Flamenco show!!

We capped off a busy day with a Flamenco show.  It was wonderful!  It was a small audience (as is traditional), maybe 75 people.  We didn't know much of the history, but discovered that the tradition originates in Spain with likely origins in Moorish culture.  It originally included just rythmic clapping and soulful singing (wailing), but was adapted to include a guitar as well as the dancing. It has a very strong tradition as an art form with schools and famous performers, etc.  More history, this is a good site:

https://www.red2000.com/spain/flamenco/history.html

They opened with two dancers.  Both were quite sensual in their movements, seducing and challenging each other in turn with very impressive tap dance-like stomping and foot work.

They were followed by a soloist who mostly sang a very emotion filled song of angst.  Even our Spanish speaking student couldn't understand it, but the emotion was obvious.  She also had a lot of expressive movements with her hands.  You can see the four men who are seated who were her 'accompaniment' through their clapping.  There was also a solo guitar player.   Before they began clapping, they put some kind of coating on their hands, possibly to increase the percussiveness or to protect them.  Clapping for 1 1/2 hours has got to be hard on the hands!  When they clapped they also had a sliding/ hand wiping motion that made a swish kind of sound (soft).  The three men in black were also singers with a same wailing style as the woman.  It was impressive, but not my favorite.

the expressive looks on the dancers faces were as entertaining as watching their feet and slowly rotating hips.  The one above is an obvious 'come hither' look from the man.

On a random side note, it became obvious at this performance that the norm for "shushing" people who are talking is to hiss at them, instead of shush them.  We heard a lot of "ssss" as the performance began.