Wide World of Studying Flamenco Dance

Why it’s addictive and how to sort it all oout (insert Canadian accent)

By Kasandra “La China”
July 7, 2007

Flamenco has a way of sorting people out.  As Darwin observed, there is a natural selection process that dictates that only the strongest DNA in each species remains while the weak are obliterated from existence from the planet.  This is true in the case of flamenco because over time only the most passionate, obsessive-compulsive, Type A, enthusiastic, determined, head-strong, competitive (with one’s own self) and tough-minded survive.  This may sound melodramatic but this is a known truth about flamenco students and flamenco artists.  They are absolutely fervent about flamenco. We are not line dancers, square dancers or social dancers that do this during the summer and quit in the winter.  We are addicted.  We are obsessed.  We cannot stop and we cannot help ourselves.

Why?

Flamenco is a multi-faceted art form that is challenging for a variety of reasons.  For those who get sucked into the vortex, there are three main elements to learning flamenco dance and it’s important to be aware of what is attracting you in the first place.

MOVIMIENTO

In the beginning, dance class is all about technique and learning to move one’s body.  A lot of people find flamenco because they are seeking Non-Boring Exercise.  (Let’s face it, how often can we go to the gym?  It’s boring.  We have to go but doesn’t challenge the grey matter to do 3 reps of 15 lb free weights.  Seriously.)

Flamenco dance is challenging because it requires a coordination of body parts you don’t regularly use.  We have to separate our body into 3 separate parts like a Rubik’s Cube — hips, torso, head — that pivot along a centre.  Most people don’t know how to do this and why should you if you work at the office?  Simple body separation is an interesting concept for most people that try.  And then, when we ask our arms to do something completely contrary to our feet, well…that’s when the amusement happens and addiction begins because you want to be able to.   Let’s not talk about floreo (finger movements).

Then there’s cool footwork which is addictive in the extreme.  Wow, endless combinations of exercises to make our feet DO THAT!

After basic planta tacon tacon, Movimiento includes choreography and style. We can dance to Cante Jondo (deep profound song like Solea or Seguiriyas)), Cante Chico (happy, light song like Alegrias or Garrotin)) or Medio (neither sorrowful nor happy…maybe both…like Farruca).  There is no end to studying the palos.  I am sure that I have learned Solea at least 9X, choreographed it 10X for students and performed about 2 serious renditions of it.

MUSIC

RITMO Y COMPAS.

Rhythm and TIme.  Flamenco attracts rhythmic people.  We have time signatures which boggle the mind initially.  While I have been told that Indian music is much, much more challenging, Flamenco 12 compas is usually enough to make people do a double take. It takes many years to internalize 12 compas.  People realize it is a mental challenge as well as physical.

“What do you mean I can accent on the 6 8 and 10 instead of the 7 8 and 10?  What do you mean the guitarist can chunk in 6s instead of 12s?  What, you mean we can add an extra 6 here and there for bulerias?”

The world of compas and ritmo is the base of all flamenco study.  Palos range from 4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 12 compas time signatures.  The variety allows for decades worth of learning and mastery.  Intellectual types find this fascinating.

CANTE

Flamenco attracts musical people.  In the beginning, regular people do not like how Flamenco Cante sounds.  It’s wailing or screaming to most people and to be honest, for me, it was not until Year 3 that I realized that cante was the only thing inspiring movement, and Year 9 that I realized that I had to learn to sing.  Going onto Year 11, I’m giving into the fact that I must sing, memorize lyrics, find deeper meaning in the poetry and focus on the cante.  For someone who has resisted singing at a young age, this is a pretty tough thing to resign oneself.

Even without actually singing, there is a correlation between the resolution of musical phrases and dancing remates.  The best flamenco dancers are great musicians because they can hear the ends of phrases and punctuate their baile to REMATAR with the cante.  This means putting in remates and llamadas that punctuate flamenco music.  This is the whole arte behind flamenco.

EXPRESSION

Of course, the most obvious thing that differentiates flamenco from other dance is it’s raw, unadulterated expression of emotion.  Flamenco can express profound sorrow, joy, anger, rebellion, glory, pride and resilience.  Flamenco is the quintessential art form that expresses and values emotion above all things.  It is not about being pretty all the time.  It’s not about perfect lines, perfect dance configurations or perfection in general.  It’s about making a personal statement.  If that means being ugly, well life is not always a bed of roses.

We are attracted to flamenco because it gives us permission to make an expressive statement.  It allows us to express our emotions when social norms and cultural rules make us suppress them.  That is why there are more flamenco dance academies in Tokyo than Madrid.