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Number 8 of 20 in Madrid

Flamenco in Madrid: a night at a tablao

Flamenco was born in Andalusia, but Madrid has been its stage for a century and a half. In a tablao you sit a few metres from the dancers, close enough to hear the heels and see the singer's face.

What it is
Show
Time to allow
1 to 2.5 hours
Cost
Ticket, with a drink or dinner as you choose
Best time
An evening show, booked ahead

Madrid this week

    Why a flamenco show is worth it

    Flamenco is song, guitar and dance together, and the song comes first: the cante, often a lament, carried by a singer who sets the rhythm the dancer answers with feet and hands. UNESCO put it on its list of the intangible heritage of humanity in 2010.

    In the nineteenth century it was heard in cafés cantantes, bars with a small stage. From the 1950s their place was taken by the tablaos, named after the wooden floor the dancers stamp on, where you eat or drink while the show goes on.

    Madrid had some of the first and best-known. The Corral de la Morería opened in 1956 near the Royal Palace, and the great names of flamenco have danced and sung on its stage since.

    What to see

    1. The dance

      The baile, with the dancer's heelwork, the turns and the long-trained dress, the bata de cola, swept round with a kick.

    2. The song

      The cante jondo, the deep song, is the heart of it. Listen for the singer before you watch the dancer.

    3. The guitar

      The flamenco guitarist plays alone in some numbers, and in others follows the singer and the dancer, beat for beat.

    4. The palmas

      The clapping of the performers who sit at the back keeps the rhythm, the compás, which changes from one style to the next.

    How to do it well

    • Book ahead. The best-known tablaos sell out, and the later shows are often fuller.
    • A show usually lasts about an hour. Most tablaos sell a ticket with a drink, and some with dinner as well.
    • Sit near the front if you can: the stage is small and the room is not.
    • Photographs without flash are usually allowed, video often not. Ask at the door.

    Where it is

    Address

    Tablaos across the old centre, from the Royal Palace to the Gran Vía

    Nearest station

    Ópera (lines 2 and 5) or Sol (lines 1, 2 and 3), for most of them

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line.

    Tickets and tours: Flamenco show

    Flamenco show: common questions

    What is a tablao?
    A room with a small wooden stage where flamenco is performed while the audience drinks or dines. The word comes from tablado, the floor of boards the dancers stamp on.
    How long is a flamenco show in Madrid?
    About an hour in most tablaos, sometimes a little longer. With dinner, allow two hours or more.
    Is flamenco from Madrid?
    No, it comes from Andalusia, in the south of Spain. But Madrid has had flamenco stages since the nineteenth century, and many of the great performers made their names here.
    How much time do you need for a flamenco show?
    Allow 1 to 2.5 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

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