Flamenco

Hey all,

It's been a busy week, starting class again, meeting new people, and trying different activities.  I've gotten to show some of my new friends my favorite places around Sevilla - gelato shops, parks, stores, cool streets, and good churro stops. :)

Bonding over churros. Photo credits to new friend Emma :)

Plus we visited the Plaza de España and enjoyed learning a little bit about its history from Angel, our guide. One of the fun facts he told us was that the Plaza de España was made for a world fair held in Sevilla in 1929. Within the plaza and building there is so much Spanish history. For example, there are benches along the side of the building, each representing an important city in Spain. The plaza is also  a popular filming spot for movies like the Game of Thrones and Star Wars.

The city shown here is Córdoba. Each city represented has a picture of its history on the bench.

I got to try something new this week as well -  flamenco!! Myself and the other members of CIEE went to a flamenco class to learn the basics of this unique dance. We learned a "simple" dance, which for me turned out to be a little difficult, but I had a great time.

Flamenco is a type of Spanish dance/music that is very popular in the southern Andalusian region of Spain. It is a mix of Spanish and Romani music and dance styles. There are three parts that form this  dance: the dance, the song, and the music.

Typically flamenco dance involves many and various hand movements, with slightly bent arms, and a ton of footwork. The person dancing combines all three of these aspects into a fast-paced spectacle. The singer and guitarist are very talented too. They have to watch the dancer and make sure that they are on-beat with him/her. Yes, the dancer leads, not the other way around. The guitarist also does a lot less strumming and more plucking of the strings.

In the upcoming months, I will definitely experience more flamenco - as spring arrives and more holidays come. :) I can't wait to tell you more about it!