How did you find flamenco?

This is one of my favorite things to ask flamenco lovers.

I love learning people’s flamenco stories, don’t you?

Where they first remember seeing it, why they chose to study it, what keeps them in it, how they make time for it…

Please enjoy the following brief flamenco stories from some of the students who performed in last April’s Flamenco Student Showcase at the Lakewood Center for the Arts. (In reverse alphabetical order except in a couple of places where I switched the order for purpose of visual flow.)

Stella I was about 10 years old, growing up in Russia when I got to see a performance of a flamenco dancer from Spain (an incredibly rare event for Russia). It stayed with me. The next time I got to see a flamenco dancer I was 26 and living in US. I took flamenco lessons for about 3 years. Then we moved and there were decades without dancing. I have been with Laura for the last 6 years as a very casual dancer. In retrospect I wish I was a more dedicated student, but we do what we can. The more I dance, the more I love this palo, it touches something mysteriously deep and beautiful within me... and I believe I am not alone :).

Stefani I take flamenco because of the people I get to meet and socialize with and travel with. It is great exercise for me that is not boring. Other classes are so repetitive that I give them up. Flamenco stretches my comfort level and pushes me to do things that I would not normally do. (ie-perform, take advanced classes, sing, etc.) I think that is good for a person and keeps them from getting old and set in their ways. I am totally addicted. I can't ever imagine not being involved with flamenco because it has become such a big part of my life.

Seana You could say I started flamenco in second grade, or perhaps in Sevilla when I studied abroad in college. However, I really pursued flamenco whilst living in Denver. I found a teacher originally from Sevilla. It was the perfect form of dance that did not require a partner, allowed me to be any age, any shape and provided a community of friendship. When I prepared to move back to Oregon in 2012, I knew I wanted to find a flamenco community. I found Laura. She taught me more than just how to dance the steps, she helped me understand how to improvise within the structure of each flamenco rhythm. Even if I'm unable to attend class regularly, I am never left feeling dissatisfied by the fun, exercise and community of friendships.

Lynn I started taking flamenco classes for the ﬁrst time about 15 years ago, but I have had long lapses during my life where I didn’t study Flamenco at all for a variety of reasons. Nonetheless, it has become such a part of me that I keep coming back to it, especially to Bulerías, which I remember fondly from my first trip to Spain. I was performing with a small amateur ballet company when I first started to study flamenco. My teacher suggested that we study another dance form to make our movements less rigid, more fluid. I chose ﬂamenco because I spoke Spanish and I loved flamenco music. It turns out that I took class with one of the best-known ﬂamenco teachers on the West Coast at the time, Linda Vega. I was so fortunate. When she danced Bulerias and Solea on stage at El Cid in Los Angeles, I was completely mesmerized, and it formed a very lasting impression on me. When I went to Spain for the first time, I made sure to go to the tablaos that Linda had told me about, including Corral de la Morería. That was where I saw the first live flamenco show in Spain. At about 2 in the morning, after the main show was over, a group of dancers came up on stage and did some great improv bulerías. I'll never forget the moment when the matriarch of the group got up on stage. I was totally captivated by her performance, by her presence on stage. Of all of the ﬂamenco I've ever seen, her performance still stands out as one of the best. What I have also noticed with ﬂamenco, is that the longer you do it, the easier it is to improvise, to leverage what you already know. I am really happy that I have the opportunity to continue to develop my skills and perform in flamenco shows in the Portland area.

Lindy I became interested in flamenco when I was on a trip with a friend to Santa Fe and we came across an exhibit "Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico". I was captivated instantly. The sensuality, the history, the music, the rhythms...and the fabulous dresses! As soon as I was back in Portland I looked for flamenco performances to attend, found one at Cafe Artichoke and ended up sharing a table with Laura and one of her students. I dance Flamenco for the joy of being able to participate in a beautiful and powerful art form that challenges me to continue to learn.

Lindsay I started dancing flamenco because it seemed so beautiful and challenging, and that proved to be true! I keep dancing because though it is hard work, I get joy and satisfaction from the mysterious way the dance becomes natural and internalized.

Dancing-- without thinking -- is a great joy.

Kikuyo I first saw flamenco when I was in Japan, and I fell in love with the music and the appearance. I wasn’t able to take a class because I was living in the country and working a lot. When I came here I met Faly at PCC and I decided to take Spanish class with her. She was teaching sevillanas there so I decided to take the class. I continued taking sevillanas and an intermediate class with her. Then I got pregnant and had babies and many years passed. I finally came back and studied with another teacher then I came to your class and I really liked the class and I’m so glad to have met you.

Lily Flamenco is a passion that grabs hold of you from the first moment. From the time I was a little girl I’ve had the opportunity to study and connect with this beautiful art form. Flamenco is a universal art that connects feelings, lives and experiences around the world. Flamenco transcends borders and transforms the lives of those who are able to feel it.

Julie For as long as I can remember, I have danced. As a child and teenager, I danced ballet, jazz, tap, and character/folk dances. In college I branched out to modern dance, salsa and merengue. As an adult, I found flamenco. It has taken hold of me and not let go! I love so much about flamenco: it's passionate, simultaneously graceful, soft, powerful, strong, soulful, and dramatic. It has a long history, its own culture and deep roots, and is more challenging but more rewarding than any other dance form I have experienced.

The first time I saw a flamenco show was on my first trip to Spain when I was 15, on a class trip. I wasn't ready for it at the time as it seemed very intense and maybe even a little scary, but it mesmerized me and that memory stayed with me. When I rediscovered it as an adult it was at Cafe Sol, a wonderful Spanish restaurant that used to be in Portland. Portland legend Rafaela de Cádiz was dancing and singing, and again I was spellbound. I told my husband that I felt that I needed to learn to do that, I talked to Faly after the show, and soon after I found myself in her beginning class. Ever since that day, flamenco has been an integral part of my life, and I've been lucky to study it with Laura for years, as well as with many notable visiting artists, and in Spain. Now, my flamenco community is such a warm, joyful and supportive group of creative people, I can't imagine my life without them either. Now I dance more than ever and it’s getting harder and harder! I keep dancing flamenco because I still love the music and I like watching your dancing. Also I like to connect with this flamenco community.

Jackie I first discovered flamenco when I was studying Spanish for a summer in Sevilla. I had seen several shows, and in the bars late at night people would spontaneously start dancing sevillanas! There were a few language students that came for both language and dance study. They invited me to some of their dance lessons, and I thought, “one day, I’d like to start taking flamenco classes!” I found a class when I moved to Portland, and I’ve been studying flamenco ever since.

Intesar (Photo credit: Intesar Amirkani)

Intesar I was 8. My older sisters had the chance to visit Spain with my dad. I was not able to join because of school. I was too jealous. When they came back they brought coasters with flamenco dancers and castanets and abanicos and would not stop talking about what they saw. I used to stare at those coasters and play with the castanets the wrong way. Since then I have been fascinated with everything flamenco. The guitar music, the ruffles, the castanets sound, the dance moves and the pride ... then 2 years ago I commented on a post on Facebook, asking if classes are offered in Portland, and Laura replied ... now I'm hooked for life.

Gael Twenty years ago I took a sevillanas class at PSU from Faly and after that just kept dancing. I keep dancing flamenco because it makes me happy.

Emily Ever since my first exposure to flamenco, I've been enraptured by it. With every performance, I felt moved to learn to dance it myself, but I was convinced I lacked the grace and coordination required to dance at all, let alone to dance a dance as proud, unreserved, and technical as flamenco.

Plus, I had another problem: stage fright. I grew up a musician, but when it came time to choose between a traditional college education or music, I chose the college degree because of my unrelenting and debilitating stage fright. No matter how well I performed during rehearsal, I invariably had panic attacks and blacked out on stage. Performing in the orchestra pit was somewhat less incapacitating, and I decided my talents could only be shared out of sight.

After completing the college degree I had opted for over music, I followed my love of Spanish language and culture to Spain, where I finally decided to rediscover my love for the performing arts by learning to dance sevillanas. I thought this partner dance would be more formulaic and easier to "fake." Still, I told myself I could never even attempt to learn flamenco, as much as I admired it from the other side of the stage.

Once I learned sevillanas, I regularly danced the night away in underground bars on Gran Vía in Madrid, but only in a social setting where I didn't feel like I was the center of attention. Stage fright still got the best of me when it came time to perform at the end of the year-long sevillanas class.

Within a year of learning sevillanas, I found myself in Sevilla in a crowd of people dancing. When I tried to join, I realized I had already forgotten the steps. I felt a profound sense of disappointment, but I moved back to the US shortly thereafter and ultimately accepted that I had lost my chance.

As time went on and I missed Spain more and more, I finally decided to search for sevillanas classes in Portland (only after I decided it was impossible to learn them using YouTube!). I found Laura and took a handful of sevillanas classes from her. When the series ended and she returned to her regular schedule of flamenco classes (no more sevillanas), I was left wanting more. I decided there was no option but to stick around and do something I never thought I could: learn flamenco.

Today, I'm unwilling to let fear or self-doubt stop me from doing something I love, and I no longer believe there's such a thing as a person who can't dance. Only time will tell whether I'll ever overcome my stage fright.

Bo & Derek (Photo Credit: Salim Sanchez)

Bo I became interested in flamenco because I love the music. It's very exciting, and I love to dance! I love the footwork. I have only take a few lessons from Julie; she helps me learn in a fun way and I really enjoy spending time with her.

Bo was accompanied by his father, Derek Brown, on guitar.

I became interested in flamenco out of a love for Spanish classical guitar music. Over the years, I've had a variety of classical and flamenco guitar teachers, but nothing has been as powerful as spending a month in Granada last summer and experiencing flamenco culture first hand. I love to accompany flamenco dancers and signers as a guitarist, but don't want to scare anyone away with my dancing. ;) I am excited to continue learning how to accompany flamenco dancers and singers, I love being on this journey!

Beth I saw flamenco for the first time in the movie Strictly Ballroom. After that I found a dance studio through the University of Minnesota and took a couple of intro classes between 2005-2010 until I moved to Portland. I didn’t know where to take classes in Portland, so I didn’t do anything until February 2016 when I walked into your class. It probably took me a couple of years to finally get the nerve to actually show up and check it out. You told me grab a pair of shoes and join in even though I thought I was just going to watch. I have been going nonstop ever since. It was the bata de cola that really drew me in early on and it was always a goal of mine to dance with a bata. Something I love about Flamenco is its complexity and layers. I am constantly challenged to understand the relationship between baile, cante, palmas, y toque.

Anastasia I was five years old and new to Portland when I first saw flamenco. I saw a woman in a beautiful yellow dress take the stage then my life changed forever. The grace of the arms, the stomp of the feet, the altogether seeming spontaneity really drew me in. Since then I have tried other types of dance classes, but the day my mom took me to a beginner's flamenco class I was hooked. The flamenco community is so supportive and cooperative. I love Sevillanas and even had a flamenco themed birthday party where I got to share authentic flamenco clothes and shoes and a professional lesson with my friends. I've been dancing for two years now and I can't wait to see what's next.

Thank you for sharing your stories.

Now, how did YOU find flamenco?

Let me know in the comments below.

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