Flamenco Culture

On the bus ride to Seville, I decided it was time to read a bit about my new home for the next three weeks.

So, I cracked open my Rick Steve's book, and here´s the first sentence I read: "Seville is the flamboyant city of Carmen and Don Juan, where bullfighting is still politically correct and where little girls still dream of growing up to become flamenco dancers."

I had no idea at the time how true that statement really is!


Seville is a thoroughly modern city, offering everything you need for comfortable living (including American brands...see left). Yet at the same time, Sevillianos have kept their unique, centuries old traditions alive in a very real way. These traditions are not simply dragged out in order to attract the coveted tourism dollar.

No, Sevillianos live their traditions.











And I think little girls here do dream of becoming flamenco dancers. Little girls, and big girls too. I rarely passed a flamenco store without seeing window shoppers admiring the latest dress designs, the hair accessories, the beautiful woven shawls, colorful handpainted fans, and enormous, dramatic earrings.

There are dozens (maybe even 100) stores selling nothing but flamenco attire. This is prime season for buying a new flamenco dress, as Sevilla´s big annual fair is just two weeks away. Called ¨The Feria¨, this week long celebration is a kind of release after the solemnity of Semana Santa. For an entire week, the women wear their fabulous flouncy flamenco dresses, and eat and drink and dance until dawn. The party goes on for literally 24 hours a day for the entire week.






But it´s not a drunken Lalapoluza. It´s very much a family affair, as much for the children as it is for the adults. Little girls dress in flamenco dresses of their own, and the entire family enjoys the party together.

I am not staying for the feria. It will be great, I am sure, but I am moving on. I will be sad to miss seeing all the women in their beautiful dresses, the horses and carriages that parade the feria grounds in their finery (horses are dressed up too), the men on horseback with women riding behind them side-saddle. That would all be very fun to see.

But, then again, I don´t really like the big partying fair scene in the US, so I´d probably get tired of it pretty quickly!



I did want a piece of the experience though, so the other day I mustered up the courage to go into one of those many flamenco stores and try on a few dresses for myself. At right is me before--in my boring old city clothes--and after, transformed into a flamenco momma.






























I didn´t mean to chop off my head in the picture. I just couldn´t back up far enough in the dressing room, and I was NOT going to go out and ask the store employee to take my picture.  And the verdict? Do I have flamenco in my soul? Um...I felt like a stuffed sausage to be honest. Most of the dresses didn´t fit me very well because I am so much taller than the average Spanish woman. But...it was fun to try.