Cultural Activity My R.A. took a group of us to see a flamenco show in Placa Mayor in Barrio Gothic. I had no idea what flamenco was so I had no expectations. The venue was a small place, just enough room for a stage, a bar, and a few tiny bar tables. The rest of the room was filled wit chairs and people standing. The tiny room was packed with people. All the people looked and spoke Spanish or Catalan so I figured it was going to be a good show. A small band of 4 people came out and started music. The music was very different, and hard to explain. But it would get louder and quieter and made me anticipate something happening. All of a sudden a women came out dressed in a traditional flamenco dress. It was angled all the way down with layers after layer until it hit the floor. She started moving her feet and arms like crazy. She was stomping and jumping and swinging with the rhythm of the band. She also had clappers in her hand. This added to the suspense of the dance. It was impossible for me to take my eyes off her! She moved so swiftly yet so gracefully. I couldn’t believe how fast her feet were moving.
A man came out dressed in all black. He did a solo dance and then beckoned the female dancer to dance with him. The dance was pretty sexual so it was very interesting to watch. Both dancers had so much energy. Sometimes people in the crowd would shout things out to egg them on. I have no idea how they moved their feet that fast for so long. But they did and when she show was over the crowd loved it. I loved it. I loved seeing a dance that wasn’t slow or calm, but rather fierce with tons of energy. Watching the dance got me really interested in the history of the flamenco dance. I asked my R.A. about it and he said that it isn’t really that popular here in Catalunya, but much more in southern Spain. The Sardinia is the Catalan dace, which I also love. Both are extremely different and can be appreciated as key cultural aspects of Spain.
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