Dance: Romancero del Baile Flamenco
These two days, back with Meetup - tonight, with Up in the Cheap Seats for Romancero del Baile Flamenco - well now, that wasn't going to be a hard sell! Showing in Sadler's Wells, as part of their Flamenco Festival - olé! Booked to eat beforehand in The Wilmington.
Took myself off in good time - and the promised rain never did fall on me. Closest I came to it was drops of rain on the bus windows. I was a little early to the pub - just as well, if I had to be at the theatre at a certain time. The guy behind the counter recognised me, said it was nice to see me again, and that I could sit anywhere. I took a table facing the specials board, but still had to get up to see properly - there was a post in my way! And what it was obscuring was what I was particularly interested in - this is the place that introduced me to the onglet, and yay, they had it today. So I ordered that, with some more of their "Irish soda bread" to start. And the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, of course.
They asked whether I was going to a show, and what time I needed to leave - excellent idea, and one I haven't seen before, here. Even double-checked which theatre I was going to! which is something Sadler's Wells do themselves, now that they have opened a third venue. My service was nice and prompt - but Lordy, how anyone is expected to get through four (!) slices of soda bread as a starter.. I managed two (complete with butter), and decided I'd better hold off on the rest until the steak arrived, lest I fill myself. They must have been keeping an eye on me - the steak arrived not long after, and it had a beautifully crisp coating, and was accompanied by lovely, crisp chips and a good peppercorn sauce on the side. Add to that a seriously good wine - and it's no wonder the dining area filled up considerably shortly after I arrived. I did manage a third slice of bread, after the steak, BTW. The bill, when it came, was in a dinky box:
And so, up the hill:
We were to meet in the Second Circle Bar - with the time fast approaching, I figured I had excuse enough to take the lift! whose existence was a revelation to the organiser, who met me pretty much immediately. I got a drink - not as nice as at the pub, but hey - and we chatted about this and that before we went in, there being no sign of the third person to sign up. The organiser, mind, was in the Stalls, having generously conceded to meet upstairs for those of us with tickets up there! Hey, at least he knows about the lift for next time..
Me, I was in a cheap seat in the Second Circle (as I pointed out, that does suit the group name!), in one of those handy, isolated ones to the side:
The place, as you would expect, was absolutely full of Spaniards, overhearing the conversations. And it wasn't long before the show started.
A darkened stage - a lady in a long dress makes her cautious way into a spotlight. She is soon joined by a man in a hat and suit (no jacket) - they circle each other, warily. And so the dance begins..
Over the course of the next hour and a half, or so, we are to see all sorts of flamenco costumes - from the long dress with white frills that look like sea foam, dragging behind her, to dresses with narrower skirts, to the freest of all, a dress in which she can move freely. The longer dresses are pulled up to free her legs. For one performance, she has a hat. The rest don't really bother with outfit changes. The dance itself is accompanied by music and singing, or by guitar - or by nothing at all, the dancers moving to their own rhythm. And of course, it's all about the rhythm, feet pounding it out when there's no other source.
The technique is undeniable, their stamina remarkable. And they received a rapturous reception from the audience. As I remarked afterwards, my only complaint was that I would have preferred a more intimate venue.. but I'm always delighted to catch flamenco. This festival runs till Sunday, and it does occur to me that I somehow manage to see something in it, every year..! Roll on my next one.
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