Flamenco February

Isn't February always a somewhat dreary month? To be honest, I didn't remember what I had done in February - aside from our trip to Tunisia - until I looked at the pictures we took. Well, for one, it was not so dreary here; the weather was actually uncharacteristically mild and sunny, although we did have our fair share of cold and unpleasant days. For another, in spite of the occasionally inhospitable weather, we did still meet up and do quite a few fun things. We had several more menú del día meet-ups, where we tried some more delicious restaurants.

Menú del día meetings

One day we stumbled upon a celebration of Chinese New Year after having brunch and wandered around for a while. It was a bit silly, but it made us crave some bubble tea, so we went to a nearby café in an area with a large concentration of Chinese immigrants (it's probably the closest thing to a "Chinatown" in Madrid) to slake our thirst.

China-themed day

I witnessed some beautiful sunsets and rainbows in some random parks:

Without a doubt the most exciting/interesting thing to happen in February was the flamenco show we went to. I decided one day to revisit my Madrid guidebook to see if they had any recommendations for things that I had not done yet, such as museums or restaurants. I took special note of the "Live Music" section, and discovered that a bar I had been to several times actually had live flamenco performances every Sunday evening for only 12€. I had wanted to check out a flamenco show before, but they are usually quite expensive and I had never had time to search around for an affordable place. After discovering this cheaper venue, I convinced my roommate to join me one week and we went to check it out.

It was mesmerizing! I had only been to one Flamenco show several years ago in Granada with Elizabeth (my sister) when she came to visit me, and I didn't remember it as making a very big impression on me. We didn't have any recommendations and had simply stumbled upon a place which was probably quite touristy. So the show in BarCo (the name of the bar here in Madrid) took me by surprise. I have since been back several times and my roommate and I both have taken friends and family who came to visit. There are always five performers: a guitar player, a singer, two dancers, and a guy who plays percussion and occasionally the violin. The dancers change every week but the musicians are always the same. I especially loved how small and intimate the space was, in a cellar-like room with a curved ceiling underneath the main bar. No matter where you sit, you feel close to the action and connected to the performers.

Flamenco is now a popular part of mainstream Spanish culture, but it originated in the gypsy communities, especially in Andalusia in the south of Spain. The brightly-colored dresses historically were associated distinctly with gypsy women, and the rather bold, abrasive dance movements, as well as the intense style of singing and often depressing lyrics arose out of the harshness of life as part of a marginalized class. The singing, I believe, must have also been influenced by the Arabic culture which was historically so strong in the south of Spain, because it often has a quality very similar to much Islamic singing, especially the call to prayer (Google any flamenco song and then a "call to prayer" and see if you don't hear any similarities). Although I used to think that flamenco was primarily about dancing, in reality singing, guitar playing and syncopated clapping are all equally, if not occasionally more important.

In flamenco, when a performer is truly inspired, you say that he or she has duende, a Spanish word which doesn't really translate but which is kind of like saying that a gospel singer has "soul;" it does not come from technical skill or rehearsal but from a certain spontaneous passion which arises in the performer and communicates itself to the audience (you can find a really interesting article about it by a famous Spanish author if you Google "Federico García Lorca duende"). The dancers at BarCo almost always have duende (especially the one I photographed above), and their dance, along with the evocative music, have really captivated and moved me every time I've been. It has been an experience that reminded me how awesome Spanish culture is and that I ought to try and take as much advantage of it as possible during the rest of my time here!