El Mundo Nuevo

I started this blog with the intention of making the title of every post a song lyric, and while this title sticks with that goal, I'm pretty sure that no one knows what song this phrase comes from. Here's why.

So last night my roommate Melanie, her friend Isaac who's also on the program, and I all went to a flamenco club in one of the older sections of Granada. We got there pretty early, so we sat down in this intimate little cellar and enjoyed an hour of fantastic conversation before the show. Then, after this crazy gypsy lady introduced them, the bailaor, cantaor, and guitarrista (flamenco dancer, flamenco singer, and guitarist) walked past us onto the stage and promptly blew me away. Everything about it was so incredible that any attempt on my part to describe it would just be a disgrace to the art of flamenco. But, one of the phrases that I was able to understand when I wasn't completely awestruck and off on my own planet was "el mundo nuevo"- the new world.

When I finally thought that I couldn't be any more moved, they made sure to prove me wrong. The bailaor walked offstage and pulled Melanie onto the stage with him. She doesn't know how to dance flamenco, but she's in 3 dance groups at Wesleyan, so she definitely held her own. When she returned and the bailaor walked offstage with her, I made sure to look away so that I wouldn't become his next victim. It didn't work at all, and I've never been so happy to have failed so miserably. I danced and clapped onstage and felt like nothing else in the world could ever possibly compare to what I was doing right then. I returned shaking to my seat, completely incoherent and dazed. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life, and I spent the rest of the night reliving everything that had happened. So if you ever get the chance, go see some flamenco.

I could tell you now about everything I did today or about my classes, but it would all just pale in comparison. Guess you'll just have to keep checking back.