Feria de Abril - Spanish Spring Festival in Riga

Yesterday, on the sunny Saturday of 25 April, we visited an improvised Spanish spring festival at the independent theatre "Skatuve" (www.skatuve.lv). Here is a small glimpse of the event.

The concert's motto - ¡Ven y disfruta el ambiente de Flamenco! (Come and enjoy the flamenco atmosphere!)

«Feria de Abril» - that is also the name of the spring festival celebrated every year in the southern Spanish province of Andalusia. This festival is especially popular in Seville, where flamenco parties go on for entire days and nights and everyone dances sevillanas. Traditional bullfights and trading also take place there. Spanish culture in its most recognisable expressions - hot-blooded music, flamenco dancing, open-hearted conversation.

The event programme consisted of performances by the flamenco dance club "Duende" and Spanish music performed by the group "Los Daugavas Nens". The dancers performed sevillanas, rumba, tangos with castanets, alegrias, farruca, bulerias. These names, unfamiliar and initially incomprehensible to the uninitiated ear, are various forms of flamenco. Read more about them at: http://www.duende.lv/index2.php?cat=kas-ir-flamenko

At the start of the concert it seemed as though the dancers could not shed their Latvian timidity, warmth, and gentleness of movement, but as the event progressed, encouraged by the Spanish music and the audience's applause, they increasingly revealed a flamenco temperament. Those intricate footwork steps are not at all easy to perform while also keeping the back elegantly arched and the head proudly raised. That Spanish and Romani mentality is simply not in one's blood, and with it not the swift, self-assured movements. (This I can say because, having been in Spain, I saw flamenco performed by Spaniards.) But the girls held up well!

How much effort and training was needed to prepare the performance was demonstrated by a short lesson given by the dancers to the braver female audience members who came up on stage to try out a flamenco step.

A truly Spanish atmosphere was brought in by the performance of the Latvian-speaking Spanish musicians - vocalist Javi, guitarist Alejandro, and cajón player Curro.

Interesting links about Spanish culture in Latvia:
Dance club "Duende" - www.duende.lv
Spanish learning centre "Centro Picasso" - www.centro-picasso.com
Society "Spāņu horizonts" - www.spanuhorizonts.lv
Spain Fan Club in Latvia - www.spain.lv
IINUU on flamenco - http://www.iinuu.lv/?id=216