On a trip to Spain, I remember several cities with statues honoring bullfighters. Locals told stories of the heroic Spanish matadors. Watching the bullfighters in the toreo de salón is a popular tourist attraction though some object to it calling the spectacle barbaric. If you find the agility and skill of the torero to be alluring, it’s possible to take an intensive training course that will teach the fundamentals of becoming a matador. That includes fearlessness, graceful movements, and improved coordination.
Matador in Spain © Paul Hartrick
Two options for training to become a bullfighter are the Dennis C. Borba Bullfighting School and the California Academy of Tauromaquia. The former offers workshops lasting three days. Be aware that the class doesn’t come without risk. The WSJ reported that one man’s cape got caught under the animal’s hoof knocking him to the floor. Though the trainer, Dennis Borba was quick to intercede. As Ernest Hemingway wrote in Death in the Afternoon, “bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death.” The latter choice has intensive classes located in San Diego, California and Mexico. The courses are completely bloodless and focus only on the moves and traditions of the bullfighters.
Featured photo © Craig Howell
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Gennaro Salamone is the founder and editor of Enduring Wanderlust. Feel free to contact him with questions, comments, or inquiries with reference to contributing an article or photograph for publication.
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Oscar
Now that’s something that I’d love to learn. Getting into the bullfighting ring would be a combination of fun and scary. I wouldn’t kill one though. I’d go with the less barbaric style in Portugal where the bull isn’t killed in front of the audience. Apparently the matador gets an ear or two if he does a really good job in the fight in Spain.
Gennaro
@Oscar – Portugal is a good option to watch a matador in action. Awarding an ear or two is an interesting cultural piece.
Elijah
@Gennaro – Aside from the brutality sometimes associated with bull fighting, I absolutely love the culture of it. Matadors are hardcore and the ladies love them!