Every year the City of Madrid hosts & promotes a number of summertime entertainment attractions. This year is no exception and includes a number of flamenco performances. I’ve never been to any of these attractions or performances but am going to try this year.
Flamenco performance ticket prices are 15, 23, 27 Euros and take place in “Jardines de Sabatini” – the gardens immediately north of the Palacio Real / Royal Palace. In these gardens you can be sure the after-sunset temperatures will be MUCH cooler than the surrounding city temperatures. And, as always, it’s near certain you won’t see a single non-Spanish
face in the audience because it’s not the “Flamenco Show” tourists
generally seek. THAT’S how you know you’re getting “REAL FLAMENCO”.
So if you’re Spanish – OR NOT – and would like to see some authentic flamenco performances, both dance and song, visit the Jardines de Sabatini and see of the genre’s great talents. I’ve been fortunate to have already seen most of those performing and listed below with dates and times.
Jardines de Sabatini
11 August. 22:00
El Cabrero (“Su Segunda Piel”) & Rocío Márquez (“Aquí y Ahora”)12 August.. 22:00
Farruco (“Al Son de Farruco”) & Antonio Rey (“Recital de guitarra”)13 August.. 22:00
Aurora Vargas & Luisa Palicio (“Tronío”)14 August.. 22:00
Calixto Sánchez & Milagros Mengíbar (“De los Alcores a Triana”)15 August.. 22:00
Capullo de Jerez & Julián Estrada (“Tierra de Cante”)16 v. 22:00
Carmen Linares & Guillermo Cano (“Encuentro”)From 17 to 19 August.. 22:00
Sara Baras (Juana V Centenario – “Juana la Loca”)21 August.. 22:00
Niña Pastori (“Esperando Verte”)22 August.. 22:00
Valderrama (“Moderna Tradición”)
Informational Links:
http://www.esflamenco.com/scripts/news/ennews.asp?frmIdPagina=1169 (in English)
http://www.madridiario.es/2009/Agosto/…/veranos-de-la-villa-ciclo-flamenco-artitas-jardines-de-sabatini.html (in Spanish)
http://www.esmadrid.com/veranosdelavilla/en/index (in English)
I get real flamenco outside my balcony every night. I live in a gypsy neighbourhood, and there is alwaya a group of youngsters playing guitar and singing and palmeando – it’s really nice, sometimes I turn off the TV and the lights and just lie here on my sofa listening to them.
What a coincidence!! I too hear this often through my window, lots of palmeando (“flamenco clapping”) going on as well as spontaneous singing. Much less often I hear flamenco guitar coming from the bar down below.
I even got lessons in palmeando once! I can do 1 type only and that not very well, it was from a friend in a bar! It’s a lot more complex and difficult than I imagined.
I live in such a boring barrio 😉