While trying new foods and exploring popular landmarks can give you a preview of what Barcelona has to offer, the best way to immerse yourself in Spanish culture is by exploring one of their most popular art forms: dance. All around the city you can find dance everywhere, in the clubs, at concerts, and even on the street. Our group decided to discover one of their most classic and long-lasting dances, the flamenco.
Flamenco is an intimate, passionate, and expressive form of dance. It consists of three parts: soulful singing, a Spanish guitar, and, of course, dancing. While the tango and salsa are dances that are based on musical recordings, flamenco is always performed with live music. We watched a live performance of a flamenco dance at Los Tarantos Flamenco, a popular venue for tourists to get a taste of the art form through short shows. These shows run across Barcelona and are renowned for their high energy and captivating entertainment. Our group and the rest of the audience were entranced by the performers’ wailful singing and rhythmic clapping and stomping.
The two dancers circled each other on the stage, never touching but expressing their feelings through movement. And while we couldn’t understand the words being sung, we were taken through an emotional journey of mourning to pure joy and back again throughout the performance. It seemed like everyone held their breath until the short dance was over.
Skating Through Barcelona
Elena Keller (Mass Communications), Sadie Krieger (Public Relations), Olivia Thomas (Mass Communications), and Dax Andrews (Advertising/MS)