A Broad Abroad: Tacata, tacata, tacata

Flamenco in the Plaza Santa Ana

“Don’t you think it is funny that I still email you to see what flamenco place you recommend? Where did we see the dancing elf?”

I chuckle just imagining her face when she opens that email!

My dear friend, Joanna, from the Uni hasn’t lived in Madrid for about 5 or so years but she has such a passion for art, dance, music and pretty much anything cultural that I always get her opinion when the moment arises to see Flamenco.

My sister is trekking across the globe to come see me in May and I am so excited. We are meeting up in Lisbon where I’ll be for my company’s AGM and then she heads over to Madrid with me for a couple of days. I have everything all set in Lisbon but I am working on the Madrid part. She requested to see Flamenco.

Flamenco is a type of music that has origins from somewhere between the XV and XVIII Centuries, the origins of the word flamenco are sort of a mystery. It started in the Southern region of Spain, Andalucia, by the gitanos (gypsies). I find that what I love so much about flamenco is precisely the mystery. I find that flamenco causes the 5 senses to dance together; it doesn’t matter if you aren’t eating or touching anything; the resonance of the guitar fills the soul then it mixes with the vibrating voice of the singer and then that mixes with the dancing, the clapping and the castañuelas.

Joanna & Me after seeing Sara Baras in Sabores
December 2006

Joanna and I have a long-standing tradition to go see flamenco shows when she and I are both in Madrid. We love it. We have seen novices to well known dancers such as Sara Baras. We love everything about it; to the tacata, tacata, tacata of the shoes (tah-cah-tah is the sound the Spaniards make when they refer to the sound of the flamenco shoes or the castañuelas), to the dance, the music, the passion; it can leave you breathless and wondering if, with a bit of practice, you could be a flamenco dancer too.

During Joannas’s last visit, we decided to go to Casa Patas, my treat for her birthday. We chose to meet up in Plaza de Santa Ana and have a drink at the Penthouse before the show. While I was waiting for her, I got to enjoy a couple dancing in the center of the plaza asking for money after they did their brief act (see photo above) – it was lovely to watch the delight of the tourist drinking their tinto de verano and their performance wasn’t half bad.

Joanna & me having a pre-show drink at the Penthouse
June 2010

We were going to see a famous flamenco dancer from back in the day. We were both excited and weaved our way through the center streets to get to the venue. We had decent seats. To get ourselves settled, we ordered some over-priced vinitos and jamón, took a tourist’s photo, and patiently waited for the show to start.

The show started and it was fabulous until the famous flamenco dancer came out on stage.

“No way!” I thought to myself.

A muffled chuckle possessed me and my dear friend thought that I was choking on my vinito and when she realized that I was chuckling she gave me the evil glare, which is something that goes right down to the soul.

The famous flamenco dancer from the last century was dancing in a highly flammable, polyester dance outfit in red and green, white patent leather flamenco shoes, and his hair was so full of Final Net that it didn’t move an inch during his entire performance. I couldn’t focus on his dancing because his outfit caught me so off guard. I had to keep my laughter hidden deep within to avoid another scolding. He looked like the dancing Elf!!

The Dancing Elf!!!

“So, what did you think?” my dear friend asked after the show.

“I loved it up till the dancing Elf.”

My dear friend who has the tendency to be politically correct and always sees the positive answers, “Aye, ¡MIJA!” she says with a glare….moments later she adds, “Ok, his outfit was a bit much.”

Flamenco is definitely worth it to see and if you are in Spain, I highly recommend it. Flamenco can be seen almost anywhere. Some of the best flamenco I have seen has been “off the beaten track” as many bars have flamenco on a given night. The best flamenco surprise I have ever gotten was when my brother and I were eating tapas at a random little restaurant in Sevilla, suddenly, the owner who had been talking on the phone decided to rest the receiver on the bar and just started belting out flamenco for about 30 minutes. It was impressive and I still wonder who was on the other end of the line.

If you do chose to see a show, I recommend that you check their websites beforehand to see who is performing and make a reservation. I only hope that flamenco causes your heart to skip a beat like it does mine and I hope that my sister and I don’t end up seeing another dancing elf!

If you are interested in listening to flamenco-Spanish guitarists, I suggest Paco de Lucía and Bebo & Cigala.