I even spent a couple of weeks in Grenada, Spain at Escuela Carmen de las Cuevas where we danced in caves and practically lived and breathed nothing but flamenco and the scent of orange blossoms for two full weeks. So heavenly.
I found a little flamenco here in Philly, but a broken shoulder from an ice skating accident( vow to self: stick to non-slippery surfaces), forced me to slow down a bit. After recovering with a little belly dancing with Habiba, I re-discovered tap and found hip hop, both at Koresh. And little by little, flamenco became a distant memory.
But now there's this new studio Sound Space on W. Girard Ave, and I got to revisit flamenco in a three day workshop with the lovely Almudena Serrano from Seville, Spain. Now, I'm a little rusty- it's been a lot of years...and I didn't know we would be dancing with fans. In all my years of study, I never once danced flamenco with a fan, but there are different teachers and different styles, so with a borrowed fan, I jumped in.
It was a bit like a comedy routine, because I couldn't make my fan do all the things the other women in the class could do. Clearly, they were more experienced. But, having thrown myself out of my comfort zone more than a zillion times, I followed my own rules- Stay in the room. Keep practicing and eventually you'll get it.
I was so motivated after the first day, that I took a little hike in the rain the Chinatown to get a couple of fans to practice with( getting a fan from Spain would have taken too long). And I've practiced, but I'm not smooth.
And of course, getting the footwork and moving the fans at the same time requires coordination that needs more than a three day workshop. I had forgotten how much I loved this visually beautiful dance. And how it is a true dance of both femininity and power.
So, I'm feeling the need for more flamenco. I'll keep you posted.
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