Experiencing the Magical World of Flamenco. Seville, Day 1

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We arrived in Seville with the first winds from Sahara. And boy it was hot, way beyond our expectations. Therefore we were incredibly happy when we finally managed to find our way to the hotel even if we only had time to quickly freshen up before heading for the Flamenco Dance Museum where we were about to experience our first flamenco show in Andalusia.

Luckily for us, the museum was right in the heart of the city and just around the corner from the hotel. It took us less than five minutes to find it and the moment we stepped in we felt the bliss of the air con.

First we toured the museum and afterwards we attended the live show organized in the patio. The Flamenco Dance Museum in Seville is not a big one, but it has all the elements it needs, from costumes to flamenco shoes, castanets, wonderful paintings and vintage posters.

This is very modern museum, making great use of the new media. There were countless video and audio resources that explained all we ever wanted to know about the over two centuries old history of the flamenco dance, and some of the most famous flamenco dancers ever. We also watched some full wall projection performances, but we were still eager to see the live performance.

After traveling through Spain and having already attended one flamenco show in Madrid, we knew a thing or two about flamenco, a dance we always found extremely interesting. Nevertheless, the Flamenco Dance Museum widened our knowledge even further and opened our appetite for the show.

Guests are given the possibility to chose between visiting the museum or attending the 7 o'clock show or both. We strongly recommend not to miss the show. Also, it is better to buy the tickets in advance, and arrive in the patio half an hour early to get the best seats.

There was a bar in the patio and while we waited for the show to start, we ordered two glassed of red wine.

Before the flamenco show started we were welcomed in five languages or so. 

The show was awesome. And the flamenco songs went straight to our heart.

Flamenco is all about passion and energy. It is about living the life to its fullest. About feeling everything to the extremes. About hurting and about loving and about being in love with the living. Or that's what we gathered from it.

There wasn't a still moment during the whole performance. The bailaores (dancers) and the cantaores (singers) were giving everything. And the public got engaged, as it is the norm for the people watching the dancers to encourage them from the side.

The flamenco songs are passionate indeed, but it is the dance that we find incredibly intriguing and beautiful. We look at it as a way of exploring ones body, a form of ethereal creation, if only an ephemeral one.

We strongly recommend going to a flamenco show while in Seville. There is no better way of experiencing the local spirit and culture. Flamenco was born here, in Andalusia. It has Caribbean, oriental and French influences and UNESCO declared it a Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. But before attending a flamenco show, you should definitely visit the Flamenco Dance Museum. It will definitely put things in perspective for us.

Have you ever been to a flamenco show? How did it make you feel?

A big thank you to the Flamenco Dance Museum and its staff for the complimentary tickets and their efforts. However, the receipt and acceptance of complimentary items and services will never influence the content of this blog. All opinions expressed here are our own.

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