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El Palacio Andaluz

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samepenny
samepenny
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4 out of 5
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2
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Editor Pick

Flamenco Dancing and the El Palacio Andaluz Restaurante

  • December 15, 2008
  • Rated 3 of 5 by LenR from Townsville, Australia
I must say I am not a fan of dance displays but my wife was keen to see some flamenco and this seemed to be the easiest way to keep her happy. Flamenco is a Spanish art form with roots deep in Andalusia. Although there are clues as to how this dance and folk music evolved, the details are lost in history or at least they are to me.


Even the origin of its name is elusive. Some attribute it to the early 1500s and the flamboyant Flemish courtiers during the reign of Charles V. Others say flamenco, still referring to the Flemish, was the nationality erroneously given by the common people to Gypsies. Still others claim the name comes from the Arabic fellah mangu, the laborer who sings. Whatever the origins, the Gypsies seem to have consolidated the assorted strains into the flamenco we know today when they began to arrive in Spain during the 15th century.


It was not until after 1700, however, that flamenco came into its own. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries it flourished, achieving a peak in popularity from about 1875 to 1900. Practically every Andalusian town in that period had its singing cafe. I’m told that Seville boasted five. With few exceptions, the famed singers and dancers were Gypsies.


There are a number of Flamenco clubs in Seville now and it all depends on who you talk to as to which is the best. The clubs offer kickbacks to the hotels so arranging your tickets through them may not be the best bet.

The El Palacio Andaluz happened to be within walking distance of our hotel and we had heard that this was one of the better places. The venue is a renovated warehouse. It includes a large stage area, a typical Andalusian Bodega and plenty of tables with full bar and restaurant service. This is perhaps one of the most spacious places to see a flamenco show in Seville and really is a long way from the original which was staged in small bars. The theatre’s architecture offers reasonable views from any seat, although the ones towards the back are quite a way from the stage. We didn't eat here but many did and the tables were small and close together. The acoustics were good.

It turns out that El Palacio Andaluz has won numerous national and international awards for their shows, which cover a wide range of flamenco styles. This venue was also selected by a national television channel to host a documentary about flamenco.

The show is varied but at about 85 minutes was too long for me. It starts slowly with music then dancing. The dancer slowly increases the vigour of her dancing with the rising tempo of the music. The artists do a lot of clapping and shoe tapping. It then builds as more and more dancers and musicians participate and finally the stage is full of colour and excitement.

From journal Seville Eating and Sleeping

Editor Pick

El Palacio Andaluz --- Flamenco

  • August 13, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by samepenny from Fort Worth, Texas
El Palacio Andaluz --- Flamenco

This is yet another expensive Flamenco show with dinner put on for tourists. Why do I keep doing this? Well, I love Flamenco, we need to eat and I don't feel comfortable hunting around for a bar with a more authentic show. The truth is out.

The dance is fine, the dinner was multi-course and served remarkably well considering that most of the service (and the eating) was done in nearly total darkness. We arrived and were surprised to be ushered past on theater on the ground floor to a second one up a creaky staircase on the floor above. We both looked around for fire exits! Nightclub seating, small tables close together. No restrictions against non-flash photography! Finally!

Photographers came around and took several photos which were so good, we bought most of them. I hope they last for a while. Dinner began quickly with bottles of wine and fizzy water placed on our table (2 couples, lots of wine). A large plate of tapas, in this case fried prawns and fried chicken and almost at the same time a seafood cocktail (heavy in mayo AGAIN!) I soon found out why the waitresses were rushing as the banged our salads down on the table. The lights were going down and the show beginning. I had just enough time to see my salad of white asparagus, tomatoes, white cheese and olives when we were in a darkness worthy of a photographic darkroom.

I have experience in the dark and continued to eat and drink, taking care to eat off my plate and not the one of my neighbor, a lovely lady from Ohio. The show begins! Music, then dance. Lots of dance. Very fine dancers, but with the look of a very often repeated performance.

The main course, a salmon with small fried potatos and a fast switch of plates to dessert. A nice, fattening flan.

For those less interested in dance, the show which ran for 90 minutes without an intermission, was too much of a good thing. It was impossible to get up for a rest room break and it was so dark and the stairs weren't marked with guide lights.

I enjoyed the show very much and also enjoyed my first real chance to take some photos of Flamenco in performance. A bit blurry, yes, but hand held, wide open, long exposure, no flash.

I wouldn't recommend this sort of performance if you've either already seen Flamenco to your fill or want to see a more authentic version in a bar/cafe. However, if you want a nice elegant, if rushed evening; do it. When you hear the Mararena, they pitch you out.

From journal I Adore Sevilla! (Seville)

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