Hi lol,
There are many regional dance forms in Northern Spain that you can read about, see on youtube and research for another trip:

Navarra, Aragón and the Rioja regions all have their versions of the "jota"

Here's a video of the Jota aragonesa
http://tinyurl.com/9q4bn7

In the Basque Country and Navarra, there's the "aurresku"
http://tinyurl.com/899ebt

(We had the aurresku performed at our wedding in Navarra)

In Galicia and Asturias (Celtic Spain), the "muñeira"
http://tinyurl.com/a3xpuc

In Catalunya, the "sardana"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardana

But these areas aren't on your itinerary for this trip.

In the province of Salamanca you do have the "Charrada", which you can see performed in regional costume in the town of Ciudad Rodrigo during the Festival de la Charrada on Easter Saturday (April 11) at 5 pm in the town hall square. There will also be "dulzaineros" who will play a double reed oboe like instrument, the dulzaina (similar to a Breton bombarde) during this annual folkloric festival.

http://tinyurl.com/932m48



On another note, I remember that your dates may coincide with Holy Week, if so, you'll have as your evening's entertainment or better said, very moving spectacle, the nightly Holy Week religious processions, which in Salamanca have been declared of National Tourist Merit. These occur in Salamanca every day from the Friday before Palm Sunday (April 3) until Easter Sunday with the fever pitch reached on the evening of Holy Thursday into Good Friday.

In Cuenca the Holy Week processions are renowned throughout the country and have been declared of International Tourist Merit.
http://tinyurl.com/9f3hqa

hi lol,
As usual, I forgot to mention a typical regional dance of Castilla La Mancha-la seguidilla

Here's a version:
http://tinyurl.com/a3jjhc


And Madrid has its own dance, the chotis, but you'll see it danced in Old Madrid in May during the Fiesta de San Isidro (Madrid's patron saint). You can read a bit about it here:
www.whatmadrid.com/san-isidro.html

Brava Maribel you have covered it well!. We MUST meet someday I tell you... a woman after my own heart. Now you have me awake again.

Lol it is so great that you are interested. The Jotas of the various regions (Aragon, Zaragaoza, etc) can be the best workout on the planet. Forget about the eliptical try this
...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKVYol-OEYE

In addition to the dances of each region that Maribel refers to, there are many "schools" or types of dance in Spain from classical to modern to experimental to fusion with other cultures such as India & the middle east.

There are a great many fantastic Spanish composers for you to explore as Maribel will tell you (we share some favorites) As well some of the most famous "Spanish" music is not even written by Spaniards, Take Bizet's Carmen or Rimsy Korsikof's Capricho Español.

For strong ballet roots,
Here is the famous Antonio dancing at the Escorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nud-cf1qJC0

and "Escuela bolera" , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP7ktMsmxGY

And while I'm not a big fan of this type of experimental thing I do like Maria 's dancing and y ou run across any number of talented artists in te cities during your trip....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_RNQfIupys&feature=related

sorry to go whacko on this you know how I love this stuff.


ana maria

amsdon,
The great Antonio! Now, that's a classic!

lol,
It's too bad that the dates for your trip don't fall between March 5-15. The National Ballet of Spain is performing "escuela bolera" in Madrid at the Teatro de la Zarzuela!
See one of their performances is indeed a very special treat!
http://balletnacional.mcu.es

I second that one Lol if you have the chance to see them on tour sometime at home don't miss it.

Maribel I wanted to add the pasodoble as a dance style however since the popularity of Dancing with the Stars you can't find a real pasodoble on you tube...I hear in Finland at lunchtime they are into it.

amsdon,
lol! I know, I know. It's like looking for a genuine version of "A la nanita, nana" on youtube and only finding the Cheetah Girls' rendition!

What sometimes goes for a genuine pasodoble on Dancing with the Stars is beyond belief!

amsdon,
Well there's always Manolo Escobar ("mi carro...") singing España Cañi!
Does that one take you back in time???

hehe... yes!

Here you go Lol this Jota says from Matabuena, which is very near Pedraza.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJEirEEgDJI&feature=related

Sara Bara's Carmen at Teatro Lope de Vega in Madrid from February 13, 2009.
A show unconstrained by stereotypes because the artist does not wish to tell the famous story of the gypsy cigar-maker, preferring instead, in her own words, “to develop the character through a certain poetic abstraction, which preserves the mystery and leaves the audience’s imagination to run its own course”.

The Chotis (formerly Schotis) is a traditional music and dance, which originated in Scotland, came to Madrid in 1850 -- the word Chotis comes from the German word Schottisch --. It gradually became a symbol of Madrid and it was largely danced in the working class neighbourhoods and now is considered the most typical dance of the city. It is danced in all the traditional festivals, especially during San Isidro’s Day. There is also in Madrid a restaurant called "El Schotis" at calle Cava Baja. The bar in the front of the restaurant, from where you can eat tapas, disguises the restaurant in the back, where you will find traditional Castilian fare which includes roast lamb, steaks, hake ‘Cocido’ (stew made with chickpeas, chorizo and meat) and home-made desserts.

This information is not really relevant to your route but maybe be someone else will read this.
Here in Galicia and Asturias we have the Gaita, (bagpipes).
Here are a few videos on Youtube to illustrate this and the typical dancing that is associated with this. Most of the dancing can be seen at local fiestas etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoZ-ZR74ap4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18kDios7eFA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jewGOqvhJK4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0WNNRdC0UM

Hello again,
Thanks very much for the links, it's so great of you to share this.
Revulgo, do you how long is Carmen by Sara B. going to last in Madrid?
I try to search the net for this info but found only tha date you mentioned. I think Maribel will also be interested in this since we were trying to find out Sara's schedule of performances in 2009 to no avail. This is great, thanks.

Hmm Lol something is odd here the SB site is still not updated. This was all I found on the CI site for TIX

http://www.elcorteingles.es/entradas/programas/espectaculo.asp?numEspectaculo=200800885

Hello,
Amsdon, Rvulgo, and MAribel
Here it is
"World famous flamenco dancer and coreographer will be offering a unique show from the 13th of February to the 29 of March.
Venue(s) : Teatro Lope De Vega
Genre : Flamenco"
You can check it out here and apparently buy tickets too.

http://www.madridrocks.com/concerts-madrid/Sara_Baras

lol,
This is such good news! if you can arrange to be in Madrid on or before March 29, seeing Sara Baras and her troupe is a spectacle that you'll never forget!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all!

To Revulgo, for giving us the heads up about her show at the Lope de Vega
To amsdon, for giving the link to the El Corte Ingles ticket sales
To lol, for giving the end date in March, which fits in perfectly for us.

I now have 2 tickets!!

I am really jelous.....& happy for you Lol

I just have to share (again)
it is so inspiring.

Here is Sara B in a long 2 part buleria dedicated to her mom Concha
Listen carefully they sing to Concha at the beginging...

(OK purists, not a spontaneous buleria of course but really great in other ways)

Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whHhuQeKjb4

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2g4sAwkC-w&feature=related

Maribel you too??? Now I am really really envious. Let us know please your personal review.

amsdon,
thanks for sharing that-lol, you see why we love her dancing so much.
When we saw her perform in Paris, she dedicated the performance to her mother, and her beautiful and elegant mother came on stage to dance a solo and then dance with her daughter. It brought the house down!

I tried to find info on her mom online or you tube, found nothing.

Did she pass away?

Hi amsdon,
She usually tours with her daughter and was her teacher.
I'll look for something about her to poste.

amsdon,
Have you seen this biography?
www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/b/baras.htm

In Madrid: Florida Park NightClub, just inside the O'Donnell Street entrance to Retiro Park, used to have a show that included Sevillanas and Jotas. It could be an inexpensive evening for a couple.

Performers are not 'top tier,' but they put on an enjoyable show.

There used to be an early sesssion (20:30) and a later after dinner show (midnight).

The Florida Park show now costs 30 euros (with dinner). The show is kind of a potpourri of Spanish dance, and it's on the nightclub bus tour circuit. Here's the info:

www.floridapark.net/index.php?idi=en

Make that 30 euros without dinner. Hasty typing!

Thanks Maribel I had not seen that. I enjoyed it. What a history & such a lucky & talented woman she is.

You know Ned you have mentioned Florida Park before so I looked on YOU Tube & the dancers are good.
I had written it off because of the tourist bus thing. It says it has DJ / dancing I am looking for somewhere my friends could go dancing (they are over 50 and some over 60. Understanding this is not a tablao per se, which we will see in addition to this (at least I will) I love many types of dance so I think it would be fun to add to the list.

Tell me Ned & Maribel....how is the food though?????

It can't possible be as bad as that malamuerte place on Arco de Cuchilleros...

Hi amsdon,
I haven't been to Florida Park since I went with my mother in the 70s!!! I think of it as a nostalgic kind of place from the época del franquismo. I haven't a clue about the quality of the food, but I personally wouldn't dine there. But I wouldn't dine at Corral de la Morería either because I believe firmly that passionate flamenco and dinner don't mix. -I'd tell your friends to go for the orchestra and drinks (perfect place for those pasodobles).

Well you know how I LOVE to eat (unfortunately :"

Typically I agree dining & flamenco don't mix. But I wondered if it made a better value. Iguess I'm getting old.

Now flamenco & una copa...)

Thanks for the tips. I think that's a good idea.

Hi all,
I am so happy to be able to help, even if it's in a small way, especially Maribel and Amsdon who have been so helpful and so patient.

Maribel, I am so glad you were able to get the tickets. I hope you enjoy the show. I will do my best to move things around in order to be able to catch Sara Baras performance in Madrid.
Ned, I will also look into Florida Park performances, thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks all

Lol, re post as we approach March and I will help you research more. They likley will post more things by then.

More suggestions:
-Compañia Nacional de Danza 2 (Nacho Duato) at Teatro de Madrid from January 22 to February 1.
http://www.teatromadrid.com/content/teatro_cnd2_2009.php

-Ballet Nacional de España presents "Escuela Bolera" at Teatro de Madrid from March 5 to 15.
http://balletnacional.mcu.es/english/giras.html

-Zarzuela "El Rey que rabió" by Ruperto Chapi at Teatro de la Zarzuela. Synopsis in English:
http://teatrodelazarzuela.mcu.es/FileUploads/File/programa_rey%20que%20rabio.pdf

The website for dance:
http://www.danza.es/cartelera/programaciones_lista