Exploring the history of feminism in Spain through Flamenco

For the final free cultural activity of the month, the students were treated to a flamenco show unlike any they’d seen before. Mixing traditional flamenco music, clothing and dance with those of different eras, including 20s flappers, 60s futurism and even 80s rock, this show broke the boundaries of what many of us in the audience believed flamenco to be. After the explosive and varied performance, the principal dancer, Adriana Bilbao, participated in a Q&A session explaining her choices for the show, which our students listened to with great interest. She described the context of some of the dances, including the first duet in which the two dancers were constantly averting their gaze, reflecting Spanish societal restrictions of the time.

The performance was breathtaking, with moments of calm being broken in a split second by a passionate fury taking over the stage.

After the performance, it was lovely to hear from the students about their experience: one of the students’ comments stuck with us in particular: they felt that it is activities like these that not only allow the students to discover traditional Spanish culture but to see it through a modern lens, that makes this School stand out from the rest.

If you want to explore the contemporary side of Spain for free alongside learning this beautiful language, why not check out the courses offered at the Instituto Hemingway.