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Sunday night before we start we always host a dinner on the terrace at Peña La Platería, which just happens to have one of the best nighttime views of the Alhambra in town. Hearing all of your stories and learning who you are before we start playing brings us all together.
Monday through Friday, class runs from 10am to 2pm — you’re basically going to school in a flamenco temple. It’s a bit of a bootcamp – compás and technique first, then we apply that to material. But nothing is set in stone – I’d rather respond to the needs of the group than try to stick to a schedule.
We’ll have a guest teacher for guitar one day – someone truly inspiring as player – and another day we’ll bring in a singer or dancer so you can experience accompaniment (or get better at it).
The important material covered in class gets recorded and is available for you to download to keep. You’ll have it all when you get home, because the absorbing takes longer than a week. If I do it right, you’ll be working on it all year.
At night we see flamenco. What we see exactly depends on what’s in town, but we’ll take you to a show in a cave, at a tablao, and almost always something at the peña. The point is for you to see flamenco in action, and not just solo guitar. You’ll leave Granada inspired.
And we’ll hang out, which in Granada generally means tapas. Getting to know one another is one of the magical things that happens that you probably don’t expect coming in. But think about it – these are your people. The ones weird enough to love flamenco as much as you do.
Finally, expect to be a little mentally exhausted, in the best way possible, by the end of the week. It’s what we hear the most on a Friday as we wrap up – that it’s kind of crazy just how much we fit into a week.
Classes will be held from 10AM until 2PM Monday through Friday at Peña La Plateria, the oldest flamenco peña in Spain, in the Albaicín neighborhood of Granada.
Most days, the first two hours will focus on technique and compás, and the second two hours will focus on applying this to material. We will take a short break between the two sessions.
We’ll focus mainly on Soleá, Soleá Por Bulerias and Bulerias, and look at patterns and material that help you master the compás of these Palos as well as your material. We may also look at other Palos or cante/baile accompaniment depending on the interests of the group.
The question we get the most is “Am I ready for this?” Ideally, you’ve finished the Introduction to Flamenco Course or you have a pretty solid grasp of Soleá. It would be helpful to have some familiarity with other Palos as well. We likely won’t be doing anything super virtuosic, but at a minimum you should have a decent sense of compás and feel comfortable with your rasgueados.
If you’re unsure if you’re ready to get the most out of a workshop like this, just send us an email and we’ll talk it through. We’ll probably ask you for a video to see where you’re at, and we can discuss if you’re ready and even what to be working on between now and the time of the workshop.
Each workshop includes a guest guitarist and a guest cantaor/a or dancer on separate days. Who we bring in changes each workshop — we work with people we know personally. Past workshop guest teachers included: José Fermín Fernadez, Estefania Narvaez & Nieves Molina.
July means the Antonio Marin International Guitar Festival is running the same week. Shows are hosted outdoors at Peña La Platería most evenings — a completely different atmosphere than a normal peña night.
Festival tickets and all evening Flamenco shows we take you to are included in your workshop price.
We always take the group to a cueva in the Sacromonte. If the festival program doesn’t cover enough flamenco for our taste, we’ll find a tablao. You’ll see real flamenco. We make sure of that.
Your +1 is welcome at festival shows and everything else — they’ll need their own ticket but we’ll get them sorted and sometimes for a discount. Just let us know in advance.
WELCOME DINNER The workshop kicks off on Sunday evening with a welcome dinner hosted by Kai and Tara — at Peña La Platería itself, with a terrace overlooking the Alhambra. This is on us. It’s a chance to meet your fellow players, shake off the travel, and arrive Monday morning feeling like you already belong here.
Daily meals during the week are on your own, which is honestly a feature — Granada’s tapas culture means eating well and cheaply is part of the adventure.
Granada has some of the best guitar makers in the world. If you’re looking for an instrument or want yours set up properly, we can introduce you to the right people.
If there’s interest in a group visit to the Alhambra we can usually make that happen — it requires some advance coordination and everyone’s passport info, so mention it early.
Meals during the week are on your own. The Pro Tips tab has the practical information you need.
There is an in-depth blog post about some important pro tips to help make your life a tiny bit easier when visting our favorite city and home. We are always adding to this, especially the tapas (favorite eating spots) section. Here is what is covered over on that blog post:
If you cancel your paid reservation up to 30 days before the start of the workshop, we will issue a full refund.
If you cancel your paid reservation up to 15 days before the start of the workshop, we will issue a refund of 80% of your payment.
If you cancel within 15 days of the start of the workshop due to an emergency we will issue a refund of 90% of your payment.
While you are participating in our workshop, please be aware that we cannot take responsibility for your personal safety or any travel arrangements, accommodation bookings, or related matters. Additionally, we cannot be held liable for any incidents, accidents, or other unforeseen events that may occur during your time with us. Participants are responsible for their own safety and well-being at all times.
That being said, we are committed to ensuring a positive experience for all participants, and we will do our best to offer assistance and support whenever possible. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Tara or Kai if you encounter any difficulties during your stay.
At Flamenco Explained, we prioritize a respectful and inclusive environment. Disruptive or abusive behavior, including harassment or violence, will not be tolerated. We reserve the sole right to determine what constitutes disruptive or abusive behavior. Participants engaging in such conduct may be asked to leave. We are committed to fostering a safe and positive experience for all.
By participating in our workshop, you grant us the right to utilize any photographs or videos featuring you in any promotional material, including but not limited to social media posts, website content, and marketing campaigns. This permission extends to both current and future workshops and events organized by us.
We also request that participants not share any of the videos shot in class on social media without our permission.
We will ensure that video of everything covered in class is available to participants.