I have waited until now to write about Flamenco, the expressive dance made famous by the Andalucian gypsies in the south of Spain. The uninitiated would usually associate Flamenco with a lady dancing in a frilly red dress, but there is much more to it than that. The dance, songs, rythym and music goes a long way back, the songs and music are the way the people express their love, happiness, despair, sadness and tales of life with personal interpretation applied through the dance. Generic moves are taught to young children but each dance is different depending on the story attached to it.

We have visited several tabancos (rough bars with impromptu flamenco singers) and tavernas (bars serving food where locals burst into song and dance) as well as been to several organised tourist aimed shows and have to say that it really is worth experiencing at least once in your lifetime.

The experience is so intense that it leaves you with a sensation similar to a headache, but it’s a pleasant and happy headache that makes you think “wow!!”. Your feet and hands start to automatically tap along with the guitar rythym and you clap along with the singer, and stare, trying not to blink in case you miss something, at the amazing steps performed by the dancers. The lady dancers are so intense in their passion, performing foot tapping routines so quick that you wonder if their heels are actually moving. The male dancers are so tight and pert (both in body and style) that you can see the muscles moving with each step they make, again with passion and a concentration that is shockingly amazing.

Sadly we could not take photos or videos at the shows we went to so I cannot try to show you this passion, the next few photos may portray the passion involved. The first photos were taken in a small packed tabanco in Jerez, where a singer and a guitarist were performing.

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