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tap-style lbotlvork and intricate =: =-=:â‚Ź hand and arm mo\rements, flamenco dance embodies both the grounding heavrness of life's challenges and the uplifting nature of the human spidt. it's aiso based on an extremely complex rhythmic structure. But that complexlty shouldn't scare off dancers new to the style, especially those looking to improve their sense of timing.
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f3 Bel6l Maya and Manuel Liiiin in Los lnvitados
Because flamenco dancers in constant dialogue wlth
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OKTAHOM
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to star flamenco dancers at southern Spain's fam--,' Jerez Festival to find out.
Pla,y
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their music-particularly when
Trying to plnpoint the rhythm of a compiicated piece :r music can be difficult. Dancer Domingo Ortega recc:-
performing with live musicians-
mends making a game out of identifying ever\-:.
they have a lilghly developed sense of rhythm. For example,
rhythms, so that your ears get used to picking up dit,=: ent beats. "it may seem si1ly, but I love playing with -,. beat of almost anything I hear," says Ortega, who -- taught and choreographed flamenco around the no:: "When I'm drivlng, for example, I'll create a cour.:i
while the musicians perform one beat, a flamenco dancer mlght tap out a counter rhythm with her feet, creating appealing syncopation.
How can you channel that flamenco vitallty, and use it to develop your own coordination and timlng? Dance Splrlt talked
rhythm to the clicking of the turn signai." Don'r
:t
afraid to drum out a beat with your fingers on a tabler:. or to clap along to a song while standing in line at :,r= grocery store. If you involve rhythm in your daily 1--. that sense of timing will come more naturally to you
the dance studio.
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October 2014 . doncespirit.con
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with a Metronanne
If you're rhythmically challenged, a metronome can help you get cthe beat-and stay there. Even flamenco pros swear by the simp-=
device. Bel6n Maya-daughter of dance legend Mario Maya an: one of the most renowned female flamenco dancers of the last -years-relies on a metronome to help her maintaln coordination ,the studio. "The metronome gets me to keep a steady speed whe'. I'm doing rhythmic foot exerclses," she says. Over time, its cons1.tent beat will work its way into your head-and your body.
Forget Counting
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Acclaimed flamenco dancer Joaquin Grilo says great performe:. "make the body, the lnterpretation and the rhythm independent -one another," being sure not to place too much emphasls on any o:: piece ofthe puzzle.Ifyo:u devote all your mental energy to countin:
out the rhythm, the other facets of your performance
ffii j:,
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will
suffer.
"You can count when you're learning a piece, or if there a-= steps you have yet to fuliy grasp," Ortega says. "But it's impossib . to count and perform. If you count, you're no longer responding :: the music-you're focused on nothing but the rhythm." When prparing for a performance, give yourself plenty of time to pracri:. intricately syncopated choreography. After enough repetition, r-= rhythm will become somethlng you feel instinctively, rather thasomething you have to count to understand.
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One of the best ways to learn timing and rhythm is to take cla:. from dancers who are already masters. Expert flamenco dance-.
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can help you understand rhythm from the lnside out. Even as ;established artist, Maya sti11 takes classes with a variety of teac:-ers. "lt keeps my mind agile, and it prevents me from becomi:i repetitive in my rhythms," she says. Don't live in a flamenco hotspot? No worries: There are kinds of video resources available online-films of flamen:: rhythm masters that you can study on your own time. Follow r-t: example of up-and-comlng flamenco dancer Alberto Sel16s, r,r':-: has found o1d videos of dance masters to be invaiuable resourc;'' "These dancers are the pillars of our artform, and by watchi:-; their videos, I can learn from them, too." iF-H
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ond producer with a mqster's in culturql monogement working in Spcin ond the U.S.
o Justine Boyod Espoz is cr iournolist ,
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October 2014 , doncespirit.cor
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