strongly related to daily life, so I chose the topic which might be useful if you want to see a flamenco show in the future.
Tablaos are flamenco clubs which are most frequently found in Andalusia. At a tablao, you can have a drink and order some tapas while appreciating flamenco dance and song. Compared to big and formal show, I think that seeing a performance at tablao is much more interesting because it is more casual and traditional. Furthermore, you can feel the dancer’s power and passionate (or crazy) atmosphere closely.
As an audience, you must know the word “olé” which means God. We say olé when we see something that is beyond words or when we hear a rhythm that is close to perfection. It is the highest compliment in flamenco. When seeing a show not only at a tablao but also on the street, you can yell olé or clap whenever you want just like you also participate in the performance. As far as I am concerned, it is the magic to see a flamenco show in live.
Traditionally, male dancers concentrate more on complicated footwork and technique, while female dancers focus more on upper body movement and like to use props like castanets, shawls and fans. However, the differences between the two become blurred nowadays. For example, female dancers now also like to challenge themselves with difficult footwork, while some male dancers start wearing skirts to make their performance more interesting to watch. As time has changed, the dancing styles 0r the way that dancers dress have been more creative.
And now, I want to introduce my favorite dancer, Sara Baras, who was born in Cadiz, Spain, 1971. “She was taught to dance by her mother, Concha Baras, who ran a dance school in Spain. She has increasingly worked across all forms of media including television, film and the fashion catwalks and has won a number of awards such as Madroño Flamenco of Montellano (Seville) in 1993, 1999 and 2001.” (1) I like her performance because I think her movement is elegant, clean, powerful and breathtaking. Besides, I think she is beautiful!!
The video is from movie “Iberia” performed by Sara Baras.
Many people think flamenco is only suitable for women, and the men who dance it are weird or sissy. Actually, there are a lot of famous male dancers in Spain, and I think many of them dance coolly and awesomely. Therefore I choose the below videos and hope to twist the impression. The first video was performed by Antonio (male) and Manuel Reyes (male), and the second one was performed by Manuel Liñan (male), Marco Flores (male), Daniel Doña (male) and Olga Pericet (female). Hope you enjoy!!
