Our trip began quite eventfully; after getting off the plane in Madrid, we ran across the airport to make our connecting flight to Seville, set to leave just 40 minutes later. The EU Glee Clubbers quickly passed through the entry point and made it to the gate early to hold down the fort while the rest waited in the longer line. We rushed down stairs, towards the tram, and through the terminals, and within the four minute final call, we managed to get the last people on the plane to take off for Seville!
Once on the ground again, we met our couriers (Nigel for Awesome Bus A!), and dropped off our bags at the hotel before setting out for the city. Trekking through the pouring rain, we found a yummy lunch spot in the old town and ordered a few bread tapas and seafood paella with mussels and shrimp. (The Spanish cook shrimp in its shell to add more flavor, and apparently it’s a great source of nutrients if you don’t mind the extra crunch!)
The rain had ceded to a sunny sky during lunch, perfect for exploring the nearby Plaza del San Francisco and its mix of yellow Renaissance buildings and salmon and cream Baroque styles. Next, we explored the Metropol Parasol, the largest wooden structure in the world. Also known as the Setas de Sevilla, or “the mushrooms of Sevilla,” it consists of six mushroom-looking beams supporting a soaring covering of interlaced wood. We enjoyed some churros and chocolate sauce nearby before heading back to the hotel for a short nap before dinner.
After our dinner of tapas, salad, and brothy rice, the musicians began setting up for a flamenco performance, and a cantaora singer, a guitarist, flautist, percussionist, and a pair of male and female flamenco dancers took the stage. The performance opened with a song for Andalusia, starting soft with the singer’s winding voice and a fluttering flute in the background but growing into a strong, emotional piece. Unlike the traditional choral focus on smoothness and head voice, flamenco singing features a more raspy, chest voice with noticeable cracks that evoke love, longing, and pain. The flute joined in on the melody, with solos like water rippling down rocks, or the wind flowing down large sand hills and a traveler wandering through the Granada desert. Other songs had more energy, with quick, bouncy grace notes in the melody reflecting the swift moves of the two flamenco dancers.
The flamenco dancing centered around hand and foot movements; the dancers twirled their wrists in a mesmerizing fluidity and clicked their shoes repeatedly against the floor to create percussion noises while hardly moving their upper bodies. The men sported white shirts and colored suit tops, while the woman twirled in her long, brightly-colored ruffled dresses, often flicking the train behind her. For one song, they spun a long purple shawl around themselves, creating a windy purple storm with small streaks of blue, yellow, and red.
On the final piece, the performers invited us to clap along, and brought a few Glee Clubbers on stage to dance with the professionals, including our favorite flamenco fan and director Gabriel Crouch himself! Everyone had a great showing, and we loved cheering each other on. As a thank you for the incredible show, we gave a little performance of “True Religion” in return, with many swaying happily together. It was a great end to the night before we headed off to sleep, excited to get some well-needed rest and further explore the city the next day.
Photo Credits: Madison, Stanley, and Natalie!
Sabrina Warner ‘28
