Late at night, after doing some shooting for our neighbourhood videos, we found ourselves walking through a maze of winding streets in the upper Albaicin. Myself and my cameraman colleague Jonatan came across these weird house caves in the Sacromonte quarter almost by accident. Despite the tiredness we felt after a long working day, we were instantly tempted to go inside one of these intimate and cosy caves to shoot a video of one of these peculiar flamenco shows, despite the fact it had already started.
Dancers and musicians were sitting in a circle at the mouth of the cave, while everyone in the audience enjoyed a front row seat. In the meantime, José Martín, the manager of Los Tarantos, proudly explained the origins of the show to us: “Unique in the world, our Flamenco is a dancing style with roots in gypsy wedding ceremonies, called Zambras". In other words, a big family flamenco party!
These traditional, white-washed caves are adorned with shiny copper pots that are hung all around the walls. Although we found these performances fairly commercial and aimed at tourists, it was well worth the experience. The music and dancers in such a setting transported us back to the time of flamenco's historical origins, making it a memorable experience for us. The tiredness we had initially became a pleasant feeling of happiness and joy.
by Joao Almeida Garrett
The Albaicín and Sacromonte are the famous neighbourhoods in Granada for flamenco. Zambras are unique to Granada, but there are also tablaos - or bars with live stage performances. You may even get lucky and come across an impromptu flamenco get-together in a bar.
Flamencotickets is a company which researches shows all over Spain, including Granada, and offers personal recommendations. For more information and reservations, visit www.flamencotickets.com.
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