Salford tapas bar to become a regular venue for Flamenco community group

Spanish passion came to Salford on Sunday May 5 as dancers and musicians joined Flamenco Manchester’s second event in the city.

The event took place at tapas bar Porta Salford, Chapel Street, where members of the Flamenco society engaged in their monthly community meet-up.

Participants joined in dancing and singing activities as well as performing something of their own.

Simon Blackmore, an artist and leading member of the community, said: “We’re hoping that this would be the regular place to do it every month, this particular event. We could do concerts, something a bit more formal.”

— Flamenco Manchester (@FlamencoMCR) May 1, 2019

Salford resident Sergio Garcia was invited to play the guitar at the May 5 session, with Christine Meadows and Sarah Chambers were among the dancers and Daniel Bolufer played the cajón, a box-shaped instrument in the drum family that originates from Peru.

He said: “You just show up. You bring your shoes; you bring your guitar. A lot of people actually just come to listen and to check it out and decide whether they want to join in. We usually say hello to the people we don’t recognise because we know almost everyone that comes.”

Sarah and Simon helped in organising the event on Sunday.

Simon said: “We take a major part in organising the events, there are also a couple of guitar teachers and a couple of other dancers, a dance teacher and they help to publicise. Simon started it off with one of the guitar teachers and I’ve helped constantly over the years. We organised this one.”

Flamenco Manchester provide a range of activities for the members of their community. Apart from the casual monthly meet-up that takes place every first Sunday of the month and is free of charge, they also arrange for teachers to give classes at a higher level.

Simon said: “Over the years we’ve made relationships with different great guitarists, dancers and people who’ve come here and set up a class – and we try to help them organise it, so we do a lot of those kind of workshops where you might have ten people studying.

“We have regular shows, we bring people from Spain whenever we can afford it and then in between times we have these community events.”