Meet “el Moraito de Pekin” the Man Behind Casa Flamenco

When you think of flamenco, Beijing is probably not the first city that springs to mind. Yet the Spanish art form, which is most famously expressed as flamenco guitar and flamenco dancing has millions of fans the world over, and China is no exception. Here in Beijing, fans head to Casa Flamenco, to learn the all about the unique art from founder Qiao Liu, who has been teaching there since 2010.

The colors, the dance, the stories, the music, the rhythm, and the sheer passion is what first drew Qiao Liu to flamenco. Liu began studying guitar at a young age, and once he mastered the instrument he moved on to learning different performing styles which soon led him to discover the fascinating Spanish guitar.

Living so far away from Spain and having no one to teach him in Beijing, he began to download music sheets from the internet and watch videos on YouTube. But that wasn’t enough, and to truly understand flamenco, Liu decided to travel to Spain to learn the language that gave birth to the passionate art form.

Qiao Liu in action

Since founding Casa Flamenco ten years go, Liu and has been practicing and passing his passion onto others, regularly inviting other Spanish flamenco artists to come to his school so his students can learn from a wide variety of experts. He also hosts regular ‘tablaos’ (small flamenco shows) and performances at theater venues and has made himself a beloved member of the Beijing Latino community, to the extent that he is even known as “the Moriato of Beijing”, in reference to the late great Moraíto Chico II, who is considered one of the greatest flamenco guitar players. 

Now a father to two twin boys, Liu intends to pass his passion for flamenco onto his children and believes that it is not so dissimilar from one of China’s most famous cultural exports: martial arts. For Liu, they both contain the same contrast of still, concentrated poses, and explosions of energy and force, and he also notes that they are both well-choreographed, colorful, and rhythmic. But it’s not just the poses or music, but also the beauty of the costumes, the feelings and the stories that performances tell that make it such a compelling, intense art form.

Taking a bow at the end of a ‘tablaos’

From his passion for guitar, travels to Spain to learn the dance, acquiring a new language, and the founding of his own school, it’s clear that Liu knows what it takes to make one’s dream a reality. “We all have talents, we all can achieve what we set ourselves to do, we just have to work hard at it, never giving up”, says Liu with a big smile. His plans are to continue teaching and bringing flamenco to Chinese people with the hope that they also fall in love with this captivating form of art, just as he did.

To get in touch with Casa Flamenco contact them via WeChat (ID: casaflamenco) or call 8532 1915.

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Photos: Courtesy of Liu Qiao, Unsplash