Archives for category: Dance

Touring the West Indies

November 14, 2011 //
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The Islands which make up the West Indies each has so much
to offer, so when toured as an entire package, they provide a simply fantastic
experience. The islands are in close proximity to each other which makes
travelling from island to island extremely easy, with many companies offering
boats and ferries, with air travel also being an option.

West Indies holiday

West Indies holiday

The main islands of the West Indies are the Cuban Dominican
Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, although there are also a number of
smaller islands. Each of these main islands has a significant population which
means that there is a distinct culture to explore, with each island having a
number of visitor attractions and services for visitors.

Many people will visit one of the islands for entire week or
two week period, but with the islands so close together it seems to be a wasted
opportunity not to visit two or more of the islands, even if only on a day trip.
It should not concern you that one or two days will not be enough to fully
explore the island, as the small proximity, the long days and the good
transport mean that you can easily see most if not all of the main attractions
in this amount of time.

The feature which is perhaps most commonly associated with
the West Indies is the stunning beaches and clear waters. Regardless of which
island you are on there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy these features.

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Categories Culture, Dance, Festivals, Food and Wine

The Spice Girls play on stage in London

February 3, 2010 //
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London is famous for its West End musicals, and over the past years their subject matter or theme has become more and more left-of- centre. We have seen ones based on spelling bees (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), one on a chat show host (Jerry Springer: The Opera), the only American ever to be convicted of cannibalism (Cannibal! The Musical) and another with nuns in drag (Nunsense A-Men!).

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise then that The Spice Girls, the all-girl, super-group of the nineties will also feature in a

London threatre

London threatre

musical. The show is being created by Mamma Mia! producer Judy Craymer who hopes to do the same with the Spice Girl’s catchy tunes as she did with those of ABBA; concoct a plot and put it to their music. You can see it working.

The West End theatre district of London is one of the city’s biggest attractions, and I would recommend booking well ahead for one of the newer shows. Saturday and Sunday matinees can often be cheaper and many restaurants in buzzing Soho, the neighborhood next to the theatre district, offer early, pre-theatre meals at great prices. Websites such as lastminute.com and www.discounttheatre.com are also a good resource for tickets. Whatever you do, never buy them from the ticket touts that often huddle outside the main entrance of the theatres.

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Categories Culture, Dance, London, Travel

Flamenco in Seville

August 9, 2008 //
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Who doesn’t get overwhelmed by the Spanish temperament, and one of most passionate dance know to the world; Flamenco. It was last year during the summer when I went travelling to the south of Spain and made a visit to Seville where I saw for the first time Flamenco danced by true professionals. It is debated to what place may actually call themselves the birthplace of Flamenco, between Seville or Jerez. One thing is certain however, the roots originate from western Adalucia.

Flamenco as a wide range of styles and influenced by many music styles over the years. While some modern ones are: “Flamenco-Fusion” and “Flamenco Rock”, I will always prefer some of the traditional like: Alegrías, Bulerías, Malagueña and Sevillanas.

I decided to see my first flamenco show in the Tablao (Location where you can see a professional and choreographed flamenco shows) in El Arenal. The locations is a beautiful 17th century building, renovated, cozy, and a perfect place to enjoy the show while you are having dinner and/or drinks. I recommend it to everyone, as it will always be a great first impression.

Although the Flamenco history can be traced back hundreds of years, one thing is certain about its original form. The first form of Flamenco was only the voice, a primitive cry or chant to be accompanied by a rhythm that was beaten on the floor by a wooden staff or cane. Probably the oldest style knows is the Toña, what represent a family song. Later the flamenco can be made up in four elements: Voice, Dance, Guitar and the Jaleo which is hard to translate but it sort of means “hell raising”. With this is refered to the intense handclapping, foot stomping and the shouts during the dance. While I was watching the show everyone in the audience got really into it and began clapping along on the beat of the palmeros ( the professional that were clapping during the dance), and truly creates an amazing ambience and spectacle. One thing is for sure, I have to go back once to that wonderful and passionate place.

For vacation rentals in Spain you can try Holiday Velvet.

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Categories Barcelona, Culture, Dance, Spain, Travel
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