Mad for Madrid

THE three female dancers, two guitarists, lone male dancer and two male singers take up their places in the dark on the shiny timber semicircular stage.

The lights remain out as guitars are tuned slightly. Then a few light hand claps or faint click of the fingers can be heard as the beat emerges.

The unmistakable soothing tones of the Spanish guitar ring out through the room filled with anticipation.

The first flamenco dancer finds her feet and rises from her seat in her traditional costume with long flowing train revealing the hint of well-heeled shoes.

She strikes her first pose, concentrates like a medium conjuring the spirits of ancestors long past, and begins to move her body to the rhythm - her long tassels flicking her body.

She stomps her heels into the floor repeatedly like a stubborn child.

And while her hand movements and body twsts, curls and wriggles tell their own story, her heels are what have us mesmerised each time she pulls up her skirt.

She whips herself into a frenzy, fanned by our enthusiastic applause.

And she is just the first act.

Sometimes you just have to read the signs.

We arrived in Madrid at 3.15pm as planned at our luxury apartment just off Plaza Mayor and a few steps from our new favourite drinking and eating gourmet market: Mercado de San Miguel.

As we brought our luggage up to the 3rd floor, we couldn't help but notice the sign on the door across the pedestrian alley for Las Carboneras Tablao Flamenco Show.

We had planned to see a flamenco show in Seville in Andalucia - the traditional home of the music and dance.

But with our London-based son and his partner leaving us in Madrid, the thought of us all adding a little more Spanish culture to our tour of tapas bars and La Latino nightclubs seemed appealing.

The TripAdvisor reviews mostly raved about the authentic entertainment.

So we decided to book online for six for the next night's 8.30pm show only, and eat dinner later as the Spanish do. Another show (with or without dinner) is at 10pm (Monday-Thursday) and 11pm (Friday and Saturday).

The 75-minute show is bursting with talent, skills and technique, but above all, a sweaty passion for their traditions in music and dance - enough to appeal to three generations in the audience and especially our own music and arts-loving group.

The red-and-black costumed "Mama" of the troupe for me was the most exciting, with a set of pins girls half her age would die for.

She commanded our attention with her facial expressions and twirl of her fingers to the sashaying of her layered skirt and rapid tap of her heels - the sexiest grandmother ever.

For rockstar-in-waiting son No.2, the guitar-playing was awesome, too.

Now we really feel like we're in Spain.