After the festivities of early spring, las Fallas, it was time for the Feria de Abril in Seville over the past two weeks. You can also find ferias in other parts of Spain, but especially in the south, this is accompanied by flamenco music. Along the entire coastline, there are also flamenco dance and music performances for tourists.
Flamenco music is accompanied by singing, clapping hands or “palmas,” guitar, cajón (wooden hand drum), sometimes violin, and dance with strong heel sounds. Together, they usually create quite dramatic and energetic music through collective improvisation and tuning into each other.
Sometimes you see the dancers claim their own space and stage, eager to express their emotions through dance. Even young children often beautifully assert their space (see the video below). That’s something I would still like to learn, taking up space for myself in an engaging way.
