LS Flamenco Showcase: Challenging & FUN!
Enjoy the challenging but fun journey of our Beginner Flamenco Showcase.
Our beginner students from the Choreography Class performed last May at the Dance Complex Teaching Artist & Students Concert the piece “Mujeres Bonitas” . This piece represents a group of committed women from all ages that have had the courage to start their new Flamenco journey. Over the past weeks they have learned the fundamentals of flamenco dance, and along with some basic steps, they have also learned the importance of connection, not only with themselves, but with their peers.
The learning process has been challenging and fun and all our students have worked hard to practice the choreography, not only every Sunday in class ,but also at home and as a group. Today I am sharing a little bit of this challenging but fun journey!
Although our students are really committed to learn Flamenco and to perform this piece on stage, they are also professionals, mothers, students, doctors, designers, artists, teachers…and have interesting personal lives, so it has been challenging to have all “mujeres bonitas” together. Finally, and just 5 minutes before the show, we meet and practice all the group together for the first time! (Rocío just arrive from work in the middle of the piece, so we can practice half of it :)). Here you can see the entire group of performers right before the show.
Carol, Laura, Olivia, Veronica, Elaine, Laura, Sivia, Kumi, Cristina, Sanchita, Erika, Rocio, Ingrid.
As a teacher, I finally can breathe because now I see all the group dancing as a whole and the positions in the choreography make sense now. Imagining people filling the positions in the “group picture” has been really challenging. It has also been challenging to get some steps done. For whatever reason, we always ended up making the same mistakes. I could say that the “pasadas”, the “final poses” and some “other turns” that Elaine and Carol made very creative ;), were the most difficult ones. And of course we cannot forget THE “V”.
After several classes, rehearsals and lots of FUN we get this! The choreography is ready and now it is time to start the next lecture. “How to get ready for the Stage“: the make up, the hair, the customs…
I still remember my first “moños” and I although I have been evolving my creations over the years, the most insightful input I have ever received is from my teacher Sara Martín. She never let me go on stage with my hair “not-ready” and this became my daily routine when I was studying at the dance conservatory. Now, it is time to share a little bit of this with my “mujeres bonitas”. We need a lot of water, gel, “horquillas”, “redecilla”…and patience.
– “Laura, do I need more water? Yes, you do!”
-“Am I ready now? Almost, please get more gel!”
-“Can I dance with my “flequillo”? You look beautiful, but use gel on it ;)”
Few weeks ago in the rehearsal of “Living Legacies of Ramon de los Reyes”, Ramón mentioned how important is to have the hair ready to go on stage to feel and look like a dancer. I do agree with him and believe that no matter the level of the performance, the preparation to go on stage is really important. We need to look like dancers, feel dancers…be dancers!
And after tons of gel, water and many help from Elaine with the make up… our “Mujeres Bonitas” are ready!
Although they look wonderful now, getting the customs ready was also challenging and fun. After doing some initial research myself, we decide to go shopping together. There is a Target right close to the Dance Complex and in a matter of seconds we create a “mercadillo” (fair) of ten women looking for different sizes and colors of one specific T-Shirt. We buy almost all the t-shirts available and Carol, our customs´ ambassador , gets all the missing ones from Watertown!
We believe we are all set BUT when we get to the dress rehearsal and I see all the different t-shirts´colors and “mantoncillos”, my brain collapses. There are too many colors-combinations and I can barely breathe when I look at the whole group. This is too much!
Just 12 hours before the show we decide to go with two colors only: “white” and “red” (or orange, depending on who you ask to ;)). Although it seems impossible to get all the sizes again, Carol, our ambassador, with Erika´s help goes shopping and gets all of them! Another challenge that is successfully overcome. We have a lot of fun because we see it as a game, we play it and we win it.
Facing challenges together and overcoming it with enthusiasm and joy, help the group become stronger and even more connected. We have fun, play and enjoy in the dressing room waiting for our turn.
After weeks of practice, videos, rehearsals, classes, frustration, resilience, commitment, love and passion for flamenco, and some last minute changes in the choreography (of course I have to change something, even a little “cabeza”) we are ready to run the show! The time to shine and to share what we all have inside is here.
“This moment is for all of you who had the courage to believe in yourself, to look in the mirror and say “Here I am”, to shout an “ole” when things went well and a “come on” when you thought you could not do it anymore. Now is the time to enjoy it and to “Dance it with you hearts for you, from you, to you.”
We all take a deep breath before the curtains open and all “Mujeres Bonitas” go on stage. All lights are off and I can feel from the outside the energy and excitement of the group. The music starts and their movements follow. Their hearts and bodies are dancing together and I am enjoying it from the outside.
Kumi, Sanchita, Silvia, Ingrid
Cristina, Veronica, Rocio, Olivia
Carol, Cristina, Veronica, Rocio, Olivia
I can feel the stage full of joy, they are dancing it! I am really proud of them and can´t wait to join the group. I feel inspired by them and ready to join the fun. Getting on stage and seeing all of them smiling and enjoying it makes me really happy. I feel the energy of the group, the are all connected. We are like a big family sharing the love of dance with a wonderful audience that supports us with “ole”, “arsa” and a variety of “jaleos”.
Erika, Elaine, Laura, Laura S, Carol
Mujeres Bonitas (Kumi & Laura S)
We-they have made it :). Congratulations for such a wonderful performance danced from the heart of all of you, “mujeres bonitas”.
Ole, ole y ole!
The first night is wonderful and we receive compliments from the audience and also the team from the Dance Complex. YAY! Our hearts are full of joy and love and now it is time to celebrate and get ready for the second night!
The second night of the concert is also challenging and fun. Some of our students have unforeseen circumstances and cannot come to the show. As my professor Angelica always says “when life happens, happen fast”, and unfortunately we have to miss four of our dancers. We need to adapt the choreo in the last minute and thanks to Cristina, this process is very simple. Her brain goes really fast and she learns the new steps in just few minutes. When we think everything is ready Cristina brings to the table that she does not have a white t-shirt! The costumes´challenge is here again…I just remember I have one at home and my life-saver, Borja, runs to bring it 5 minutes before the show starts!
Ok, everything is all set now, right? Or maybe not… Sanchita has forgotten her flamenco shoes! Now it is her life-saver who is running to bring them to her before our piece starts. Thankfully we have a bunch of pieces ahead of us and the shoes get on time. Finally we are ready to go (Sanchita is also in the photo but probably getting her shoes on!)
Tonight our “mujeres bonitas” are supposed to be more relaxed because they did it yesterday. However, with all the last minute changes they might be more nervous. Tonight they have to face another challenge and they are willing to do so with enthusiasm and joy. We have full house and the energy is way higher among all participants. How is the energy inside our flamenco dancers…?
We also take a deep breath together before going on stage. They look wonderful from the outside and although my view is not perfect, I can tell the “V” finally worked out! (We may need to continue practicing for the upcoming performances though). The “jaleos” of the audience are not well heard today (probably because we are missing some “andaluces” out there…) so when I join them, I make sure I encourage them enough to continue enjoying it. After some confusion with the final positions, we finish all together with a final OLE that freezes our students on stage. Their hearts are full of joy they are so excited that can barely move. They need a little push to leave the stage and let the show continue.
We do it the best we can, and one more time, we overcome the challenges together with FUN and LOVE!
Today we were less, we had challenges, we made mistakes, we learned from them, we grew up, we became better dancers, we supported each other and we loved each other. Today we were a team, a family and we did it together!
It has been a wonderful weekend, week, month, semester where this group of “mujeres bonitas” have worked together every Sunday in class, dream with my “V”, practice in parties my “cabezas” and support each other to become better every day. This showcase we have missed some of our “mujeres bonitas” because their lives needed them, but they have been present all the time (even from Hawai). I hope and trust they can join us next time because this is just a little step and there is much more fun to come!
Would you like to join the fun? We will be dancing at the Dance for World Community on June 9th and at the End of Year Recital on June 23rd. More details to come!
I am grateful and honored to have presented our work at The Dance Complex where Flamenco has been present since 1975 thanks to Ramon de Los Reyes, who has dedicated his life to this art form. I am grateful to have shared with respect my love for this art form and to add my “granito de arena” to bring flamenco to new dance communities.
I am grateful to have my “life-saver”, Borja, who makes all of this possible.
Thanks Lia for such wonderful support and photos!
AND I am grateful to YOU , each “mujer bonita” because you inspires me to become a better dancer and teacher very day. Thanks for being so brave and wonderful. Thanks for being you. Thanks for joining this challenging but FUN journey. Thanks for being “La clave de mi Alegría”.
This letter is for YOU, dear students.
Erika, Rocio, Elaine, Sanchita, Carol, Veronica, Laura, Cristina, Olivia, Ingrid, Laura, Silvia, Kumi.
Don´t miss this challenging and fun journey. Join us every Sunday at The Dance Complex!
With love and respect.
A proud teacher.
Laura Sánchez
