TuFlamenco is a Scotland-based Flamenco school and this is their fourth year bringing their celebration of Spanish culture to the Fringe. Flamenkids is well pitched at primary school aged kids and younger and offers a chance to get up close to professional dancers and musicians. A guitarist, percussionist and singer join the stage one by one, and a dancer completes the ensemble as they fill the space with lively rhythms and powerful vocals.
A narrator introduces the various elements of Flamenco, with clues for the older children to guess and lots of opportunities to join in. Despite the fairly wordy start, the show held even the younger children’s attention, and made for a relaxed Sunday afternoon family activity. It turns out Flamenco is a very kid-friendly subject for a show, with lots of percussion, movement, swishing skirts and singing and clapping along. My two-year-old really enjoyed it – the little castanets each child was given to play were a particular highlight.
The New Town Church is a welcoming environment with lots of space for toddlers to roam (my friend’s 10-month-old was happy crawling along the pews). Younger children sat themselves happily on the steps up to the stage, entranced by the dancers’ fans, dresses and footwork and joining in with the stomping. Olé!
( Written by Becky Brewis )
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