Sara Baras in Madrid or Eastern Andalucia in 2009
 

Hello all,
We have decided to visit spain this year, last time we've been there was 6 years ago on our honeymoon and we covered Western Andalucia and Barcelona. This time it's madrid and maybe Cordoba and Granada if time permits. We remember the Flamenco show that we attended last time in Seville to be the highlight of our trip. This time, I have been doing some research on Flamenco and understand that Sara Baras is the best. I checked esflamenco.com as well as flamenco-world.com as recommended by Maribel, still I can't seem to find 2009 schedule of performances. We are flexible o the date of the visit but we are leaning towards spring or summer 2009. Can anyone help.
Thanks so much

lol,
I'm a huge Sara Baras fan, and I can't find her '09 schedule either, since her own web page is still under construction. I want to catch her somewhere with her new production, Carmen. I'll do some digging for both of us....and maybe amsdon will come to our rescue.

you got my curiosity up and hoping to be useful here.. turns out i found an article that says she is stopping in 2009 to have a baby!!!

i also saw a function in barcelona january 14th 2009.

www.deflamenco.com

Hi there I was just nursing a badly timed cold when I "heard" your call.

Yes it appears Sara B is trying to get pregnant. Another article quotes her:

"Se me va a pasar el arroz! Para finales de 2009 haremos un parón en la compañía a ver si hago realidad una de las ilusiones más grandes de mi vida, ser madre. Ya estamos organizando la agenda para ello. (Su pareja es bailaor y forma parte de la compañía)."

see it here
http://www.ideal.es/granada/20080209...-20080209.html


Lol, I am glad to see is you continue reserching listening to & learning about flamenco, it will add to your enjoyment.
Lin's link is a very good one and it lists the hapenings, as well as the sites you already mentioned.

It's frustrating to try to set the whole thing up around a performance isn't it? I know.

You can go earlier in March & coincide with the festival de flamenco in Jerez?
http://www.deflamenco.com/noticias/v...odigo=FLA|2606

Maribel do you know anything about the feria in Cordoba at the end of May?
This might interest Lol.

Jerez Festival:
http://www.esflamenco.com/scripts/ne...ion=FESTIVALES

Also you can look on the artists's websites for tour dates, and coordinate from there too.
May has both the Ballet Nacional & Antonio el Pipa.

http://balletnacional.mcu.es/defaultenglish.html

and or

http://www.antonioelpipa.com/


Antonio El Pipa tours quite a bit though and there is a good chance to see him in your own coutry...where do you live?

Hi amsdon, lol and lin,
Yep, that's it! Before I saw your posts, I just emailed her office to inquire about her touring schedule for 09! We'll see if her manager replies, and I'll post it here.

We just watched her last night, along with Antonio Canales, in the Carlos Saura dance movie, Iberia (from 05). It's really a lovely dance film based around the Albéniz piano suite, which is one of my favorites. The movie received several nominations and won a Goya (Spain's Oscars) for best cinematography in 06.

amsdon,
Sorry, I've never been to the Feria de Mayo in Córdoba. I also recommend that lol try to coordinate around the festival in Jerez in March.

lol,
Later on you might check Eva Yerbabuena's web page to see where she'll be touring in the spring.
www.evayerbabuena.com

Wow, thank you all so much for the info and help. I will check each links carefully. Amsdon, I am Egyptian living in the Arab Emirates. I know many artists have shows in Dubai year round but for me watching Flamenco in Spain makes the experience more intense and authentic, I can't imagine it any other way.
So if Sara Baras is unavailable in 2009, who would you recommend?
It might be hard to go in March as the kids are in school, it's either spring break or summer vacation.
Last time we saw Flamenco show, it was a sort of dinner and show kind of performance in Al Arenal, Seville. This time I was hoping to watch a theatrical performance by a renowned dancer/s. So I will check out the names you provided.
Maribel, I can't thank you enough for your Madrid guide, it's very thorough and helpful.

Thanks so much all

Lol I will be glad to keep an eye out for you.

You might consider Granada's festival of music & dance, but be aware the presentations range from modern to classical to regional spanish with some flamenco.

http://www.granadafestival.org/comentgranada.asp


I also recommend the movie Maribel suggested. In fact all of the flamenco films are good to see.
And of course you can see parts of them on you tube.

I have no seen the 09 scheules out for Eva Yerbabuena either, they are all pretty slow to post!Too bad.

But plan as youi need to for your family & you are sure to get to see some great stuff on your trip. If not in a theater venue, certainly elsewhere.

lol and amsdon,
The international Music and Dance Festival in June in Granada is indeed a wonderful event, with international stars like Sara and Eva performing, but tickets are in such high, high demand that they sell out the very DAY they're put on sale online! If you'd like to attend, just keep checking their web page in early April to see what day in April the tickets are released, then set your alarm to 10 am Spanish time that day and ponce!

I will not be in Andalucia during this trip as I had to cut my timing short. I will only spend a week in Spain this time so I decided to concentrate on Madrid (to do it justice!!) and the surroundings such as Toledo and Segovia.

That said, I would like to see a flamenco performance someplace in Madrid and appreciate any advice or suggestions for a good performer in a nice place.

Many thanks

Hi Flame 123,
Casa Patas
www.casapatas.com
and if on a weekend, opt for the later (at midnight) of the two shows if you have the stamina! The later the hour, the more inspired the flamenco.

Thanks Maribel.
I went to the site and checked for the first week in April and nothing is scheduled. Is it too early for them to have a schedule or would it be closed for the Semana Santa?

What type of place is this? And is it close enough to walk from Plaza Mayor Hotel?

Any other suggestions in case this is not available?

While we await Maribel, Flame yes it is probably too soon for them to post.

I really enjoyed Casa Patas.
Casa Patas has a more varied, less
"canned" performance. That said it is usually one or two artists instead of a larger group. Sometimes two dancers, a singer or two and guitarist. IF the featured artists is the singer, you may not see much dancing. Remember flamenco is not really about the dancer.
You can always check out whos who when the schedule posts.

Casa Patas is a "tablao", a small nightclub with a flamenco floorshow. It is slightly different from other tablaos in that dinner is a bit more resonable $, is served in a spearate room instead of the same room as the show. The food is pretty good considering that food in tablaos is usually not recommended because usually it is expensive and not that great. CP is the exception. Also. dining there will secure a better seat. Do as Maribel says, go to the later show. And even if you have dinner, be sure to request a seat closer to the stage. The best seats are one row back instead of tight up against the stage anyway.
Do not wait until ther last minute to reserve. If you book in advance, call once you arrive in Madrid to confirm all the details.

By the way we walked from the Opera area. Allow enough time though in case you pass the street (we did)

Hi Flame 123,
Yes, it's much, much too early for them to be posting their April schedule. They should be open during at least one of your dates of Semana Santa.
Amsdon has given you an excellent description of the place and how, when you should book. And ditto to confirming your booking via phone, if you book online.

I agree it's a nice, atmospheric place, like a typical, lively Andalusian bar, with a small-ish back room for the flamenco performances. The bar/restaurant area, all one big room, fills up in the evening with tourists, locals and friends and families of the performers. The bar/restaurant is also open for lunch (from 1-4) and serves a decent, inexpensive menú del día (set menu). I don't like to go to tablaos that serve meals in the same room as the show.
And as amsdon says, the performance is less "canned" than at the other, larger, more tourist-oriented tablaos.
It does get more tourists and fewer locals at the early performance, so if you do have the stamina to do a midnight show, you'll find the performers more inspired and the dancing will have more "soul" (for lack of a better translation of the Spanish term, being "duende").

Its location is very close to your hotel Plaza Mayor. Just turn to the left out the hotel door, walk down to Calle Atocha, take a left on Atocha, then down about 5 blocks to Cañizares, which will be on the right side of Atocha, walking down to Atocha station. A short walk.

If for some reason they don't have performances during your dates, check two newer places that are also small and not on the "tour bus night club circuit".
Las Tablas and Las Carboneras.
The former is near the Royal Palace, the latter, in Old Madrid, near the Plaza Mayor, close to your hotel as well.
www.lastablasmadrid.com
www.tablaolascarboneras.com

At any of these tablaos, count on spending from 30-34 euros for the show, and your ticket includes one drink.

amsdon and Maribel - your wealth of information and help continues to astound me. Thank you so much. I hope to be able to find something that we will be able to see using your links. Seeing that this is the first time ever for us to see a live flamenco show, it is even more exciting to be planning it.

Maribel - what is the translation of "tablaos"? You write that the show including one drink is about 30-34 euros. Is eating dinner at these places required? Or is it the guests' choice? How much would such a dinner cost approximately and if we went to a midnight show, would dinner also be available? We are not used to the late night dinner customs of the Spaniards so we would not be able to eat such a late dinner, while I WOULD like to try the midnight show because of what you wrote.

Thanks!!

Hi Flame 123,
A "tablao" is a flamenco nightclub with floor show-flamenco dance performance.

You certainly don't need to dine there at all. You can book the show separately. These shows will cost between 30-34 with one drink-no meals.
(But Las Tablas is the least expensive, maybe around 25).

If you'd like to peruse the menu, it's on the Casa Patas web page.
www.casaspatas.com
Click on Restaurante at the top, then on the next page, "Carta (menu) del restaurante" or "Carta de la barra" (bar menu). It doesn't give prices, but they're reasonable for this type of place. The bar/restaurant stays open until 1 am on Fri./Sat. for that midnight performance. The restaurant hours are also on the web page, but in Spanish.

I have gone to Casa Patas twice. One time we had dinner there before the show and the other time we did not. The restaurant is in a separate room from the theater space where the flamenco is performed.

If you eat in the restaurant before the show, they will seat you near the front of the room for the performance. This is nice, but it is not crucial, as it is a fairly small space. We did enjoy the meal there very much.

There are two shows on weekends and only one on weeknights, or at least that is how it was when I was there. The first time I went to the midnight show on a Saturday night and the second time I saw the only show on a weeknight. They were both excellent. If you are there on a weekend, the advice to see the later show is fine. But if you are there on a weeknight, I wouldn't worry about that.

You can always have a snack and make a 10:30 reservation for dinner, before the midnight show.

More (lengthy) clarification:

A tablao is an establishment that presents flamenco in a smaller more intimate informal, but public setting than say a theater. Usually a restaurant, but always including a bar, tablaos were traditionally smokey places where flamenco shows would take place late at night into the wee hours when the real inspiration would begin. Compare it to a jazz club. There may be a featured performer or not, but there is a definite internal hierarchy.

Originally "cafe cantantes" a tabalo is are unlike a theater flamenco show, in that the performances are (supposedly)
less staged and in theory more improvised. I have seen some terrific improvisation in tablaos even in the USA. It is always very exciting and usually unexpected.
But sometimes the performances can become stale as they are repeated nightly for tourists, who may or may not understand or appreciate the art form. Unfortunately in order to get a reaction from an uneducated and unappreciative audiences, it has become common for performers to resort to flashy techniques and gimmicks.

There are also "peñas" which are private clubs with the pupose of enjoying, celebrating & continuing the art of flamenco. Thes are sometimes open to the public for a small fee & listed on some of the flamenco websites.

While I am a huge dance fan it is important to note that the core of flamenco is not the dancer rather the singer & the song (cante). The guitarist accompanies the singer. The dancer interprets the cante through dance in true flamenco.

The word tablao may have come from the word "tabla" or wooden table or
wooden planks which were used as stages. They also refer to the stage as the tablao.

You may also hear a reference to a "cuadro" flamenco (or really just a "cuadro" the flamenco is assumed)
A cuadro is a painting or a frame.
A cuadro is also the grouping of flamenco performers, usually seated, in a semicircle facing the audience It includes a guitar or two, and a singer (or two) and dancer(s).Sometimes it may be as few a three performers.

Palmistas are performers that appear to merely be there to accompany with "palmas" (rhythmic handclapping) Don't be fooled, these are people are crucial to the cuadro and know the rhythms well. Additionally most recent 25 years, (I guess I old now) the caja or box has been introduced as a staple of the cuadro as a percussive instrument. Lastly "jaleo" is therm used to describe the encouragements
that are offered. Similar to those in blues and gospel music, the encuargements have a specific technique but are also spontaneous and free reactions to the performance.

Keep an open mind & have a great time. You may see great flamenco which may not include a dancer at all,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Tdc...eature=related

whoops excuse the typos, i'm making flans & was rushing...