This podcast episode is part of Afar, A Retrospective. As part of Afar’s 15-year anniversary celebration, this episode from our sister podcast, Travel Tales by Afar, was selected as one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do—and stay tuned for more archival Travel Tales episodes from September - December 2024. Explore more of our favorite stories over the years at afar.com/fifteen.

“If I travel to you, will you give me lessons?” When former child prodigy, Lavinia Spalding, emailed the biggest female flamenco guitarists in Spain, she was shocked when they all agreed to teach her.

In this episode, she follows an abandoned dream to Madrid, Granada, and Barcelona, Spain to immerse herself in the new world of female flamenco guitar. 

Follow Along with Revolutionary “Tacaoras”

In this episode, discover: 

Breaking Into the Boy’s Club.

Don’t miss these transformative travel moments: 

[02:07] Following and foregoing my father’s flamenco dreams. 

[05:40] The mysterious origins of flamenco.

[06:36] A kindred spirit and a familiar melody with Antonia Jiménez.

Strumming in the Spirit of “Duende”

Lavinia Spalding is the editor of The Best Women’s Travel Writing and co-hosts the podcast There She Goes: travel stories told by the women who wrote them. But at one time, she believed she was destined to become a “tocaora,” a female flamenco guitarist. 

In this episode, she follows in her deceased father’s footsteps by traveling to Spain to learn flamenco guitar. Antonia Jiménez, Pilar Alons,o and Marta Robles, some of the most prominent female flamenco guitarists in Spain, are her guides into “duende,” the heartbeat of flamenco that transforms suffering into passion. 

Resources: 

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