An Introduction to Flamenco at the World’s Best Tablao

When traveling to Spain, you will likely be told that you must go see flamenco. Whoever is telling you this is right. But before you go to a performance, there are a few things you should know in order to more fully appreciate the experience.

During my last trip to Spain, I had the privilege of attending a performance at one of the top venues for flamenco (known as tablaos): El Corral de la Morería in Madrid.

Going in, I knew next to nothing about the art form. I had so many questions: What is the history of flamenco? Is the performance fully choreographed, or improvised? And what is flamenco, anyway?

What is flamenco?

Flamenco is a musical genre specific to the Andalusian region of southern Spain. Even if you have never attended a performance, you probably have some idea of what to expect: a lively, passionate show where a dancer stomps the floor, accompanied by singers and a guitarist. The dancers are usually dressed in colorful, flamboyant outfits—ruffles, red carnations, sequins, and sometimes capes or fringed shawls. These are the trappings of the aesthetic, but the heart of the genre goes so much deeper.

At its core, flamenco is a language: a conversation between the performers onstage. In this way it is similar to jazz or blues. In flamenco, the musicians are as important as the dancers. There are over 130 styles of flamenco ranging in popularity, and it takes years for artists to master these styles. All forms feature precise footwork from the dancer and a sense of duende—an untranslatable word that loosely means soul, charisma, and a deep connection to the spirit of flamenco—from every performer onstage. Puro flamenco, for example, is a more improvised style consisting of signals shared between performers, and is typically performed solo, without castanets. Other forms, however, may use props such as canes for men, or shawls and fans for women.

What are the ingredients of flamenco?

Flamenco begins with the cante, or the song, either sung by one or a few singers, or introduced by the guitarist. There are multiple musical forms (palos), and the palo influences every aspect of the music, from the chord structure played by the guitar to the rhythm performed by the dancer.

The baile, the dance, combines floreo (hand movement), braceo (arm movement), and zapateado (footwork), along with specific postures, to convey the emotions of the song. Additionally, there are certain cues a dancer can use for the guitarist to change the pace, outline a section, and guide the flow of the song.

Bringing these elements together is the tocaor, the guitarist, who plays a classical guitar and features certain techniques, including strum patterns and tremolos, that are signature to flamenco.

An additional spontaneous element is the jaleos, or calls of encouragement. At a typical flamenco performance, you’ll hear performers (and emboldened audience members) call out olé (óle) or arsa, or any number of different phrases, to energize the performance, show support, and enliven a song.

What is the history of flamenco?

Flamenco developed in the Andalusia region of Spain from the gitano (Romani) people, who brought their music, folksongs, and dancing styles as they traveled throughout the continent—originally as far as Northern India—and arrived via countries such as Iraq, Iran, Greece, and Turkey. Over time, the flamenco style, though clearly derived from the gitano people, incorporated influences from other groups who lived in the area, handed down orally from generation to generation. Because flamenco was born of nomadic people, the genre is infused with the emotions of this lifestyle: pain, joy, grief, longing, struggle, and desire.

As Spain colonized Central and South America and the Caribbean, they brought back music from those areas and “flamenco-ized” the songs as well. So it’s not uncommon to hear a riff of a Latin American song in a flamenco performance.

In 2010, UNESCO declared flamenco one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

When attending a flamenco show, it’s important to understand the history of this art form, and to recognize the pains and passions of the people who created this music. Again, like jazz, flamenco started as a form of artistic expression that was created, honed, and refined by a marginalized group, and grew over time to become a highly refined art form that is revered the world over.

What can you expect at a flamenco performance?

Big emotions. Fierce expressions. Masterful guitar, soulful, somewhat nasal singing, and yes—lots of stomping. Even if you don’t speak Spanish, the emotions of the singers, the guitarists, and the dancers translate all the way to the back of the tablao. Common lyrical themes often center on relationships between men and women, and the love, jealousy, and power plays between them. Other frequent subjects are money, death, religion, morality, maternal love, fate, honor, time—in short, the sorts of things that people have been singing about since the dawn of music.

Where is the best place in Spain to see a flamenco performance?

Flamenco is truly an Andalusian tradition. Traditionally, the Romani people lived in caves in Granada. To this day, flamenco shows are still performed in caves outside the city.

If you want to spoil yourself for flamenco, look no further than El Corral de la Morería, the tablao par excellence not only in Madrid, but in all of Spain by many standards. This tablao, opened in 1956, has been hosting nightly flamenco shows at the highest caliber, served up alongside dinner from the Michelin-starred kitchen.

From the moment you step through the door, the experience feels personal and intimate. The single-room restaurant and performance space holds approximately 100 people, with tables practically touching the raised stage. The service is impeccable, the multi-course menu creative, and the performance exceptional and raw.

There’s a reason El Corral de la Morería is listed in the New York Times book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. It’s also one of the reasons the tablao is famous for its celebrity clientele; framed pictures of guests—from Gina Lollobrigida and John Lennon to Justin Bieber and Jennifer Aniston—line the walls of the entry room. And although your visit may not include any star sightings, the audience on a given night is usually a mix of tourists and locals.

A visit to Spain is not complete without attending a flamenco performance. You can easily include an evening at Corral de la Morería when you book your trip to Madrid with Vaya Adventures. Browse our customizable Spain itineraries and speak with a destination specialist today!

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