Gran Gala Flamenco Barcelona

We attended the Gran Gala Flamenco show at the impressive Palau de la Música Catalana. Even though the venue itself is undoubtedly the crème de la crème, our experience wasn’t all smooth sailing.

Getting into the show and finding our seats was hectic and a little stressful. Perhaps this was because our show was immediately following another show. In any case, the show started 20 minutes late.

The first thing you notice once you get to your seats is the absolute beauty of the Palau de la Música Catalana. It was built in the early 1900’s and styled after the modernist movement by Antoni Gaudí’s mentor and teacher, Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Seeing any show in such a venue is a real treat.

As a venue, the Palau de la Música gave a grandiose feeling to the show. We simply can’t say that enough. Top-notch sound and lighting combined with exquisite dresses and costumes made the whole production a feast for the eyes.

During the show, a large variety of flamenco elements were used. From castanets (“castañuelas”) to fans (“abanicos”) and even canes (“bastones”). It was also mesmerizing to see the female dancer maneuvering a gorgeous long tailed gown (“bata de cola”), shawl (“mantón”) and fan at the same time. In that sense, the show does a good job of presenting off some of the most typical flamenco elements.

With that said, it’s anything but a typical flamenco show – both for the good and perhaps, based on your tastes, for the bad. Understand that the Gran Gala show is nothing like the kind of flamenco you would find at a traditional tablao such as Barcelona’s historic Tablao Flamenco Cordobés. The Gran Gala is a staged theatrical performance. You won’t witness much or perhaps any improvisation which is typical in traditional flamenco.

That’s not to say that the choreographies weren’t spectacular and beautiful, because they were. But in our opinion, they definitely lacked the passion and intensity that we are used to.

Another different aspect of the Gran Gala show is its heavy dependence on violin played in a classical manner with no resemblance to flamenco whatsoever. To put it bluntly, we didn’t care for it. This along with other aspects of the show create much more of what we would characterize as flamenco fusion. This is understandable when considering the venue, but we find that it definitely challenges what one might expect from a flamenco show.

The show ended with a lengthy round of applauses. However, personally it wasn’t one of our favorites. It was honestly, the first and only time that a flamenco show felt long. We weren’t the only ones with that opinion. We saw multiple people leaving the theater well before the show ended. That was also a first for us.

But judging by the long standing ovation from the audience, most people really enjoyed the show.

It seems safe to say that some people will absolutely love this show while others will much prefer a traditional flamenco venue.

Gran Gala Flamenco – The Final Verdict

So should you book a ticket for the Gran Gala Flamenco show? Well, that really depends on what you are looking for. Like we already mentioned, some will love it and others simply won’t.

Keep in mind that the Gran Gala show is very different from seeing an authentic flamenco show in a traditional tablao. It takes place in a venue with 1900 seats. Compare that to a traditional tablao that usually has under 100.

If you think you might prefer a more intimate and authentic flamenco experience then you should head to Tablao Flamenco Cordobés or Palau Dalmases instead. Or even better, visit both and see for yourself which one you like better. They are really that different!

There are neither drinks nor food options at the Gran Gala Flamenco show. If you are looking for a real sit down dinner and flamenco show, then we would recommend to check out the Tablao de Carmen.