A Suddenly Social Weekend in Priego (Day 1)

As of Thursday we had no plans for this weekend. Then, we got an email from Christine, another English teacher from the states, inviting us to go to the peña flamenca. Peña is a term used for an intimate show/demonstration of folkloric music (it’s very common in Bolivia). Here in Priego, every Friday night members of Priego’s flamenco society go to the peña and sing flamenco songs. The place is a small bar underneath a house on one of the main nightlife streets. Low ceilings and white walls covered with flamenco-related pictures and flat sculptures give the place a really intimate feeling. The bar area is really small and very limited in selection. An old, greasy man owns and runs the bar. He wasn’t at all warm and welcoming, but you almost didn’t want him to be.



When we first arrived there were a bunch of people at a birthday party for the boyfriend of one of Cecilia’s co-workers (Mari Carmen). We said hi to her and she invited us to her house the following night for a birthday party she was throwing. Suddenly we had plans for Saturday night.

Also at the peña was a teacher from Christine’s school. Mari Cruz is in her 50s and is the girlfriend of the president of Priego’s flamenco society. She was so excited that young Americans were interested in flamenco and wanted to experience her culture. She talked to us about our lives here and in the states and all sorts of things. She bought us ham and breadsticks (a common appetizer here) because she wanted us to try them. There are many different kinds of ham in Spain and the one she bought us was one of the best. It was a nice gesture and I felt obligated to try some. I won’t be repeating that again soon: it was salty and greasy although not quite as much as deli ham.

Mari Cruz invited us to return to the peña Saturday afternoon for a professional show. A singer and a guitar player were coming from Córdoba to perform. Usually, the peña only has music on Friday nights, but this Saturday event was a special occasion. We gladly accepted the invitation and thus filled our social calendars a little more.

The actual music Friday night was really good, especially for “amateur” singers. Even though we didn’t understand 99 percent of the words in the songs, the emotion of the flamenco singers transcends words. They get so into the music and it’s really fascinating to watch. We sat across the table from the guitar player and the singers (the birthday party group had left and there were only two other tables being occupied). The intimacy of the setting was refreshing and it was nice to feel so welcomed by them. Part of flamenco is clapping to the beat, but it’s not nearly as easy as it sounds. You’re supposed to cup your hands a certain way and the other people there tried teaching us how to do it. (I have little sense of rhythm….but I tried).



After the show, we went to a bar with two of the guys (they’re both our age) and a bunch of Americans. One is a bullfighter, or at least he’s trying to be. Bullfighters need lots of sponsorship, both monetarily and in the form of an apprenticeship. So, he has to have another job alongside the bullfighting. The other, Juan, was the guitar player at the peña, which we later found out is own by his family.