Is it a flamenco show?
Is it a flamenco show?
What a guitar trio and dance concert in the Palau is, how it differs from a small-room flamenco show, and how to choose between the two evenings.
Reserve a seat at the Palau ↗Quick answer
It is a concert first. Three guitarists lead, with flamenco dancers and a percussionist, in the Palau's large hall. A reviewer on the booking page calls it a taste of flamenco with the focus on the guitar trio, and says a more tourist-style flamenco show is a different evening. A small flamenco room offers a closer, shorter and drinkier night.
What flamenco is
According to Wikipedia, flamenco grew out of the folk music of southern Spain and took shape within the gitano communities of Andalusia. It combines cante (song), toque (guitar), baile (dance) and rhythmic clapping. UNESCO declared flamenco part of the intangible heritage of humanity in 2010. Its dancers are noted for fierce feeling, an upright bearing, eloquent arms and drumming feet, and the guitar is central to the art, which is why a guitar trio can carry an evening.
Flamenco in a Catalan city
Barcelona is a Catalan city, and flamenco's roots lie in Andalusia. Even so, Wikipedia lists a Catalan dancer, La Singla, who took Spain and Europe by storm between 1960 and 1988, among flamenco's well-known figures. The Palau's own programme includes a flamenco topic and flamenco cycles. So flamenco belongs in the city's programme, even if its heartland lies in the south.
What this concert is
The Palau concert is a tribute to Paco de Lucía, built around three guitarists, with flamenco dancers and a percussionist. It lasts about 1.5 hours in a large concert hall, with numbered seats on several floors. A reviewer says it was a taste of flamenco in which the guitar trio takes the lead, and that the dancing was top notch. Others on the booking page mention views blocked from some seats, which is a real risk in a large hall.
What a small room offers
A flamenco show in a small venue runs differently. One short show in central Barcelona lasts about 55 minutes, serves drinks, and includes a drink in selected seating categories, according to its own booking page. It limits the room and asks for silence during the show. That is a different pattern: closer dancers, a shorter set, a bar. The comparison on the booking card lists the facts side by side, and each ticket is separate.
Choosing between them
Choose the Palau if the hall is the draw, if you like a concert format with a guitar programme, or if you want to sit inside the hall. Choose a small room if you want to see the dancers' faces and feet from a few metres, to have a drink, or to spend less than an hour and a half. Neither ticket is better in general. They suit different wishes, and many visitors book one and not the other.
Who this isn't for
For flamenco as a close-up spectacle, with clapping and shouted encouragement from a crowded little room, the Palau concert is not the best choice. For a seated concert with polished presentation, a famous hall and a guitar programme, a small bar will not do. Whichever you pick, read what each booking page says about seats, drinks and children before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Palau concert a tablao show?
No. It is a concert in a large hall with a guitar trio at its centre. A tablao is a small flamenco venue, and its shows are shorter and closer.
Does this concert include a drink?
The booking page lists no drink among the inclusions, and the Palau keeps food and drink out of the concert hall, so use the foyer before or after.
Is flamenco recognised by UNESCO?
Yes. UNESCO added flamenco to its intangible heritage lists in 2010, Wikipedia records.
Which is better for first-timers?
Neither is better in general. The Palau suits a seated concert in a famous hall. A small room suits close-up dance and a drink.
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