El Recorte de Los Toros [bull-leaping]

El Recorte was in La Plaza de Toros. 

   Las ferias y fiestas de San Juan and San Pedro are going on right now. There has been a huge variety of events and celebrations, ranging from concerts to volleyball games to theatrical productions and more. One of the events was un recorte de los toros, a bullfight where they don't kill/harm the bull. Attending un recorte was on my bucket list for Spain so I was very excited that there was one going on right here in Segovia. About ten other people in my program and I met up and walked there together. I wasn't really sure what to expect.  I have seen many YouTube clips and segments of movies on las corridas del toro (traditional bullfights) but never really seen anything about los recortes.
   The event started at 7pm and lasted until 9pm. There were four rounds, featuring five bull. In each round, the recortadores provoked and danced around the bull to earn points. The closer they got to the bull, the more points they earned. Although it was entertaining to see both men and women evading  and flipping over the charging bulls, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the animals. Each bull had huge numbers branded on its side and letters on its hind leg. When they got in the arena, they didn't just charge at the recortadores like I expected. Instead, they seemed confused. The recortadores would yell, clap, jump, make noise and sometimes even run at the bull to provoke it until it charged. My favorite part of watching the recortadores was after they performed their trick and would jump back behind the fences with a look of fear on their faces as the bull followed closely behind. All of the fencing in the arena was made of wood. When a bull hit the wall especially hard, you could see chunks of wood flying up into the air. One bull even broke down the gate to get back into his holding area. For most of the spectacle, I was torn between having fun and feeling guilty about paying to watch these bulls be tormented as fans clapped and cheered.
   At the end of the day, I am glad I went. Events like these are a piece of Spanish culture and now is the time for me to experience traditions and customs firsthand, whether I agree with them or not. I am not sure that I would go to another one and am certain that I would never be able to handle a real corrida del toro.

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