She said she was going to show them how to dance in a losa

Pequeña.  

Y por fiesta.

It was Ani who said that.  Ana María López.  She said it on a Monday morning in Jerez.

We had been there for a little over a week I guess.

And on this particular Monday morning the ladies had gone to bulerías class ahead of me.

When I walked in I saw something I'd never seen before

Everyone sitting together in a small circle in the middle of the studio.

A very small circle.  I felt kind of like I was walking in on someone's party.  Luckily I was not walking in alone.

Not a regular party like you may be picturing.  Not any kind of rambunctious party.  Not even a festive party.  Because it was quiet.  But not silent quiet like a library.  Meeting quiet.  Though this was nothing like a meeting.  Obviously.  It was a like a gathering I guess.

Sometimes I wonder why I even attempt to explain these things.

It was not yet 11:30am, and there was a fiesta happening.  In bulerías class.

If often feels like a fiesta in there.  But at the end of class, not at the beginning.  And this was different.  It was intimate.

There the ladies were in a circle.

One person in the middle dancing.  Everyone else giving jaleos.  It appeared they'd been doing this all their lives.

I was used to seeing everyone very busy thinking in bulerías class.

Thinking about the new move they'd just learned or a move from the day before.  Busy remembering how it went.  And how to do it with the cante.  Or they were standing up and learning the new moves, trying to make them work with the compás.  Or asking someone else for help.

Stuff like that.

But when I arrived to class on Monday, I walked in on all of these dancers doing bulerias con tanta comodidad.  So comfortably.  Giving jaleos with ease and having so much fun.

The same ladies who on Thursday had been so scared and nervous.

One by one they danced.

Together they supported one another.

And, of course, Ani had all kinds of wonderful tips to give.

Everybody thought dancing on a tile would be so hard, but somehow it wasn't.

Perhaps because of the closeness.

Perhaps because of the feeling of being held.

Perhaps because of the doing less.

You do less

You still follow the structure, but everything is simplified.  Everything is subtle.  Everyone can do it.

Everyone was in that studio in Jerez, away from home, away from their comfort zones.

The room was the same.  But the space was different.

Everybody could follow the compás and just dance.

Doing Less

It seems I'm always feeling like I need to do less in my life.  Because I feel overwhelmed.  I think you know what I mean.  And I feel I must figure out how to do less.  Though I'm not sure there's a lot of figuring out required.

I think I just do.  Or don't do.  Or maybe I do do.  But I don't think so much.

Ack.  I think I need to think about it.

When you dance on a tile you do less

Less.

I know I can learn from that.

You do things smaller

Put forth less effort

With ease

Leaving out the fancy stuff

Quick and uncomplicated

While being held by the group

Somehow it's so easy.  And fun.  And flowing.

Somehow everybody around you feels the ease, the flow, and the fun.

And that's nice.

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Comments

Tell me what you think.  How do you find ease in flamenco?  How do you find ease in life?  How do you do less?  You can leave a comment below.

Jerez

Want to learn how to dance on a floor tile?  As you can see, it's fun!  Join me in Jerez this spring on the FlamencoTour.

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