By Evan Kery

The Bull Fights

            Bullfighting in Spain has a rich history, tracing its origins back to 711 CE when the first official bullfight took place in honor of King Alfonso VIII’s coronation. Since then, it has been celebrated throughout Spain fervently. Bullfighting is a sporting event where a sole bullfighter (or matador) is placed in an arena against a repeatedly agitated bull and given a red cloak (or muleta) to dodge the bull’s raging attacks while onlookers cheer.

            While unfortunate enough to not be visiting during one of these sporting events during our trip to Spain, our group was still given the chance to tour the famous bullfighting arena in Madrid, Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, otherwise known simply as Las Ventas. Before the trip to Las Ventas, on previous days, the group had visited Spain’s Reina Sofia Museum, gone out for Tapas several times, visited Toledo, and much more. Suffice it to say, it would be difficult to add to this already exciting experience. However, a tour of Las Ventas and Flamenco dancing were the perfect contributors.

            Aside from the arena’s massive size being more fit for the title of “Colosseum de Toros de Las Ventas,” the overall structure was immersive. Sitting down in the stands felt like a trip back in time. It quickly became easy to imagine what seeing a bull fight long ago might have been like, with the King and Queen watching from their royal balcony while the onlookers raged and cheered at the event. Nowadays, while this arena still hosts bullfights, they are far less frequent. Instead, Las Ventas is home to many other events, such as tennis tournaments, car shows, fashion debuts, festivals, and concerts.

            While on the tour of the facilities in and around Las Ventas, I was given the chance to try on the bullfighting virtual reality simulator goggles, where I was put up against a bull in a virtual setting and had to dodge the bull’s attacks. While this was fun, it was not hard to imagine just how adrenalizing this situation might be should an actual bull come raging against me. Several other students were also given the chance to try out this simulation and our points were totaled with me in scoring an unfortunate last place.

Restauraunt

            After the tour of Las Ventas, my group decided to set out for some food at an Italian restaurant. We had one objective in mind: Ox Tail. While the restaurant was very dishonest, the food was fairly good. Ox tail has an exceptionally soft texture to it, making it one of the easiest cuts of beef to dine on. When we got back to the hotel, we had several hours to rest before the night’s very special event: The Flamenco Dance.

Flamenco

          The venue was not a large place; rather, it was a small but comfortable room with a stage in the middle. At every table sat a candle with a cupholder next to a stack of napkins; not much else would be needed to enjoy this show. While we sat and waited for the event to start, each of us put in an order for drinks. While I drank my Coke and talked with my friends, the lights dimmed, and the show started.

            The first dancer approached the stage. She started off slow and small, but as the music grew louder and the song more complete, so too did her dance. Her steady and precise movements were hypnotizing; without ever missing a beat, she danced in perfect sync with a song nobody had ever heard before or will ever hear completely again. By the end of this whirlwind, the second dancer was ready. As we clapped, she began her performance. Characterized by a frenzy of spins and syncopated movements, this dancer felt freer than the last. The next dancer was equally as surprising; while similar to the previous two she had her own style clearly influenced by her passion for the art. Her dancing felt as if it were made for this song and this song only. As she bowed, the last male dancer took to the stage. His dance was characterized by more slow and steady movements with the song, feeling like a tidal wave in low gravity as it came down upon you.

            At the end of the show, we clapped and chatted for a little bit before retreating outside to discuss our thoughts. Unanimously, the group loved the performance, and had felt that it was an experience one could only get here in Spain. Since this was close to the end of our trip, it felt like this was the perfect way to begin wrapping things up!

I cannot wait to go back to Spain!

Photos From The Day!