A Night of Flamenco in Triana, Seville, Andalusia, Spain

One of the bar/restaurants in the Triana neighborhood, "T de Triana," hosts free flamenco performances every Thursday night beginning sometime after 10pm. We headed across the river for the 20-minute walk to the venue. Above is the view looking back toward Centro and the Cathedral with the Giralda Tower standing brightly on the skyline.



A lone kayaker silently glides down the river under the Triana Bridge.



The sidewalk along the Triana side of the river is dotted with bars/restaurants, cafes, intermixed with private homes. We arrived about 9pm to claim a prime table in front of the performance area. There were very few people there that early. As 10pm approached, however, more and more local folks drifted in. When the show began about 10:30pm, the place was packed! The locals know when to arrive.



It was worth the wait. This was not a fancy, expensive, tourist show - this is the real thing. Again, I don't understand what the words are but the meaning is clear from the raw emotion and power of the performers. (These images are all hand-held by me sitting on a bar stool).



The woman at left did the jaleo and palmas (vocalizations and hand-clapping), the woman at center the cante (singing), and the man at right the toque (guitar playing). There are many different forms of flamenco with many different rules, musical progressions, subject matter. After a while......



.....they were joined by another woman who came out to perform the baile (dance), pitos (finger-snapping), and zapateado (foot-stomping).



The vigor and passion of her movements are typical of the dance and fascinating to watch and hear.



The crowd would shout out occasionally - at appropriate times that I did not understand - but they did.



I guess one could say that bluegrass or blues might be analagous musical forms in the United States culture but, neither of those forms have the complete visual and audio fire and rhythm and passion that I see and feel and hear in flamenco.



After an hour show, we headed back home.  Here's the view from the stage after the show and yes, many of you will recognize the woman at the center of the image.

The crowd had spilled out into the street between shows, drinking, eating, visiting, sharing the energy of flamenco and life.



Somehow, this local showcase at "T de Triana" seems more authentic to me than the 50 Euro a head fancy show that some venues market for the tourists. I'm sure it's good but, this seems more real. I like that.