There are some very charming elements to this show, but for me I felt there was not enough actual dancing for the children. When we arrived we were treated to some traditional music played on the guitar by Ricardo, and then Yasmina performed flamenco for us to watch. Both performers are very talented and whilst this was very informative for the children, it went on for a little too long.
Yasmina and Ricardo both interacted with the children very well, but there was a little too much emphasis on watching, rather than doing.
After this the children (and their adults) got to try a little flamenco for themselves. First they learnt clapping rhythms, then arms, followed by feet and, to finish off, a finale move. Although these were the very basics of flamenco, there were some very young children in the audience and this was a little too complex for them. There was also not much time dedicated to this. The show in total is only 55 minutes long, so in the 20 or so minutes dedicated to dancing they didn’t grasp the moves overly well. The final thing for the children to do was to perform for their adults. Here the company made the experience very charming and exciting. Dresses were provided, as were hairpieces. Each child was made to feel very special.
To end the session the children watched two different flamenco dances, one with maracas and one with a fan. Again, Yasmina is very talented so the dances were beautiful to watch, but were not enough to hold the children’s attention. Yasmina and Ricardo both interacted with the children very well, but there was a little too much emphasis on watching, rather than doing.
The company allowed the children to take hairpieces home with them, leaving them with a small memento of the dancing they had done. I saw one of the children later in the day with it still in her hair, so it’s clear the show had a lasting impression. This is a nice introduction to flamenco but perhaps not ideally designed for very young children.
