Teatro Flamenco Sevilla — Attraction in Seville

We had the pleasure of attending the 17.30 show on Wednesday May 8. We went into the experience honestly not expecting very much. It was, we thought, a simple tourist attraction. The sort of show to draw weary tourists from the streets while resting their feet for an hour or so. What we experienced was anything but.

From the moment the lights went down, and the curtain swung back, we were transported to a time and place where the only inhabitant was Flamenco. There was not one person on stage to went to work that evening; They all went to entertain, and they loved what they were doing. It was purely evident in their interactions, the joy in their faces, and their emotion. At one point, I watched one of the female dancers wipe a tear while watching another perform. The connectedness was astonishing.

The flamenco music itself was something that could transport you through time. With hints of Spain's Moorish past coming through, and many levels of emotion pulling you into each note, I found myself entranced. As a native English speaker, who can do well enough in conversational Spanish, I could not understand everything being sung verbally. However, the way it was sung pulled you along for the entire journey and I found myself understanding the full concept of the story being played out before me.

While the theater did allow non-flash photography and video, the moment was too sublime, and too sacred to ruin with pulling any attention away from what was happening on the stage. Instead, I decided to immerse myself in every moment and savor the experience in my memory, for me alone.

Leaving, my impression was so much more than when I went in. I was contemplative and silent while letting the entire experience soak into me. It was by far one of the best hours of my life, and one that anyone wishing to understand flamenco and the people of Seville a bit more, should make time to attend. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your world for a...

Updated: Back from Spain and after having seen now the many photos I took during the show, I feel I must raise my rating to the maximum and, if I could, above ;-). Thanks again! Amazing show! Breathtaking, one of the peaks of our trip. However be aware that it is ...a SHOW, not an intimate place where you are very close to the dancers, guitar player and singer, like at the Casa de la Memoria, which is on the same street, a hundred meters from this one on your way to the Setas de Sevilla. It is definitely not like these basements Flamenco shows in Cordoba and Granada where you can almost touch the players. So this is a different kind of Flamenco experience. I'd mention we've been also twice at the Casa de la Memoria where the dancers, singer and player change every day.

But the huge advantage at this Teatro Flamenco is that, contrary to the Casa de la Memoria, here...you are allowed take pictures, during the whole show and as many as you want. Not videos, but photos, without flash of course, and you can immortalize our memories...Priceless!

An important tip: The cost of the ticket is 20euros, but when we got in,, first in line to sit on the front row, our seats actually started from row 5 and above, not what we we wanted, for the photos of course. They simply didn't mention this "tiny" fact although I had specifically asked if I could be in the front rows (they said then to just be there early) So we had to buy much more expensive tickets, almost twice (38 euros each) and twice than La Casa de La Memoria. Still, for once in a life time it was worth...

For English, scroll down.

Llevé a mi familia de sorpresa a este espectáculo y nos encantó. Aunque no era la primera vez que veíamos un espectáculo flamenco, admito que salimos muy contentos. Incluso los niños, de 5 y 8 años salieron entusiasmados. El show nos costó 25 euros por persona y 15 el niño de 8 años. Menores de 6 años no pagan. Está en el teatro flamenco en la calle Cuna. Está climatizado y tiene un bar a la entrada donde puedes tomar algo mientras esperas para entrar. Al ser teatro, el show se vé muy bien desde cualquier butaca.

El espectáculo fue de menos a más, con unos integrantes entregados. El show constaba de un guitarrista, dos cantaóres, 4 bailaóras y 1 bailaor. El show está muy bien armonizado. La guitarea y los bailes son realmente bonitos. Los cantaóres tienen una voz muy potente y característica del baile flamenco. No soy un experto en flamenco pero personalmente, la parte que más me gustó fueron las bailaóras que a parte de la gracia y belleza andaluza que tienen, bailaban espectacularmente bien. Me encantó el baile con castañuelas, con mantón y con abanico. El bailaor era un crack tambien pero creo que no lució tanto como las chicas. Me hubiese gustado verle bailar con una flamenca.

En cuanto a detalles técnicos, el escenario está bien iluminado y ambientado, lo que le dá al show ese aire místico y maravilloso que tiene el flamenco.

Algo a mejorar del espectáculo es el audio. No creo que sea un problema de calidad del sonido si no de equalización. En general, el audio era correcto excepto cuando los cantóres daban palmas. Al llevar el micro cerca de la boca, daban palmas muy cerca del mismo y resultaba en un sonido algo molesto que resaltaba por encima de la guitarra y el canto. Quizás fue algo puntual pero desde luego, es algo que pueden mejorar.

Como observación, hay muchos shows en Sevillas similares. Algo que eché de menos en el teatro fue estar más cerca del tablao y los bailaores. Puede ser interesante el visitar varios tablaos para comparar.

En cualquier caso, muy recomendable.

I took my family by surprise to this show, and we loved it. Although it wasn't the first time we saw a flamenco performance, I admit we came out very pleased. Even the kids, aged 5 and 8, were excited.

The show cost us 25 euros per person, and the 8-year-old child paid 15 euros. Children under 6 years old do not have to pay. It's located at the flamenco theater on Cuna street. The theater is air-conditioned and has a bar at the entrance where you can have a drink while waiting to enter. Since it's a theater, the show is visible from any seat.

The performance started slowly and built up, with dedicated performers. The show featured a guitarist, two singers, four female dancers, and one male dancer. It was well-coordinated, and the guitar and dances were truly beautiful. The singers had powerful voices characteristic of flamenco. Although I'm not a flamenco expert, personally, I enjoyed the female dancers the most. Besides their grace and Andalusian beauty, they danced spectacularly well. I loved the dances with castanets, shawl, and fan. The male dancer was also talented, but I feel he didn't shine as much as the ladies. I would have liked to see him dance with a female partner.

Regarding technical details, the stage was well-lit and set, creating that mystical and wonderful atmosphere of flamenco.

One thing to improve in the show is the audio. I don't think it's a sound quality issue, but rather an equalization problem. In general, the audio was fine, except when the singers clapped their hands. Due to the microphone being close to their mouths, the clapping sound was somewhat annoying and stood out over the guitar and singing. Perhaps it was an isolated incident, but it's something they can work on.

As an observation, there are many similar shows in Seville. One thing I missed in the theater was being closer to the stage and the dancers. It might be interesting to visit several tablaos to make comparisons.

In any case, highly...