Madrid

Read time: 1 min

Madrid is different from other cities. In the grey drizzle of London, the sounds are often rushed and raucous. Car horns bark at wayward pedestrians. Deafening sirens blaze through the streets, as police cars and ambulances tear by, casting the brutalist concrete in brief and cold blue light. The irritation of people rushing up behind you is almost palpable. You can almost see it escaping through their nostrils like boiling water, the steam fuelling their huffing as they hurry their lives away.

Madrid is different. People meander through side roads like little rivers of humanity. They flow into lush green spaces like the Parque del Buen Retiro, where magicians delight with showmanship and friends come together to play drums, beating a ventricular rhythm. Or, the Parque de la Montana, where lone Spanish guitarists serenade Madrid’s rolling skyline in front of the Temple Debod, an ancient structure that has outlived pharaohs and emperors alike.

There is a melody to the inner city too. The bushes and trees chirrup with hundreds of starlings (which are not nearly as endearing as the chirrup of the pedestrian crossings). Most compelling for someone from England, in December, the sun marinades the streets and parks with a warm winter glow, reflecting off hundred-year-old architecture and casting shadows through the peculiar side streets. It’s a unique cacophony. 

It’s fitting then that Madrid is home to such incredible performers. These people play with movement, sound, and light in ways that are completely congruent with the context of their city.

The great thing about the performing arts is that they are irreverent in the face of language. The practiced elegance of a dancer can tell a story of passion and playfulness without uttering a word. Fire has been part of humanity for millennia. Watching the focussed grace of a fire dancer as their movement illuminates unknown darkness. It’s comforting to know this is a spectacle that has no doubt mesmerized generations from the cradle of civilization to Clacton-On-Sea. The longing and pain felt in heart-catching harmonies captivate because of the sound as much as the words.

It’s easy to forget that behind these polished smiles sits decades of intense training and hard work. The fact is that, regardless of how tired, grumpy or shit their day has been, the show must go on. It sounds grueling to dance and sing in front of hungry crowds day after day. But when you ask any member of this cadre if they would swap it for a 9 – 5, the answer is always no. And if you ask why, it is surely some variation of “well, I love it”.

This love of their craft is part of the reason that anyone is welcome, regardless of language or disposition. It’s a lesson from the heart of Madrid and one that should be the city’s main investment and its main export.

The district of Chueca in Madrid is a beacon of tolerance and diversity. Fluidescape is a fantastic exploration of sound and sight with performances throughout the week – you can visit at Calle de Gravina, 13, Madrid, Spain, 28004