Spain: El Flamenco

I don’t think I know of a dance that includes as many facets and artistic expressions as the flamenco. The feet, the arms, the clapping, the guitar, the song, the castanets:, these are all integral parts of the flamenco. Each enriches the passion of the dance! I studied flamenco when I was a college student taking a semester in Madrid, 1973. I did not work hard enough to become proficient, but I still have my castanets and enjoy playing them!

The Flamenco originated with gypsies, whose caravans and travels led them to many campsites and outdoor arenas where song and dance helped to pass the evening. It bears a strong connection with Arabian music and belly dance. It is popular in the south of Spain but is offered throughout the country, for the sake of tourists. The typical Flamenco Tablao has a stage where guitarists sit, singers stand, and in front of these, dancers perform. Tables with chairs  invite the audience to drink and eat (in some instances). I have never been to a tablao that wasn’t crowded! If you have a table you are especially fortunate.

FEET: are very trained to create a fast tempo that accentuates the rhythm of the guitar and clapping. Choreographed steps include the sevillanas, bulerías, soleares, fandango, and alegrías. Each step fits a specific beat/count of the music. When you watch flamenco dancers, they are NOT simply stomping around in an ad lib fashion! Much study and training has been invested! ARMS: are active and feel the passion of the music; SONG: is a lament, of love and for the gypsies as outcasts of society; CASTANETS are skillfully played with little thought; pure rhythm and grace.

Sometimes a solo dancer performs; or a couple, or a group.

“They caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he heard the cry of the needy.”
Job 34:27-29

Disco

When Saturday Night Fever was released in 1977, I was quick to hit the dance floor. I had the coolest disco shoes. They were white with fuschia and purple ribbons that laced up the ankle. There were lines of color on the sole as well. It’s a good idea to hang on to those exceptionally unusual items that will definitely go out of style!~ Why didn’t I? My daughters could have enjoyed playing dress up in them.

I went disco dancing once or twice a week. Some friends thought, when I married a non-dancer, ‘it’ll never work’. My husband agreed to take me dancing at least one time a year when we married. Whenever people speak of nuptial agreements this may not be the most common topic. In response I would say, ‘keep it simple and accept the obvious logic’: if wife likes to dance and husband takes wife dancing, then… wife will like husband! Today, most people would be surprised to know that he was ever a non-dancer.

Donna Summer (Last Dance, I Will Survive, and On the Radio) and the Bee Gees (Stayin’ Alive, More Than a Woman, Nights on Broadway, and everything they played in Saturday Night Fever) were favorites.

Did you notice the disco ball and the lit up floor? It was also nice if you had a skirt that would twirl.

I am pleased to say that I have two friends who play in a seventies band today. They are awesome and we love to dance to their music. Funk de Ville.

“He who loves his wife loves himself.” Ephesians 5:28