Flamenco in Seville or Cordoba
Replies: 20 - Last Post: Sep 28, 2012 1:24 PM Last Post By: rakso79
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hi....Some flamenco dancing is just so utter garbage. More of a tourist show by amateurs, than anything else.
The secret isn't to finding a bash - but finding a 'Good' one.
I don't like it - but have been dragged along to quite a few rubbish gigs. There's a huge difference in quality.
Find some locals and ask around.
Similar to enquiring about Benidorm nightclubs. There are both good - and poor ones, but they're all clubs.
5
too bad you're not there now --- the Bienial is going on through the end of September: http://www.labienal.com/The Carboneria is a good place to catch a casual show. Lots of tourists but a pleasant atmosphere and no ridiculous cover charges. http://www.levies18.com/
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I caught a Bienal show and happened to sit beside a Sevillano doing a PhD in music and writing flamenco reviews for a local paper. He said that Lonely Planet's picks (La Carboneria and Casa Anselma) were extremely touristy. Same with the tableaux (including the one linked above), which are expensive with quality hit or miss depending on who they get to perform. Outside the Bienal, he suggested a bar called Pena Flamenca.I think he was right. I looked for La Carboneria and was extremely disappointed. Yes, it was casual and free, but the atmosphere was completely touristy and the quality was really far from the Bienal performance I saw.
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There's lots of places to see flamenco in Sevilla, but you need to get lucky with your choice. A LP tourist may not have the time to check in at these places --- bars, penas, etc. --- on different nights of the week.The advantage of the Carboneria is that there's something on every night and it's not a rip-off like a tablao. Also, the bar is reasonably priced.
The Bienial would be the top rank acts, so you have luck!
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I think you're right, although it's frustrating not to be able to know where to look for a non-touristy act. Even with the Bienal, it was hard to get information. I only got information about the free noon acts from my new friends, for example, and seeing the brief free performances at Parque Maria Luisa was atmospheric.Is there any place where you can see large choreographed acts that are authentic? I ask because I had the privilege of watching the Ballet Nacional de España outside Spain, and that was a sight to behold.
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large choreographed actsFlamenco usually individuals' performances; that is more Ballet. But you're right, you'd have to look for a theater performance.
I don't know why they're so tight-lipped about performances. I find the guesswork & waiting for a decent opportunity to see something in an informal setting sufferable.
