Flamenco in Madrid – Tablao Cardamomo!
Originally posted:241004
Hello friends!
I´m in Madrid and I´m going to go and see some live flamenco for the first time in my life!
If you missed it, I previously wrote a short post about the origins of flamenco and the different parts of it.
Tablao Cardamomo at Calle de Echegaray
Cardamomo flamenco in Madrid
The Tablao Cardamomo has been doing flamenco shows for over 30 years. They have at least 2 venues in Madrid and host both national and international flamenco artists. Usually 10 different artists performe together on stage each night.
I arrive early and am greeted at the door by a man who, with a big grin, shows me to the small bar just inside the door. “Two drinks are included in the price of the ticket so chose your preferred drink and wait in the lobby until the waiters come and get you”.
The small bar is serving all kinds of drinks, from non-alcoholic to different wines and champagnes. I get my coca-cola and sit down in the lobby and wait.
The other visitors are also tourists. Couples and groups. Some are dressed up, others not so much.
The venue
A waiter escorts me to my table. The light is dimmed and it´s creating a cozy and mysterious atmosphere. On the red brick walls hang big photographies of what I presume is past time masters and more current flamenco stars.
Old stars on the brick walls
The room is quite small and the tables are placed on different levels so that everyone can see whats going on on the stage.
I sip on my drink and watch the room fill up. An American couple joins my table. The waiter brings in my pre-ordered tapas and the flamenco is about to start!
I´m always confused about how to eat tortilla with a toothpick 😀 If you know the right way to do it – email me!
The Flamenco
The stage is dark, the tocaores sit against the wall when their guitars start to sing. At first a bit faintly, cautiously, as the tones rising to the ceiling are a bit hesitant and unsure of them selves. But the tocaores know exactly what they are doing and when the cantantes join in with some palmas (clapping), the guitars become braver, louder!
Flamenco has over 60 different styles (palos) and the show is divided into 6 different parts, all of them giving us a little taste of some of the flamenco styles. Like the Caña which, according to Flamenco.one, used to be one of the most important back in the days, and the Taranto which is closely associated with one of flamencos big stars Carmen Amaya (La Capitana).
The hour goes by fast, and before I know it the show is over. It ends with a fiery performance by bailaor José Escarpin!
Bailaor José Escarpin in action
The artists performing this exact evening were
Tocaor: Mario Montoya
Tocaor: Ricardo Vázquez
Tocaor: Iván Losada
Cantante: Jacob Quirós
Cantante: Saúl Quirós
Cantante: Laura Abadia
Bailaora: Paula Moreno
Bailaora: Nerea Fernández
Bailaor: José Escarpin
Score 3.3
The price of the ticket was 55 euros. And I also ordered tapas for my self for 16 euros.
The score is based on the following parameters.
Atmosphere: 3
Flamenco: 3.5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Price: 3
What I really liked about this place, in addition to the flamenco, was that they have an ipad at every table with information about the artists and different parts of the performance. It was a very nice addition for people like me who love to learn more about the history of the art form.
xoxo/Salla V
Originally posted:241004