Viewing entries tagged
dance classes

How To Get The Most Out of A Flamenco Dance Workshop

Comment

How To Get The Most Out of A Flamenco Dance Workshop

Does the thought of taking a flamenco workshop with a master artist from Spain fill you with excitement or fear? 

If you're anything like me you feel a little bit of both.

Here are some steps you can take before, during, and after a workshop to help manage any overwhelm that comes up:

Before the workshop

1. Decide what you want to get out of it

Set a workshop goal.

Do you want to master the choreography? Improve upon a specific technique? Get inspired? Become a better learner? Implement the teacher's personal styling? Simply have a fun experience?

Keep Reading

Comment

Day 10 : What to do When You Think You Can't [Flamenco Home Challenge]

2 Comments

Day 10 : What to do When You Think You Can't [Flamenco Home Challenge]

It’s the final day of the challenge. Olé, you made it!

How did yesterday's activity go? Did it feel good to just put the music on and dance not worrying about all of the other stuff? For me, letting go and dancing in this way is a great form of therapy. 

Let's get on with the final challenge.

Day 10

Today’s exercise is designed to help you keep the challenge going in class or in your home practice.

I remember when I first studied with Mercedes. I felt so overwhelmed with all of the classes I was taking, coming in toward the end of the year, perhaps trying to do too much. So many things felt impossibly hard. ‘I can’t,’ ‘No way,’ ‘Impossible,’ Thoughts like this were constantly running through my head. I even declared them out loud. “No puedo,” I would tell Mercedes. Or, I would just stop dancing.

Keep Reading

2 Comments

Comment

Intención

You've heard me talk about Ani and her bulerías class and about bits of wisdom I've learned from her. I want to share another bit today.

It's one of those things she said that sent me scurrying to my notebook.  I didn't think much about it when she said it.  I just knew it was importante and that I wanted to write it down.

Concepts

In bulerías class you learn steps.

But you don't have to do them.

You can.  Or you can do your own.  Or someone else’s.

So, yes, you learn steps.

But you're really there to learn concepts.

Keep Reading

Comment

2 Comments

A Dose of Difficulty, por favor

It was November 2012, and I was in Jerez.  My exotic pets had all gone home, except for one that is.  And I kept getting messages, important messages... November 7, 2012

I started getting them about a week ago, the messages.  Or that's when I started hearing them.

They were sent on various occasions.

But always during class.

And they were all more or less the same.

Occasion #1  |  Monday morning at the peña

Things changed in bulerías this week.

Keep Reading

2 Comments

4 Comments

How to Survive a Flamenco Festival

As most of you know I went to Albuquerque earlier this month to Flamenco Festival Internacional.  Festivals are intense.  Intense can be good, but it can also be, well, fuerte.  Preparation can help. So...

1. Choose a festival hosting artists you want to see and learn from.

Artists I admire = inspiration and motivation.  Sure, I get a bit nervous at the thought of studying with these most amazing artists, but it usually goes away after awhile.

2. Go with a group of people.

You may know them before.  You may not.  You may travel with them.  You may meet up there.  Either way, having a small community within the bigger festival community offers support.  Plus it's just so much more fun with other people.  Think laughter, lots of laughter, therapeutic laughter.

3. Choose your learning tools.

There are many available.... An audio recording device to help you recall the sounds. A notebook for notes and reflections on class. Going over the choreography or tricky steps with another student after or before class. Getting centered and staying present.

Keep Reading

4 Comments