PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2006

This month's articles  
| Bye Loly |

~¡HAPPY HOLIDAYS! from jaleole staff~

Dancing With My Hero

Darbi Abramson writes a tribute to Gloriela Rosas as Rosas heads to a new town and a new flamenco life. By Darbi Abramson

Gloriela "Loly" Rosas performs in Atlanta this Saturday night, before departing for her new home in Miami. See her on stage one last time at Ibiza Restaurant at 10 PM. Details in events >>

Though lately my nights are filled with playing peek-a-boo and reading Dr. Seuss books, there was a time in the not so distant past that I can remember I was a dancer. Sometimes it seems almost hard to remember. But once upon a time, Darbi danced up to 5 nights a week and performed several times a month. My flamenco journey has been an interesting one to say the least, and as of the past several years I have been closely connected and involved with a woman who is my favorite Atlanta flamenco performer and one of my personal flamenco heroes -- Ms. Gloriela Rosas.

I remember being first paired with Gloriela or "Loly" as I call her, at a Perla Flamenca party at Ulrika Frank's house in 2003. Our mission that night: to come up with a choreography in a 5 minute time span, to showcase to the rest of the flamenco pairs in a friendly flamenco competition. I didn't know what the heck I was doing, so I didn't have much to add, but luckily Loly sure did. I swear I think we had the longest choreography; she had ideas just flowing out of her one after another! I just tried my best to follow her, amazed at her creativity and ease of improvisation. At the end of the night, we were declared the winners! That night was the first of many evenings where I have felt proud to take the stage with her.

Front and center, Gloriela "Loly" Rosas poses with the original members of Perla Flamenca in 2001.

Fast-forward to a year or so later, and I am paired with Loly once again, this time at a private gig at someone's house. I think it was my first time performing solo, so of course I was pretty nervous. I was the opener for Loly, that is, I performed before her. I learned a lot from watching her that night. Loly has this confidence she always exudes when she performs, and also she has this cute little way of flirting with the audience and making them feel special. By contrast, I felt so insecure, and was not used to making eye contact with people. I was the fearful, she was the fearless. By the end of the night, I knew she blew me away to the audience, as one after another came up to her to tell her how much they enjoyed her dance. Meanwhile I felt like an amateur opening for a professional. Though I knew it wouldn't be easy, and would take a lot of "coming out of my shell," I knew that if I was going to be a better performer, I would have to become more confident, more fearless, more FLAMENCO. Loly had helped to show me the way, and my flamenco path became clearer to me.

During this time, Loly and I were becoming fast friends, aided by the fact that we were close neighbors and that she and I were in a class together taught by Martha SidAhmed. I had a little studio at my house where we would practice together, or sometimes we would meet up at the gym where she teaches. We'd celebrate birthdays together, chat about flamenco, and discuss our "issues." We would even start dancing in parking lots sometimes!

Being in the same class with Loly definitely helped me to develop as a dancer, as it always helps someone with less experience to work with someone who is more experienced. We had worked hard for many months on an alegrías Martha choreographed, and the time had come for us to perform it together at Fronteras 2005. I was nervous, but I also felt the confidence that I felt I lacked prior to that point. By this time I had been performing more frequently, and I knew the choreography so well, that the only thing left was for me to become the dance. The music began, the lights came on, and I just lit up in my heart. I was not afraid. I was pouring my happiness out into the darkened room. And every time there came a part in the choreography where I'd interact with Loly, she raised me up even more, until I felt like I was ready to burst! I really gave it my all that night, and though I am not sure how the audience perceived us, I felt, in my eyes, that for the first time I was her equal. I was dancing with my hero, and I finally felt worthy of it.

There are so many things I will miss about Loly, but most of all I will miss dancing with her. She has challenged me on many levels, and I will never forget the performances we did together, the times we shared, and the lessons I have learned from her. I want to thank her for everything and wish her the best of luck on her new flamenco adventures in Miami!

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