Stomp La Plaza

A woman steps on stage, hair in a tightly wound bun, bound by a giant flower. Her body is perfectly tucked into a magnificently crafted, bright as the sunlight, butt accentuating dress. (She is really showing off her ass-ets. Bwahaha!) Hands start clapping, the music erupts, and her body immediately goes into a wrist twirling, foot stomping, fiery burst of seductive movement. This is a flamenco dancer. And, she is AWESOME! Flamenco is like African American fraternity/sorority step dancing for white people. (If unfamiliar with this style of dance, please check out STOMP THE YARD starring the one and only, terribly behaved, Chris Brown. It’s a classic. Wait, I sound sarcastic but really, I mean it. I have two copies.) Our first night in Sevilla, Jenny and I took in a flamenco show. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but I’ll tell you one thing, after that experience I’m finally going to return home and tell my grandma that I have a career path sorted. I’m going to be a flamenco dancer! She’ll be thrilled. (Cue the real sarcasm here.) This dance may seem like any other dance until you watch it live and up close. I assure you it’s not. It takes over your senses completely. You won’t find something this good on America’s Best Dance Crew, even if it is hosted by Mario Lopez. We all have a soft spot for A.C. Slater I’m aware but not even that will do it. Furthermore, if a style of dance can turn a stereotypical greasy Spaniard into husband material in one brief dance, well then you know it must be serious. The beautiful thing about flamenco is that it’s so engrained into the culture in Sevilla that it’s perfectly acceptable for a young girl or boy to grow up and want to be a flamenco dancer. (Insert jealousy.) While you all are reading this post, you can be sure I’m off somewhere practicing my moves and looking damn good doing it. Ole’!

And NowEuropeToDate…