Flamenco in Barcelona

Whatever your understanding and what you want from flamenco try these listings - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187497-c84780/Barcelona:Spain:Flamenco.Guides.html

Anywhere where you pay a door charge is likely 'touristy' because those that take part are trying to attract tourists to make a living.
Ask your accommodation and try and explain what you expect from a performance i.e. many simply think flameco is background music and dancing girls.

... Barcelona is the capital city of Catalonia. Flamenco is as foreign to us as Irish dancing is to your home city. It was 'imported' by the successive waves of Spanish migrants from Andalucía and Extremadura to Catalan shores over the past 100 years. While these days one could say it's somehow an element of local culture (yet hardly integrated) and displays can be found here and there, the relationship between Catalonia and flamenco has never been an easy one. In fact, outside the Barcelona metro area -which received most of that migration- flamenco is almost inexistent.

Be wary of the flamenco shows with dinner, those scream "tourist trap". You can go to decent flamenco shows (even touristy, this is not something we locals do) and to great restaurants (this is something yes we do ;-)) but not together. Some flamenco places offer food options but overpriced and sometimes substandard. So, If you want to see flamenco, at least go to a decent place. And before or after, have a decent dinner. You will get more and better for your money. In Barcelona, there are a few places one can see a flamenco show, but for the reasons stated above, I am afraid that, without demeriting their artistic value, the setup is rather 'touristy''... even tacky in some cases. A couple of exceptions to that would perhaps arguably be the shows offered at Palau de la Música Catalana and at Tablao de Carmen and for a session of flamenco without the flashy bits, just the music: http://tallerdemusics.com/en/jazzsi-club/jazzsiclub/concierto-de-flamenco/ . For a complete list of the places offering flamenco in Barcelona check: http://www.flamencotickets.com/barcelona-flamenco-shows -but be wary of the shows with dinner.

The quintessential folk music here in Catalonia is the SARDANA -the Catalan national dance, it's a type of circle dance typical in Mediterranean cultures. See post by Enric 14/10/15 09:29pm at https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/next-week-in-barcelona-on-very-short-notice for a short introduction to the sardana- as well as the HAVANERA -a tavern style of songs having one of the most famous displays in the annual festival in Calella de Palafrugell http://infocatalonia.eu/w/21jl2 -, and also the RUMBA CATALANA -developed by the gipsy community established in Catalonia. In some styles of rumba catalana you might indeed find certain 'traits' similar to flamenco as well as with other folk dances in North African and Middle Eastern cultures. The main reason is due to the nomad character of the gipsy community throughout History. Their music drew early influences from Greek and Roman and later from Indian, Moorish, and Jewish cultures. But note a genuine rumba session has little to do with what most tourists expect from a flamenco show, it's more focused in the music and less in the 'attrezzo' -if you catch my drift. Rumba is indistinctively sung either in Catalan or in Spanish and to some it might remind a bit to some South American and Caribbean rhythms.

Unfortunately, there aren't many "regular" performances (shows) of these types of folk music that a casual visitor could attend as these are rather played during festivals and town celebrations throughout the year so it's best if you check out your calendar :) Having said that, one can find for example, a handful of rumba bars in Barcelona (ie http://www.larumbeta.com/en) or see displays of sardana dance and music in traditional festivals celebrated in the city -as well as every week-end in front of the Cathedral, as an impromptu display (http://infocatalonia.eu/w/yHeV8). Sometimes members of a sardana club join in -with all the attire, etc- and then you can see it danced in a semi-professional more 'colourful' manner.

Lastly, for those curious on how do these types of music sound like:

Sardana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuVUHpVv6JE
Rumba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZPerSPjTlM
Havanera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcvx9WxwiiA

Enjoy!

Thanks for your prompt and very helpful reply.
Marci