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Adam -> RE: Going to Granada for a month! (Nov. 12 2010 23:18:23)
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I hope you enjoyed it!! Granada is an amazing city.
I was at Carmen de las Cuevas for five weeks this summer (with a bit of traveling thrown in the middle [:D]) and had a great time. I'd generally recommend it so I figured it would be useful to throw my two cents in, in case anyone sees this thread when trying to make a decision.
It's definitely true what you say about Carmen being oriented towards foreigners. But then again, so is Sanlúcar and it's not like you're getting a sub-par flamenco experience there. It's all about a) the people and b) what you make of it. In my experience, there were people who just passed through, learned some flamenco, saw the occasional show at Chien Andalous or the Peña la Platería, and left. There were also a lot of people - mostly on the course for at least a month - who really got into the town's flamenco scene. It's about social dynamics, I guess. The teachers there are real Granada flamencos and if you want to, you'll definitely end up hanging out with them and getting into Granada's flamenco "underground." I'd also add that knowing people like Kate and Mark helps, as they live there! Being a foro member give you an automatic advantage going in :)
I didn't have the same impression of the guitar classes you did (mine were with Jorge el Pisao, who's the normal teacher and is a phenomenal instructor, but really you can't go wrong with Emilio either). We learned a ton of material, very useful, and I'm still working to get a lot of it down (the first three weeks were 70s Paco stuff, e.g. Cepa Andaluza, and that is not something you pick up in a week!), and enough exercises to keep you going for the next year. For what it is, I couldn't really have asked for much more out of the guitar classes.
Also, what you said about cante and baile accompaniment should NOT be generalized. That might have been your experience and that sucks. With Jorge, we spent a day working with a singer for three of the first four weeks I was there, and then the topic of the entire fifth week was cante accompaniment por cantiñas. I mean, it's not much and you'll definitely want to try to practice outside of class in the caves or whatever, but it's not normal that you don't learn anything about accompaniment.
It sounds like you're upset with the school for not giving you instant immersion in Granada's flamenco scene. I mean.... duh. The school will do what it can (like cheaper tickets to the Peña and stuff) but they're there for classes, and it's your job to put the effort into discovering Granada. If you go in there expecting the school to do the work for you, you might be disappointed. If you go in there recognizing that it's a school and you'll have to do some extracurriculars, I think you'll have a great time.
A bit of advice for people who plan to do the school. The school accomodation doesn't have Wifi, but....... well, what I'll say publicly is that you should ask them for the apartment on Paseo de los Tristes if it's available, as I think it's miles better than the apartments they offer in the Albaicín, and I'll say more privately re:wifi if you PM me [;)]
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