Today was one of those days where I ideas for my blog post kept changing. My mind was wandering all over the place.

First I thought about writing about the pizza lunch we had before my students took their test. Then it was about a really neat park that we visited after work and finally about the great Spanish dinner I had.

Then came the Saturday night entertainment at the Spanish restaurant and the subject of the post solidified.

We had dinner at Casa Avila. I had some of the best Chicken soup that I have ever tasted followed by a wonderful beef dish that was covered with a cheese sauce. I may have to write about it in a future post.

As we were finishing up the main course they were setting up the stage for the Noches de Flamenco (Nights of Flamenco) show.

When you think of flamenco, you may only think about dancing. However, flamenco is both music and dance. You can have flamenco music without having the dance, but not the other way around.

Flamenco comes from the Andalusia area in southern Spain and developed from the folk music of the Andalusian and Romani.

The flamenco dance is very colorful and active. Some people may think that the name of the dance comes for the flamingo, but even though the Spanish word for flamingo is flamenco, there is no direct connection.

The word when used with the music and dance may have come from the flamboyant behavior of the Flemish court, but more likely came from the word ‘flahenco’ that means ‘collection of songs.’

The flamenco music is very distinctive and has a great rhythm that makes you want to tap your toes and fingers.

The flamenco dance is very expressive. The movements of the arms and legs are highlighted while the core of the body is stable. In the pictures above you will see that the movement is in the hands and legs.

The room lighting was dim and so I was unable to get sharp pictures of the dancer. However, I really like the pictures as they show motion and also convey the ambiance in the restaurant.

The footwork in the flamenco dance is also very rhythmic and is often punctuated with loud stamping of the feet. I can just imagine the force that it takes to make the loud sound.

I hope that you enjoyed this quick little look into my noche de flamenco.

Do you have a favorite dance that you like to watch?

Steven