Adrián Brenes
 |
| One of the first flamenco tablaos, mid 19th century |
I’m leaving
for London soon to do some shows with the company ‘Flamenco Express’, but
before I leave, I want to tell you about the tablao I’ll be performing in with
the ‘Compañía Ventura’ in Conil this summer. This will be the second year we
have presented a tablao – last year’s was highly acclaimed and this year’s,
which builds on our experience, will be even better.A tablao is a bright and lively group event, full of colour and movement, and these shows are a great introduction to flamenco. The first tablaos were performed in the cafes cantantes, the flamenco cafes which first brought the genre to prominence in the nineteenth century. The ‘tablao’ was the improvised stage the performers worked on. Eventually, the name stuck to the whole show.
Tablaos
created the first opportunities for flamenco performers to make a living
through their art and created a whole class of travelling dance families,
though many were very poor. Nowadays, many young performers gain their first
professional experience by dancing in tablaos.
Our tablao
consists of a balance of group and individual performances, always including
the famous ‘Alegrías’, our native Cadiz palo. And though Conil is a small town,
the Compañia Ventura is something special. Our members are highly trained
professionals, who have worked all over the world, teaching and performing
flamenco, but when other engagements allow, we make a point of getting together
for the summer season in Conil.
The
Compañia Ventura consists of three or four musicians and singers and a dozen or
so dancers, though not everyone performs every week. For the first night, next
Tuesday, for example, I’ll be in London, but I’ll dance with the company the
following week.
Putting
together a tablao, though, isn’t just a question of dancing. Apart from
rehearsals, we have to arrange costumes, printing and publicity, and most of
all, we need to prepare an attractive area for performance. It’s a timely
reminder that flamenco isn’t just performance – it also has a practical side
and we all have to take part.
Fortunately,
the group is large and we’re all willing to lend a hand. And when the music is
flowing, the shawls are flying and the stage resounds to the rhythm of zapateados,
the work of preparation is soon forgotten.
Tablaos
sometimes have a bad name. The ones you see in the cities, aimed at tourists,
are overpriced and sometimes lack originality, but here in Conil, you’ll see
top-class performers at a price which means you won’t have to go without dinner
afterwards.
Conil’s
tablao takes place every Tuesday evening at 10 pm at the Ayuntimiento patio next
to the church: Plaza de la Constitutión.
