If you are looking for a special night out with dinner and entertainment for family and friends, consider going to The Art of Flamenco Dinner Show at Cafe Sevilla in Costa Mesa. You will not be disappointed in the longest running Flamenco show in Southern California. It is $89.50 per person, not including tip, surcharge, and drinks. The doors open at 6pm every Saturday with the show starting at 6pm sharp. It includes a three course dinner with a two part Flamenco show. The meal starts with a shaved salad, followed by a delicious paella, and topped with a lemon tart with cherries for dessert. The dancers are at the top of their field with training in Spain and are teachers of the art. You will be delighted by this delicious and invigorating taste of Spain right here in Orange County.

To help prepare for an evening to remember, a short history of Flamenco is interesting. Flamenco originated in Southern Spain, in Andalusia and Murcia, and was shaped by musicians and performers from Northern Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe. It spread quickly in the urban areas of Spain in the mid 19th century, but did not have a good reputation among the elites who tried to suppress Flamenco. Flamenco, however, continued to flourish and was popularized around the globe at World Fairs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It became particularly popular with French artists Claude Debussy and Sergei Diaghilev, leading to a rise in stature for Flamenco even amongst the Spanish elite. It was popular until the end of the Spanish Civil War, when it was again repressed by the new leaders, but was kept alive underground and outside of Spain. In the 1950’s it started flourishing again to help increase economic growth and tourism in Spain. Since then it has grown in popularity and there are many styles of Flamenco from traditional to fusion to modern.

If you are interested in a night of beauty, art, and Spanish cuisine, you can buy your tickets here.  There are shows every night and you can see who the scheduled dancers are as well. This show is for ages 10+ and also has a show on Valentine’s Day for a very special evening.