Page 327 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Spain

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Flamenco
Sundays and holidays); on days
when there are matches, times Although flamenco
vary. Tickets can be bought at origin ated in Andalucía
the box office and online with (see pp428–9), Madrid is
no need to book in advance. often seen as its spiritual home
Real Madrid’s rivals, Atlético and some of the best flamenco
de Madrid, are based at the dancers and musicians
Vicente Calderón stadium. regularly perform here. The
Exterior of the historic Café Gijón scene is sparklingly vibrant, and
interpretations of the art range
Dance
the more substantial version of from the traditional to the
tapas, and accompany it with a Madrid’s dance scene has come daringly innovative, inspired by
good local wine. Go for a taberna a long way in recent years, dancers such as Joaquín Cortés.
crawl and visit the the older and with international companies The big Suma Flamenca festival
most interesting establishments, and local talent performing is held every year in June.
such as Taberna Antonio regularly around the city. Most tablaos (flamenco
Sánchez, which is well-known Madrid is the home of Spain’s venues) offer drinks and dinner
for its history and the quality of prestigious Ballet Nacional de with the show. Sometimes,
its tapas. Bodega La Ardosa is España and the more contemp- however, the show may feature
popular with both tourists and orary Compañía Nacional de only singing and not the familar
locals, and Taberna Maceiras is Danza, for many years directed rhythmic dancing.
favoured for its Galician wines by the world -famous dancer Café de Chinitas and Corral
and other specialities. and chore og ra pher Nacho de la Moreria are among the
Duato. Víctor Ullate’s Ballet older and better tablaos in
de la Comunidad de Madrid town, but are somewhat
Bullfighting
presents a more avant- touristy. Also well worth a
Although bullfighting (see garde mix of classical and visit are La Taberna de Mister
pp40–41) remains controversial, contemporary dance. Pinkleton and Casa Patas.
it continues to thrive in Madrid. A good time to experience Mixed flamenco and pop
The Plaza de Toros de las Madrid’s rich dance tradition is bars such as Cardamomo
Ventas is the most important around April, when the annual are full of boisterous young
ring in the world, holding En Danza festival takes place. people, but are a fun way of
corridas every Sunday from Both Spanish and international experiencing the sound and
March to October. In May, dancers perform at this time feel of flamenco. Two bars that
during the Fiesta de San Isidro, in various theatres and other feature regular, spontaneous
there are corridas every day, venues in and around Madrid. performances are the
with some of the biggest names Two major venues hosting atmospheric Candela and
participating in the spectacle. dance are the Teatros del Las Tablas. Note that as these
The Las Ventas box office Canal and the Teatro Real places are frequented by local
is open on Fridays from 10am (where opera is usually flamenco aficionados, visitors
to 2pm and from 5pm to 7pm. performed). Smaller venues should be respectful of the art.
You can also purchase tickets such as La Casa Encendida Take into account that
from abroad through the and Cuarta Pared present although bars are fun and a
Taquilla Toros website, and alterna tive dance performances. good introduction to the art of
collect them at the box office Details can usually be found in flamenco, some of the best dance
up to two hours before the fight. the entertainment listings or on troupes, singers and players usu-
the individual venue’s website. ally perform at the city’s theatres.
Football
Madrid is very proud of its
team, Real Madrid (see p181),
and the players are celebrities
in Spain. With a capacity of
80,000, their home stadium
Santiago Bernabéu is one of the
greatest theatres of the game.
Tickets can be bought on the
phone, or through the team’s
official website.
For those wishing to visit
the stadium, guided tours are
conducted on Mondays and
Saturdays between 10am and
7pm (10:30am to 6:30pm on A male flamenco dancer performing at Casa Patas

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