Bienal Flamenco

Flamenco. Everyone has heard of flamenco. Well, I had the distinct pleasure to view some on Wednesday night. That evening was the inaugural opening ceremony of Bienal Flamenco, generally a month-long Flamenco festival here in Sevilla. What this means is that nearly every bar with floor space will have, at one point or another, flamenco music playing, and if those there are very lucky, someone will bust out in some spontaneous flamenco dancing. It actually happened during the performance at one point...but I'll get to that.

Anyway, the concert was an open-air event in la Plaza de San Francisco. It was also free and starring Christina Hoyos and some serious big name guitarists, so it was packed to the gills. We got there a half hour early and barely got spots. Some friends were there an hour before us and managed to get seats but they were way off in the wings, so I think I might have had a better vantage point anyway. I was located just right of center with my friends JoAnn and Samantha, though we were quite distant and trying to peer through an ever-shifting crowd is no easy task. All of our calves got very good workouts that night.

So the show started just after 22 horas (10 PM) with a guitar solo by the honored guest guitarist. I never did find out his name, but he had some of the most impressive and certainly fastest picking I've heard performed on a guitar. And mind you, I've listened to Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce. After that, an all-female choral group drew the spotlight. And this wasn't just an ordinary choral group. This group only sang in Moorish (definite Robin Hood moment). And the first song, which I was lucky enough to catch on camera though I haven't actually checked the quality of the video, was really cool. I wasn't much impressed with the songs they put on later in the show, but the first one was something else.

But these were not the highlights of the show, leastways not for me. The best parts were the three actualy flamenco dance pieces. I was very disappointed there were only 3, but I hope to increase that with visiting some flamenco bars in the near future. Anyway, the first of the three performances was that of Christina Hoyos. I believe a little background is in order, considering most of my readers probably know about as much about flamenco as I do, which is to say nearly nothing. All of this information was provided to me by a very nice professorial man who could or could not be local, I couldn't actually tell, who spoke nearly unaccented English. Christina Hoyos is 60 years old, and until only a few years ago, was the premier dancer of Sevillana Flamenco. She is famous for her hand movements, which I can say is unbelievable. It was like she didn't have bones in her wrists and they moved so quickly and smoothly. It was hypnotic. Anyway, the woman is retired, and a few years ago had her own battle with breast cancer. And she's still dancing today. Craziness! Her performance was done to a relatively slow beat for flamenco, but it was a haunting and beautiful performance.

The second performer was a definite drama king. The guy came out wearing a leather suit and red shirt/red tie. His performance, however, was sweet. It was a much faster and more violent dance than Sra. Hoyos, and I never realized that Flamenco had a tapping aspect. This guy tapped like Gene Kelly...okay, maybe not exactly like Gene Kelly, but it was still impressive. Plus when he ripped off his jacket and still proceeded to do crazy tap combinations to shouts of "Ole!" from the crowd it was a lot of fun to watch.

The final performer was more of a diva than either Sra. Hoyos or the second guy. Of course, he was very talented, so I guess he's earned it?...Naw. I had stopped by the plaza the day before the performance and watched them setup and rehearse and such and that guy just bitched and complained about lighting. Anyway, his performance was a pleasant mix of the two preceeding his. Generally slower, it had portions that were fast and violent and exciting. Not too bad for the last man on.

Overall, I'd say it was a very exciting introduction to the world of Flamenco. Apparently my senora also dances it, so I'm going to try finding someplace to take some lessons or something. If not, there's a karate place down the street and I'll take up Tai Chi. Those are similar right?