It's always fascinating to observe a group of students (regardless of the matter) showing what they are capable of with passion and energy. But if what they are doing is dancing Flamenco, then it makes much more sense!!
And we could enjoy all this passion and dedication last Friday the 6th of June in the Trinity Church, at our Festival Flamenco. 
First of all we should thank The Instituto Cervantes, ArtsTrinity and Samuel Moore for the fantastic organization and their fantastic management and coordination with the tickets. We were absolute sold out many weeks prior to the event, and nearly 300 people looking forward to going there and watch what we had to offer! Exciting!

The show started with the Guitar Students who were really good and made us truly enjoy their playing. 
And after that, it was "our" turn!!
First group was the Complete Beginners + Lower Intermediate from The Instituto Cervantes and they danced Sevillanas and Fandango. All of them were great, so coordinated and cheerful! We could see hours of practice there!

Then it was the turn for Candy Kaiser, lovely Flamenco Teacher and Dancer from Huddersfield who delighted us with her deep Soleá. And afterwards, we could see the wonderful hat dance "Garrotín" by the Higher Intermediate group at The Instituto Cervantes, who demonstrated an incredible ability managing the hat and doing the polished, rhythmical footwork, which was a big achievement.

Following that, the Advanced group at The Dance Studio Leeds showed us their vibrant and moving "Tientos", an exercise of fineness and technique very close to professioinalism, really enjoyable and a good example of what real Flameno is.

And, to finish with the students part, the lovely Advanced group at The Instituto Cervantes, danced for us one of the most difficult and deep "palos", the Seguiriya, with live music by Mike Holland, and the mix was breathtaking and really transported the audience to Andalucía and got them in the real Flamenco mood. 
After that we had a break to drink a glass of wine and meet the artists, and then the professionals (Sam Moore and Flamenco Diez) delighted us with their performances, but that is another matter and we'll speak about it in another post!! 

I would like to finish thanking again all the students for their hard work throughout the year, their persistence, their patience, and over all their illusion, as without it nothing would be possible.
Congratulations!!! 

2013 in coming to its end, and it's the perfect moment to review all the exciting moments we've been living together. 
We started the year with lots of snow in January so we decided to heat the environment up starting a new Flamenco group in Yeadon at Peace Dance Academy. This group is currently lead by Luisa Galán Aguilar and is working really well, so thank you Luisa for keeping the Flamenco spirit up in Yeadon!

February was the perfect month to travel to Newcastle and meet the Flamenco Lovers over there; Paco Bethencourt has done an impressive work spreading the Spanish culture and music up in the north, and we'll miss him a lot now that he's back in Madrid...Good luck Paco!

 In March we had the pleasure to count on the amazing Natalia García-Huidobro and her workshops for beginners and intermediate students at The Dance Studio Leeds. Despite the bad weather, the workshops were a huge success and more than 30 people attended!

With my friends Candy, Kevin and David, we brought a little bit of Spanish air to the Thirsk Racecourses in May, and then June arrived full of events: June's birthday in June (thanks for letting us join your lovely birthday party!!), and then the first Flamenco Festival in Leeds where we achieved to gather more than 200 people around Flamenco Art. Thanks so much to Samuel Moore, Holy Trinity Church and all my colleagues at The Instituto Cervantes, who made possible this amazing event (we are actually arranging everything for the Second Flamenco Festival in 2014). To finish the term with the best taste, the students and I went to the Hebden's Bridge Arts Festival where they could repeat the choreographies they had been practising through the year, and it was possible thanks to Patricia Skeet, who's been the one and only teacher in Yorkshire for years...Thank you Patri!

Right after the summer we could join Cherie Froude and her students at the Freedom Festival in Hull, where we had lots of fun once again. Thanks Cherie for organizing this!
September arrived with all the new groups starting the Autumn term at Yorkshire Dance and The Dance studio Leeds, and also I was given the opportunity to join the Heydays team at The Playhouse, to teach the Sevillanas to 20 lovely ladies who were brave enough to perform at the end of the term...and they did a great job, cogratulations!

Apart from that, we've had a number of performances as for example at Thai Sabai, Café Lento, Mint Café, and we've been lucky enough to give a hand to Kendall's Appeal at St. Edmund's Church, as well as all the "Flamenco Jungle" workshops at Primary Schools. 
To finish, after a few months rehearsing, we finished the Flamenco year joining Mestisa (latin american music band) in their concert about Latin/Spanish music at The School of Music in (University of Leeds). It was an exciting and amazing event where musicians of different styles worked together to give the best of their shelves and I think we got it!

So...it's been a busy, exciting, challenging and very happy year, we deserve a little rest for Christmas but we are already working to beat the expectations in the 2014 coming up. 
Once again, I would like to thank everybody who's been helping and supporting my work, specially to: Marisol, Chema, José Luis, Samuel and all the team at The Instituto Cervantes, Candy and Patricia for being such a wonderful persons and teachers, Katie at the Dance Studio Leeds, Catherine at Peace Dance Academy, Solveig at the coffee every other week, Ana, Ten and Mike because I would have made nothing without them, Alvaro my friend and husband for being there, all the friends and audience saying ole at the performances and, most important...the students!!! you are the reason why Feel-Flamenco! started to walk and keeps on running, so thanks for paying attention, for being patient, for attending the classes when it's windy and rainy and snowy, for helping me with the language and, over all, for making me so happy!!

SEE YOU EVERYBODY IN JANUARY AND REMEMBER...

Feel the passion
Feel the dance
Feel-Flamenco!

2013 has been named the Year of Carmen Amaya, because it’s been 50 years without her, and probably it would be her 100 Anniversary. I say probably because the accurate date of her birth is one more of the details that make her a legend.

It’s  impossible to sum up such a character in only a few lines, but recently I’ve been reading a lot about her and as a consequence I would really like to highlight some of the features of this special and unforgettable women.

Did you know that she and her large family were living in the United States for more than 6 years, making a big fortune and participating in a lot of different Hollywood films? But, what is better, did you know that all this success started by coincidence?: It was “La Argentina” the one who had a contract with the Impresario Sol Hurok for a tour of the United States; but she started to feel ill and then Hurok was told about a gypsy dancer performing in Mexico….so he went there to check her out and Carmen made a huge impact on him. She and her 25 members of her family moved to New York where she had to create a whole repertoire for the Carnegie Hall where she would have to perform for the first time only 6 months later.

During those 6 months, she made herself a name dancing at the “Beachcomber”, a fashion night club frequented by all the celebrities of the time, who got spellbound by her strength and personality, so by the time she opened at the Carnegie Hall, she was already famous and the event was a total success.

Nobody could help falling at her feet…what were the reasons that made her so attractive?? Well, apart from being a gypsy from Spain in NY which made her look like an exotic animal, she was a very tiny little woman becoming a hurricane in every performance –It is said that she started to use trousers to hide her super skinny legs-. Her foot work was pure and technically perfect, and controlled from the beginning to the end. Even the improvisations were controlled. Besides she added an incredible musical quality to the stamping never heard before. At the same time, she usually had novel theatrical ideas and an innovative approach to the show.

To sum up, I’ll quote Jonatan Miró (collector and admirer) who says that those who were lucky enough to watch her perform, could feel “electricity; the audience was glued to the chair overwhelmed by the strength and intensity of her dance”. For all these reasons, it’s normal that journalists gave her different nicknames such as “The Spanish atomic bomb” .

I’m showing here only one of the large number of videos you can watch on you tube, as a sample of how everything around her got shaken up as soon as she appeared! Enjoy it!

Dear friends and Flamenco lovers: 

It's been a nice summer with lots of activities and news and I hope you all have enjoyed it as much as I did. The month of July finished with the Spanish Dance Society Summer Course in London where I could make the most of the amazing artists teaching there: Ángel Muñoz and Charo Espino for Flamenco, Javier Palacios for Stylized Spanish Dance and Antonio Estepa for Folk Dance. There, I could learn many different new steps to refresh my knowledge and now I'm ready to share them with the students, great!
August was a quiet month (not for me: I got married!) and then September came with the Hull Freedom Festival and the workshops at Moor End Academy and St. Augustine's Primary School.

But summer is gone now and autumn brings us new melancholic winds so it's the perfect time to speak about Tientos (we're practising this palo in the Fridays class at the Dance Studio Leeds)
The Tientos is -along with the Soleá and the Alegrías- one of the most common palos for any Flamenco class, as it needs from the dancer to work through different skills: footwork technique, arms movements and a huge amount of expressive capabilities as well as compás understanding. It is believed to be born at the end of 19th Century, and Joaquín el Feo is considered to be the Tientos "father".

Tientos is a 4 beat palo, in the same family as the Tangos, but slower and with different topics, lyrics and mood. Actually, every Tientos becomes a Tangos at the end of the song/dance. Tientos lyrics tend to be pathetic, sentimental, and speak about the lack of love, disillusionment and revenge. Tientos dancing has to be imposing, majestic, grave and dramatic, that's why a considerable amount of interpretation skills are needed.
It can be danced by a man or a woman, but it's specially appropriate for women and checking the following youtube out you will understand why. It's a Pastora Galván performance in an Andalusian Tablao and shows how a Tientos must be played. 
I hope everybody enjoy it and as always...


                                                                                      Feel the passion
                                                                                        Feel the dance
                                                                                       Feel Flamenco!

Dear Flamenco Lovers, 

Summer is here, Flamenco Festivals and Fairs are all around, and it's the perfect moment to speak about one of the most popular flamenco palos: Alegrías. 

English translation for Alegrías is happiness, and this feeling is present in the music, singing and also in the dance making this rhythm so special, joyful, particular and fun.
There are different kinds of Alegrías, depending on where they come from (Cádiz, Huelva, etc), but they all belong to the "Cantiña" family, and have a common basic structure similar to this one: 

- Introduction (guitar)
- Singing beginning ("ti ri ti tran")
- 1st verse
- "Llamada" and "cierre"
- 2nd verse
- Silence (slow part)
- "Castellana" (transition to the footwork)
- "Escobilla" (footwork)
- Bulería and ending

This lovely palo is usually considered a feminine one, although male dancers can permorm it giving it a more masculine style. Classic alegrías are danced with the typical "bata de cola" dress, becoming a really difficult goal to achieve to every flamenco student, apart from the style and interpretation difficulties...so, don't you want to start practicing right now??
Here you have an amazing example by the incredible Concha Jareño, Ole!

(In a few days I'll be posting all the info about the new term, dates, timetables and prices, don't forget to check the web and facebook page out - https://www.facebook.com/FeelFlamenco - to be updated!)

                                                                     Feel the passion, Feel the Dance!

Dear Flamenco lovers...

Dear Flamenco Lovers, 

The end of this amazing and exciting year-course is coming up, and we're finishing it in the best possible way: DANCING!!

As you already know, all the Cervantes Institute students will be performin next 21st June at Trinity Church (7 pm), but also the Dance Studio Leeds students will be at the Hebden Bridge's Arts Festival....Thanks so much Patricia Skeet for inviting us and allowing us to join you and your students in this wonderful event!!
We will be performing on the Marina, next to main road and canal,  Sunday 23rd June in  two slots: 12.00 Noon - 12.30pm, and then 1.30 - 2.10pm, and we have prepared an amazing Soleá choreography for us and you to enjoy, so would be really pleased if you join us!Check Hebden Bridge Arts Festival website for more info: http://hebdenbridgeartsfestival.co.uk/



Another new this month is that my colleagues Ana Luisa Muñoz, Mike Holland and Tenley Martin and I, have started our Flamenco Diez Facebook page, where you'll be able to find all the info about us and what do we do, our next gigs, as well as pictures and videos from other performances. It's really worth it to take a look and "like" !!
https://www.facebook.com/FlamencoDiez?ref=hl


Next month I'll be coming back with more info about Flamenco Palos and plans for the following term after the summer. 
Enjoy!!

                                                                     Feel the passion. Feel the dance!



  

Dear Flamenco Lovers!
This summer coming up is going to be really exciting for all those interested in new flamenco experiences as we have two really  important events, and both in the same weekend! 
We start with the Leeds Flamenco Festival, 21st June at 7pm, where all the flamenco students from The Instituto Cervantes will be performing  tangos, sevillanas, alegrías and farruca. They've been working really hard during the three terms and now they are able to share their achievementes in the best stage possible: Trinity Church, at leeds City Center, has been recently refurbished and will give the distinctive touch to the evening! You'll also enjoy the best Flamenco music by Samuel Moore, Mike Holland and Tenley Martin, and I'll be performing as well so it's something not to be missed!

And after that, 23rd June a new edition of the famous Hebden Bridge Arts Festival!! Lots of different activities, concerts, street performances in a cultural environment, where you'll be able to enjoy again the best flamenco in two different sets (timing to be confirmed) with all the students and friends from my classes at The Dance Studio leeds and my colleague Patricia Skeets' at Hebden. Again farruca, and also soleá, tientos, bulerías and tons of fun and art! Thanks so much Patricia for giving us the oportunity of joining you for the Festival! 

Dear students and Flamenco lovers!

Spring term has just finished and after the amazing workshop with Natalia García-Huidobro last sunday, we all need a few weeks off!
But after Easter holiday, I'll be waiting for you with new lessons, more choreographies, new exercises and always lots of art, music, exercise and fun!

So here you have the details for the next term: 

- TUESDAYS CLASS AT PEACE DANCE ACADEMY: we start again 16th April until 16th July (13 weeks term), with a tuesday off 28th may(half term holiday)
Prices: £5 per class, or £60  per the whole term (get one class free)

- WEDNESDAYS CLASSES AT YORKSHIRE DANCE (WITH LEEDS CERVANTES INSTITUTE):  We start again 24th april until 17th july (13 weeks term) Remember that for enrolment and payment you should speak directly to Cervantes Institute http://leeds.cervantes.es/en/default.shtm

- SATURDAYS CLASSES : We start again 20th april until 20th july (13 weeks term) with a saturday off 25th may (half term holiday)Prices: £6 per one hour or £72 per the whole term (get one class free) ; £10 per two hours or £120 per the whole term (get one class free)

Many options to choose! Which one fits you the better?
Remember that if you need a pair of shoes, a skirt or any other flamenco stuff, Feel-Flamenco! can help, just ask!

Enjoy your Easter holiday, see you all in april!