And the third installment of interviews with Mercedes. If you missed our previous conversations, you can find one here and the other one one here.
Today we find out about her family's response to her dancing. She comes from a non-flamenco family. And we learn why she loves to teach. Enjoy.
A lone flamenca in the family
¿Alguien en tu familia baile o hace algo con el flamenco? No y además no le gusta el baile ningunos de mis hermanos.
¿Does anyone in your family dance or do anything related to flamenco? No and on top of things none of my siblings like flamenco dancing.
¿Pero les gusta el flamenco? No, nada nada nada.
But do they like flamenco? No, not at all.
Head shaking back and forth and back and forth and back and forth, no.
Pero vienen a ver tus espectáculos, sí? Mi hermana solo. Tengo cuatro hermanos que no. No les gusta nada. Y yo creo que no tienen ni idea del nivel, o sea que yo pienso que ellos piensan que yo bailo sevillanas o algo.
But they come to see your shows, right? Just my sister. I have four brothers, and they don't. They don't like it at all. I don't think they have any idea of the level. In other words I think that they think I dance sevillanas or something.
Pero que interesante. ¿Cómo puede ser? ¿Y eso te importa? Bueno hay que respetarlo. Las decisiones. Si ellos no les gusta. Bueno ya estoy acostumbrada. Para mis padres que realmente son los que me han ayudado muchisimo. Mi madre. Cuando era pequeña los dos me apoyaron en lo que quería. Nunca me prohibieron nada. Y ahora estoy intentando pues darles todo lo que ellos me han ofecido. Se los intento dar en el escenario.
How interesting. How is that possible? And does this bother you? Well, I have to respect that. The decisions. If they don't like it. Well, I'm used to it. My parents really are the ones who have helped me so much. My mother. When I was little they both supported me in whatever I wanted. They never prohibited me from doing anything. And now I am trying to give back to them all that they have offered me. I try to give it to them on stage.
Entonces a tus padres tampoco les gusta el flamenco? No, claro. Les gusta ahora que estoy yo pero si yo no hubiera bailado yo creo que en mi casa no habia escuchado la palabra flamenco.
So your parents don't like flamenco either? No, of course. They like it now that I do it, but had I not started dancing I don't think you would ever have heard flamenco in my house.
On being a teacher
¿Qué es lo que te gusta de enseñar? Porque tomando tu clase, yo creo que te dije que en Jerez me sentía un poco desorientada, muy diferente que la gente allí pero cuando entré en tu clase me notaba mucho que a tí te gustaba enseñar. Y me sentía muy bien al estar allí. Me encanta enseñar. Me encanta.
What do you like about teaching? Because in taking your classes, I think I told you, in Jerez I felt a bit disoriented. I felt so different from everyone there. And I came to your class and I could tell how much you loved to teach. And I felt so good being there. I love teaching. I love it..
Y quiero saber, por qué te gusta? ¿Qué es lo que te da el enseñar a la gente? Porque aprendo muchísimo. Los alumnos me enseñan también a mí. Me enseñan entonces como aprendo. Me gusta luego que el alumno ver algo que yo he montado que sea capáz de hacerlo. Me llena igual que cuando me subo un escenario. Es como cuando me subo un escenario y me sale bien una coreografía pues igual. Me siento muy orgullosa. Y la verdad que los alumnos me enseñan muchísimo también.
And I want to know, why do you like it? What do you get from teaching people? Because I learn so much. The students teach me as well. They teach me, and I learn. I love to watching a student when they are able to do something I choreographed. It fills me up the same as when I go on stage. It's like when I go on stage, and I perform a piece well; it's the same. I feel proud. And honestly the students teach me so much too.
Aprendo muchísim0 - click here to listen
¿Y Pastora, ella va a bailar? Ahora está bailando un poco. Un pocoquillo, un poquillo. Con el rojo. Y no vea. Todo el tiempo con los tacones.
And Pastora, is she going to dance? Now she's dancing a little bit. A little bit, a little bit. With red. Unbelievable. All of the time with her high heels.
More from Mercedes coming your way this month, so stay tuned.
And on that note. Perhaps you have a question for Mercedes? lf there's something you want to know, tell me. Leave your question(s) in the comments. And, of course, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the interview as well. ¿Tienes una pregunta para Mercedes o algún comentario? Déja un comentario.
The trip. It's coming up, very soon. Mercedes is catering workshops specifically to us. Interested in coming along? Sign up to get the details.
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