Casa Anselma - late night and early morning

We are in our last days of a month long stay in Sevilla. On our list of to do things was flamenco at small, intimate venues. I had compiled a list and we had already had some serendipitous experiences. One venue on my list was a no frills, no advertising, and no entrance fee place called Casa Anselma. 

Casa Anselma, Calle Pagés del Corro 49

I was a little concerned about going to Casa Anselma. From what I read, the opening time is somewhat variable, but always after 11:45 PM. There is often a line of people waiting for the doors to open; this forms before 11:30 PM. It is a small place; perhaps a capacity of 60 or 70 patrons. There is no schedule of performers, but the music will be generally flamenco style. The late night and waiting in a line with the possibility of not getting in weighed in on the negative side of our considerations.

Last night, we got a late start in finding a dinner place. We headed to an Italian spot we had passed several times. We arrived without a reservation and had to wait the standard 20 minutes which turns into 30 or more minutes. By the time we finished dining it was approaching 11:30 PM. We decided to check the line outside of Anselma's place. Only a hand full of people were standing outside of the venue.

small group of people at 11:45 PM

By 11:55 PM, a few more people joined in the wait. Just after midnight, a taxi pulled up and Anselma stepped onto the sidewalk. She blamed her lateness on the poor taxi driver. After a few minutes of discussion with the patrons on the sidewalk, we all moved inside.

finding seats

We had befriended a young Columbian woman (or maybe she befriended us) who was on vacation in Sevilla with a couple of friends. She was living in Galicia in the northwest of Spain. She helped with some of the interpretation which slipped past us.

Inside, Anselma directed the guest as to where to sit. After a while we all moved into seats we liked better. We bought the requisite drinks. No beer or wine was available but simple mixed drinks or water was the offering. Havana Club rum and Coke was a crowd favorite. I had one, too. Our Columbian amiga was near us and added a comment or two as the night wore on. 

The entertainment consisted of 2 guitar players, a percussionist, some singer/clappers, and Anselma. All of them sang at one time or another and a few danced. Things got going by 12:30 AM and we cleared out before 3 AM. 

Here are a couple of videos from our night at Casa Anselma. By the way, Anselma is in a black dress and is wearing a black and white scarf.

Here is a link to the first video on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaFbF-Vpx0&t=17s

Here is one more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBnVLWYKNBU

PS: Don't give up right away if no one is there by midnight. It might be another slow taxi driver.