Flaminco in Sacromonte

Known for its caves, the Rom, and dance, Sacromonte has long been considered the birth place of Flamenco. And, if you’re lucky, during an evening meal you may get to witness someone inspired enough to suddenly break out into song or dance.

I’d heard so many stories about the “tourist traps” Flamenco shows. I’m pretty sure that anyone who has visited Spain has their own tale of disaster… we even have one of our own. But, luckily we experienced the best first and were able to identify the worst later.

A series of events led us to Venta el Gallo. During a tour of an old olive oil mill, a Spanish language student recommended the club. We then talked to a person who talked to a friend who found us tickets and on the evening of the popular Gypsy parade (Semana Santa), we headed into the hills to an old cave and our first flamenco performance.

This performance was inspiring. I can’t think of any other way to describe it. It was filled with rhythm, passion, story, uniqueness, improvisation, and I even saw a tap step or two from one of the dancers. These women have character, and their unique personalities come out in their dance.

For most of the show, you could have put a marble in Niña’s mouth and she wouldn’t have noticed. She was so transfixed by the experience. For her, time stopped and the world became flamenco… in the hills of Sacromonte.