Flamenco and Feria - 26th - 29th April 2012

Join our intimate group on a three day discovery of Seville's rich flamenco scene. The trip takes place during Fería de Sevilla - the largest and most colourful of Andalucia's festivals. Our local guide will ensure you experience the traditional music, food and beauty of this incredible city. During the day Sevilla's society parade in decorated carriages and horseback, by night the city comes alive with lively crowds gathering at the private casetas (canvas tent pavilions) that line the streets. You can dance the night away, the ‘Sevillanas’ way, to hypnotic local folk music, and of course flamenco, whilst indulging in fine local sherry, manzanilla wine and the plenty of tapas on offer. If you're not completely confident with your Spanish dance moves don't worry as we have arranged the very best tuition in Sevilla. This one is not to be missed! Trip includes: 3 nights accommodation 2 hour Flamenco class with professional teacher A daytime Flamenco tour of the old academies and traditional Flamenco neighbourhoods of Seville A hosted evening at a number of tablaos with tapas A hosted evening visiting the underground Flamenco bars of Seville A guided visit to the Seville Spring Feria with access to a number of casetas The guide Our guide, Jaime Trancoso, is based in Seville, and is one of the most influential people in the world of Flamenco art and classical music in Spain. He studied a Masters in Arts Policy and Management at the University of London and subsequently completed a PhD at the University of Seville with a thesis specialising in Flamenco music. Following his studies he set up Flamenco Agency in Seville and over the years gained experience at important Flamenco festivals such as Sadler’s Wells in London and the USA - London Flamenco Festival at the Carnegie Hall in New York. He has placed artists and dancers in the most important Flamenco festivals and theatres around the world such as the European Festival Association, Ljubljana Festival and Teatro Campoamor. Seville The city has a delightful, laid-back atmosphere, due in no small part to its hot, dry climate. The streets are lined with palms and orange trees and there are many attractive parks and gardens. The long Moorish occupation of the Iberian peninsula left indelible traces in Seville as in all of Andalucia. La Giralda, the tower of the stunning cathedral is the best-known of the remaining Islamic monuments. The cathedral itself, once a mosque, is the largest church in the world, and houses the tomb of Columbus (although some say he is actually buried in Dominica). The city’s golden age was from the 15th to the 18th centuries, when it thrived as the gateway to the New World. Fortunately the city was more or less unscathed by the Spanish civil war, and in recent times it has once more become one of the most vibrant and enjoyable of European cities. The local joie de vivre is perhaps most noticeable in the traditional tapas bar crawl that takes place most weekend evenings as people wander from tapas bar to tapas bar, sampling the speciality in each and washing everything down with a fino sherry or a cold beer. If you are keen on Flamenco why not take a look at our trip designed to get under the skin of the Flamenco scene in Seville?   Your Consultant for your F E R I A  D E  S E V I L L A  trip is: S h o l t o	Where to Stay Las Casas Del Rey De Baeza Type: Boutique No of rooms: 41 Location: Santa Cruz Hotel Amadeus Type: Musical Number of rooms: 14 Location: Historic centre