Early morning Peña
A Peña is the ultimate Jerez buleria experience.
It is a place where the authentic Flamencos of Jerez gather.
They dance and sing the bulerias por fiesta ...which is the high art of exchange and communication in the Jerez Flamenco style.
This is the place where artists and "royalty" of the community gather... and is where the famous and celebrated stars of flamenco get started, and still come to pay homage… and take part.
It is a club and we have the privelege to come because of the festival.
These affairs don't start till the wee hours of the morning ... in this case we arrived at the place somewhere around 12.30 to beat the crush of people that would fill the place.... and the Peña began.... I think... about 1.30 or so.
Now... in this situation, it's all about codes of behavior. From the dance and cante itself… to how you conduct yourself during the evening.
Only experience ... or someone telling you the ropes , can demystify the experience.
They tolerate us foreigners and are genuinely freindly , ... but we are only hangers on....
Luckily, I had beside me this evening, my new business contact Miguel - the flamenco shoe maker from Madrid.
He was at the big show at the Teatro earlier in the evening... (here that means the show that started at 9 ...) and came with us (Pat, Merek and a bunch more of us from around the world.... to the Peña.
He knew people... and this night was a special night because of the festival. All the professionals were there, and the older more well known men from the community, were singing, and dancing.
I was lucky enough to watch the first part of the evening from the section that was roped off for the club members... two girls from Italy knew someone ... and he said they could sit there... and they pulled me with them past the rope -holy shit!! I was only a few rows away!!!
The crowd was full of the people I had seen at the big shows all week.
It was pretty great to be finally standing next to the Jerez Flamencos drinking vinos, and having Miguel explain to them what my black eyes were from. (who knew what an ice-breaker they would be!)
At one point when the crowd was so thick... (I had stopped sitting at this point, ) and was at the back near the bar squished up against the smokers and drinkers , and standing people... I was literally crammed up against the wet coat of a very very tall and strikingly handsome young man..... I was looking up at him just struck by his dramatic look... and Miguel elbowed me, laughed, winked and whispered "Jeronimo".
For those of you who don't know ... Jeronimo is a very, very popular and good young guitarist. It's kind of the equivalent of being crushed up against a young Mick Jagger I guess.... (only waaaaaaay better looking!)
(For anyone who cares... I have saved drops of water from his coat in a little vile, and am selling it for a hundred euros a drop! (kind of like holy water -eh?)
Anyway... after consuming way too much vino and cigarette smoke… I decided to leave early with Pat and a dancer from Paris as Miguel’s few English words were disappearing as the night wore on... and I don't trust my communication skills at this time of night!
So into the rain we pushed.
As I lay in my hotel room... late in the wee early morning hours... I heard palmas.... and cante from the street below... local flamencos making their way home from the Peña.
Ole....
It is a place where the authentic Flamencos of Jerez gather.
They dance and sing the bulerias por fiesta ...which is the high art of exchange and communication in the Jerez Flamenco style.
This is the place where artists and "royalty" of the community gather... and is where the famous and celebrated stars of flamenco get started, and still come to pay homage… and take part.
It is a club and we have the privelege to come because of the festival.
These affairs don't start till the wee hours of the morning ... in this case we arrived at the place somewhere around 12.30 to beat the crush of people that would fill the place.... and the Peña began.... I think... about 1.30 or so.
Now... in this situation, it's all about codes of behavior. From the dance and cante itself… to how you conduct yourself during the evening.
Only experience ... or someone telling you the ropes , can demystify the experience.
They tolerate us foreigners and are genuinely freindly , ... but we are only hangers on....
Luckily, I had beside me this evening, my new business contact Miguel - the flamenco shoe maker from Madrid.
He was at the big show at the Teatro earlier in the evening... (here that means the show that started at 9 ...) and came with us (Pat, Merek and a bunch more of us from around the world.... to the Peña.
He knew people... and this night was a special night because of the festival. All the professionals were there, and the older more well known men from the community, were singing, and dancing.
I was lucky enough to watch the first part of the evening from the section that was roped off for the club members... two girls from Italy knew someone ... and he said they could sit there... and they pulled me with them past the rope -holy shit!! I was only a few rows away!!!
The crowd was full of the people I had seen at the big shows all week.
It was pretty great to be finally standing next to the Jerez Flamencos drinking vinos, and having Miguel explain to them what my black eyes were from. (who knew what an ice-breaker they would be!)
At one point when the crowd was so thick... (I had stopped sitting at this point, ) and was at the back near the bar squished up against the smokers and drinkers , and standing people... I was literally crammed up against the wet coat of a very very tall and strikingly handsome young man..... I was looking up at him just struck by his dramatic look... and Miguel elbowed me, laughed, winked and whispered "Jeronimo".
For those of you who don't know ... Jeronimo is a very, very popular and good young guitarist. It's kind of the equivalent of being crushed up against a young Mick Jagger I guess.... (only waaaaaaay better looking!)
(For anyone who cares... I have saved drops of water from his coat in a little vile, and am selling it for a hundred euros a drop! (kind of like holy water -eh?)
Anyway... after consuming way too much vino and cigarette smoke… I decided to leave early with Pat and a dancer from Paris as Miguel’s few English words were disappearing as the night wore on... and I don't trust my communication skills at this time of night!
So into the rain we pushed.
As I lay in my hotel room... late in the wee early morning hours... I heard palmas.... and cante from the street below... local flamencos making their way home from the Peña.
Ole....
posted by Edie at 3:06 AM
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