PUBLISHED JUNE, 2009

JUNE 2009 articles | Flamenco Friends | Trot |

Flamenco students relish an enduring connection with classmates. By Andrea Herskowitz and Françoise Thenoux

I am so grateful that destiny has brought me to such a wonderful group of people who love flamenco as much as I do. If we were gypsies, we would all be "primos" (cousins).  - Francoise Thenoux

There's something magical happening ...we're pounding our heels in unison with other classmates, creating a synchronized uproar that echoes deep into the floor and around the walls while our teacher mercilessly claps and shouts the instructed compás, holding her arms aloft in perfect form. We push on, sweating now, muscles burning, and finally...the moment comes: our teacher swings her arms down and we all rest. It is this particular moment that we value --- not the sheer relief of resting, but something more meaningful. What I'm describing is that shared sigh, supportive hug, or maniacal giggling that we can't help but share with each other just seconds after finishing a really tough round of taconeo. It's about the permission to fail as well as the uncontrollable joy expressed when getting it right. Simply put, it's the beauty of friendship.

One dance, three countries: from left to right: Mexico, Japan and Russia.

When we meet to dance flamenco, we stop being housewives, students, teachers, accountants, lawyers, mothers, etc....we just become flamenco dancers. The world and its problems disappear for just a moment. Our histories, ages, and beliefs might be different, but in that moment, we share one thing in common, and that is our passion for flamenco. Flamenco is the common thread which links the friendship of such a diverse group of people.

"During my 4 years of studying flamenco here in Atlanta, I have developed wonderful friendships throughout the flamenco world." - Martha Wannamaker, Atlanta flamenco dance student

Martha Wannamaker, a flamenco dancer originally from Mexico, elucidates the experience of having a multicultural flamenco community, stating, "It's very important.... I'm from Mexico, I love my traditions, and I know everyone else feels the same about their own country. Sharing our cultures is sharing our attitudes, values, and goals --- things that complement us as individuals. Trust plays a large role in our group in order to accomplish what we want to express in unison."

Sisters of the Tangos, proud to support each other. Photo by Kannan Udayarajan

In a way, flamenco represents an archetype of friendship. The dynamics between dancer, guitarist, and singer rest upon a platform of trust and communication. How wonderful to practice an art form that nurtures the tenets of friendship in this way! A Russian dance student of four years, Natalia D'Angelo, effectively states, "This is an art that connects people, unlike politics, which separates them."

Supporting dancing friends with palmas. Photo by Kannan Udayarajan

It is true that flamenco has a certain global influence; similar to the migration of the gypsies themselves, this art has taken root and flowered all over the world, bringing many cultures together in a most beautiful way. Historically, flamenco began with tolerance and unity. Research has shown that flamenco was influenced by African, Moorish, Arabic, Greek, Sephardic Jewish, and even Cuban musical expressions. The intimate communion of gypsies --- the "real" flamenco --- takes place behind the curtain. It is not merely the "espectáculo flamenco," where performers share their happiness or grief through baile, cante y musica. It's at the "juerga" or the "fiesta gitana," where the real flamenco takes place behind closed doors. At flamenco socials and fiestas, there are no worries about remembering choreographed steps or "getting it right," because at such gatherings, we relax and live in the moment together. We laugh, dance, play music, and sing as a group of friends, all night and sometimes into the morning!

United Flamenco Nation   Friendship grows quickly and at early age. Photo by Yoko Fujiwara

Because of its multicultural background, flamenco is able to touch the souls of many. It is an art so universal that an abundance of people can relate to it. Flamenco moves and inspires us. Since it is an artistic expression rooted in deep passion, the emotions involved, so raw and vulnerable, allow the bonds of our friendship to strengthen with time.

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Finding a flamenco connection in an unexpected setting. By Andrea Herskowitz

Philis Edelman trained flamenco dance student Andrea Herskowitz in posture for horseback riding. Animal lovers understand, there's more than one similarity between connecting with the animal world - and connecting with the flamenco world.

The idea came to me when I found myself in Miami, Florida, flopping around not-so-gracefully on a very large, very frisky horse named "Cajun," trying desperately to follow my aunt's lead. She kept gently reminding me to "sit back" in the saddle and to keep my torso straightened and my pelvis "tucked under."

It was then, while cantering full-speed through okra fields and hastening to a multi-tasked sequence of thoughts ("sit back," "pelvis under," "Don't tense up," and "listen to this crazy horse, and he will not drop you!") that it struck me --- it was like dancing flamenco! There was just me and this horse, a united and unspoken operation working together to create a synchronized mode of movement --- in actuality, a dance. The horse's hooves hit the ground in something like a triplet beat, pulsating like a dancer's "zapatos de baile," while my upper body acted as the anchor (or "trunk," as my teacher phrases it), and the two of us were both dancer and accompanist --- listening to and activating rhythm together.

As it turns out, there are many intriguing connections with flamenco and horseback riding. First, there is the importance of posture --- through proper posture, a rider not only prevents injury, but she also uses it to communicate with the horse. The same rule applies in dance, with a focus on engaging the core and elongating the spine. Also, when a rider leans too far in one direction or loses her posture, she loses control of the horse, similar to the way the flamenco dancer can lose control of her movement when her core is not balanced.

Then there are the dynamics of speed. A trained horse will move to the desired speed of the rider, as long as the rider eases in and out of the current speed without abruptness. This is true with flamenco as well, as a dancer cannot simply dive into a speedy "escobilla" right away, because her supporters (musicians and fellow dancers) will need the time to ease into it as well. Depending on how a horseback rider's hips move in the saddle or how her hands move while holding the reins, the rider asserts a specific rhythm and tempo for the horse. So essentially, as long as she is in control of her body, the horse will be in rhythm with her --- which holds true for the flamenco dancer as well.

To me, the horse in this comparison symbolizes a dancer's intuition. Like a competent rider trusts the horse, a dancer has to trust her intuition in order to let go of her mental boundaries and flow with the rhythm. The horse --- and the dancer's intuition --- will likely take you wherever you want it to go, as fast as you want to go, but first, you have to guide it with trust and confidence.

The last connection, a very heady one, is the relationship between human and animal. Connection with an animal requires unspoken or non-lingual communication, and such a connection delves into the deeper parts of our own animal psyches --- fear, intuition, arousal, and so on. My recent experience riding a horse reminded me of the ancient, primitive origins of dance...of how people once used dance as a ritual to connect with the wild, sacred, and perhaps more animalistic parts of life.

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