Can I just give everybody a very warm welcome to my flamenco blog. This is an area for information, discussion and debate with respect to the art of flamenco in all its forms.

I am a professional flamenco dancer currently resident in London UK, but would welcome views from all over the world on how flamenco is practiced and evolving in your own country.

Navigation should be fairly intuitive, and you can use the search or the tags in the sidebar. There are resources and downloads pages, which contain interesting (and hopefully useful) information for flamenco aficianados.

Whatever your level of experience or involvement, please enjoy your time here and feel free to share your experiences and views of this fascinating and passionate art form!

Sandra La Espuelita

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The Flamenco Festival at Sadler’s Wells has become an annual fixture for us in London UK. The 2010 programme promises a good blend of new and old, but again the advertising showcases almost exclusively the danced element.  It would be nice to have a little more information about the singers and guitarists who are in the various groups.

My recommendations this year are for Eva Yerbabuena (17th-19th February) and Rocío Molina – a truly exceptional dancer who is featured in the Gala at the end of the festival.

Shows in this season

• Saturday 13 February 2010 – Monday 15 February 2010
  Nuevo Ballet Español
• Wednesday 17 February 2010 – Friday 19 February 2010
  Eva Yerbabuena
• Saturday 20 February 2010 – Sunday 21 February 2010
  Rafaela Carrasco
• Monday 22 February 2010 – Thursday 25 February 2010
  Maria Pagés
• Friday 26 February 2010 – Saturday 27 February 2010
  Gala Flamenca

SADLER’S WELLS THEATRE, ROSEBERY AVENUE, LONDON EC1R 4TN
Tickets   £10 – £38   Ticket office: 0844 412 4300

Over the past month or so there have suddenly been a large number of articles posted on the web which make a a variety of claims about a dancer called Betty Cid, and that appear to be using content taken directly from my own website.

I must stress that Betty Cid is NOT part of Flamenco Pasión or Sonido Flamenco, and has never been a member of any of my flamenco groups.

Interestingly, according to these various “articles” and “announcements”, Betty Cid has performed at the Commonwealth Institute, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the Royal Festival Hall – the exact same venues detailed on my own biography page.

I cannot comment on all the other various claims made in these articles (and on her own websites), but I have been reliably informed (by one of her fellow students in fact)  that part of the video footage currently on her site is actually of a class run by La Escuela de Baile last year…where she was taking part as a student.  Betty Cid is certainly not a regular performer at the Phoenix Club as far as I am aware, and I am also having difficulty tracing the other groups and shows mentioned in her biography.

If Betty Cid really does wish to be part of Flamenco Pasión or Sonido Flamenco …then she is very welcome to bring her “winsome smile” along, and have an audition!

Sandra

Sandra La Espuelita

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What a show it was too!  The only tickets left were up in the gods and the atmosphere was electric long before the show even started – David is a local lad and the place was packed out.  He is a fantastic singer and hugely moving in soleá and malagueña – with an excellent mix of traditional and more modern styles.  The (obviously very knowledgeable) audience were on fire, particularly when he came to sing por alegrias, and the man sitting next to me had to physically sit on his hands to stop himself from doing palmas all the way through.

David Palomar has just bought out a CD of  ‘Trimilenaria’  Produced by DP-Dezza Producciones and I really think it is worth checking out.  He has various clips on YouTube too.

Juan Vergillos has reviewed David’s new CD on the www.deflamenco.com website, and part of what he has said is as follows  – “The most interesting part is the classic styles, or when he shows his ease with bulerías, especially in the ending fiesta without guitar which closes out the work.  Also in cantiñas, classic and one hundred percent refinded.  Of the deeper styles, two stand out: the malagueña, fine, stylized and subte, and soleá, with references to Chozas de Jerez and Fernanda de Utrera.  In my opinion, the latter is the most moving cut of the record, with the sublime guitar of Rafael Rodríguez, who also plays for the malagueña, with both artists believing in every bit of it.  The work finishes with seguiriyas, with the Jerez guitar of Moraíto Chico, cantes a capella (pregones and fandangos) of Macandé, the crazed candy vender of Cádiz.  And fandangos of his own: Palomar created a melody with a classic feel, surprising melodic turns and a certain technical difficulty.”

Couldn’t agree more!

Sandra

It’s that time of year again when some of the top flamenco performers head for the Flamenco Festival at Sadler’s Wells for what is now a real annual treat. With the exception of singer Estrella Morente, the advertising for the event focusses strongly on the dance element (not that I am complaining as this is a wonderful chance to see the exciting Rocio Molina and Eva Yerbabuena amongst others) and it would be good to have a little more information about the singers and guitarists who are in the various groups. They are bound to be excellent, but I guess you need to go to the shows to find out who’s on stage!

Do try and catch Estrella Morente (14th March) – a fabulous singer.

Shows in this season

• Saturday 14 March 2009
  Estrella Morente
• Sunday 15 March 2009 – Monday 16 March 2009
  Gala Flamenca Mujeres
• Tuesday 17 March 2009
  Rocío Molina
• Thursday 19 March 2009 – Sunday 22 March 2009
  Antonio Gades’ Carmen
• Monday 23 March 2009 – Wednesday 25 March 2009
  Ballet Flamenco Eva Yerbabuena
• Friday 27 March 2009 – Sunday 29 March 2009
  Ballet Nacional de España

SADLER’S WELLS THEATRE, ROSEBERY AVENUE, LONDON EC1R 4TN
Tickets   £10 – £38    Ticket office: 0844 412 4300

I am going to excuse myself a bit of self-promotion here! Some of you may know that I do make traditional flamenco skirts in small quantities. These are of high quality, extremely durable, and aimed at the professional dancer and dedicated amateur, with a range of lightweight models which are ideal for practicing. There are both adults and children’s flamenco skirts available, in a good range of colours and styles.

Each skirt is hand-made to measure, and takes around a week to make. For anyone who may be interested, please visit my flamenco skirt shop for details on models and prices.

I performed some flamenco at a Christmas Party last week (December 2007) held at  MAR I TERRA , a small but perfectly formed restaurant just behind Regent Street in London’s Soho district. I get to dance at a good few Spanish Restaurants in and around the UK, and have to say that this one had the best tapas I have tasted this side of Seville. Each dish was cooked to order on the premises and was fresh and tasty – the tortilla and gambas (prawns) were particularly good, and even my husband (an inveterate vegetable-phobe) loved the espinacas (spinach).

The restaurant is small and on ground level, although the servicios were down a steep flight of stairs. The Valencian manager and other people working there were great – fun and friendly and keen to get us to taste new dishes when we showed an interest in what they were preparing. The wine (a temparanillo) was excellent too.

If you get a chance, you must give this one a try. The food, ambience and company is 100 x better than some of the chains of "Spanish" restaurants that have sprung up over the past few years – Mar I Terra deserves to be packed out every night!

The original Mar I Terra is in Blackfriars. I have not tried this one yet, but intend to do so very soon and would imagine the quality would be just as good.

Enjoy!!

]]> http://www.flamencodancer.eu/blog/spanish-restaurant-in-london-recommendation/feed/ 1 http://www.flamencodancer.eu/blog/accompanying-the-dance-tips-for-budding-guitarists/ http://www.flamencodancer.eu/blog/accompanying-the-dance-tips-for-budding-guitarists/#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:54:48 +0000 Sandra La Espuelita http://www.flamencodancer.eu/blog/?p=123 Last weekend I had a great time working with a group of flamenco guitarists taking a series of workshops from Francisco Antonio organised by  the Peña de Londres. They had been studying Solea for a few weeks and were ready to apply their skills and accompany a dancer for the first time. Tony and I took them through the basics of the discussions that dancer and guitarist would normally have at the outset – how many letras (verses); how the entrada (entrance; opening) would lead into the llamada (call) for the singer; where the escobilla (specific footwork section) would be positioned; how to transition into the bulerias and so on. We then went on and all performed solea together – with a very satisfying result!

It made me remember what a minefield it can feel like when you first pluck up courage to take what you have been learning and try to fit in it with other dancers, guitarists and singers without descending into complete chaos. Unless you work together for a while and rehearse regularly to a very specific routine, you will always need to be able to ask the right questions and pick up the right signals (those of you who know me will know how much I hate over-rehearsed “formation flamenco” that follows the same path every time – but more of that on a separate post……)  and perhaps the following tips will help all you rookie guitarists:

•  DO NOT imagine that all dancers are god-like and know everything.  This is a myth that we like to encourage but which is generally untrue. There are some prima donnas around (and not only dancers – guitarist and singers too) but most flamenco performers worth their salt are there to encourage, support and help. We will not bite your head off!
• DO  have the courage to ask questions at the outset to understand the shape of the dance (number of letras, rough position of llamadas and so on. You have the right to have a general idea of what is going to happen in advance. The idea is for all participants to work together to create a flamenco performance – it is not a competition.
• DO NOT ask questions using technical words about key changes, finger positions, modes or other guitar-speak. Most dancers will not understand such stuff and may feel the need to hide their general ignorance under a mask of pretended superiority.
• DO bear with us if we try to explain what we mean in very non-technical terms. Few flamenco steps have names and so we have to rely on descriptive phrases such as “I’ll stick a call in after the diddly-diddly-dum step”.  A physical demonstration generally helps so just ask us to show you what we mean.
• DO listen and take note of the palmas marked by the dancer (and singer) at the beginning of a dance. This is, in part, there to help set the tempo that we want to follow and, contrary to popular opinion, not only to make sure the audience is looking at us.
• DO watch the dancer closely to pick up the signals that indicate a llamada or change to a different section. Hopefully these will not come just at the time you are picking out your new and most complicated falsetta – the one which requires your full and undivided attention. To begin with these signals may include waving one arm in the air; a general wind-milling movement with the skirt, a steely glare at the guitarist and/or a strangled shriek. Hopefully, as you get to know each other better, a rather more subtle approach can be adopted.  [One of the first guitarists I worked with once told me that he could tell when I was about to call a change just by watching my posterior. However, as I later discovered that his mind was definitely on things other than llamadas while eyeing my nether regions, may I recommend watching the dancer's feet as a safer bet...]
• DO watch and listen to the dancer to pick up on changes in tempo. These generally indicate speeding up to reach towards a crescendo, but can also include a desire to drop the speed slowly. However……,
• DO NOT take a slight increase in the tempo to indicate the beginning of a frenzied hurtle towards the finishing post. Dancers will often want to bring up the speed a little but then hold it at that point in order to fit in their favourite piece of complicated choreography before continuing the build up at a later stage. This is an important point -  all too often I have encountered guitarists who, given a whiff of freedom, allow the blood to rush to their heads and it’s “chocks away chaps, and the last one home is a sissy”.  We do not like this. We do not like it at all and may well become all god-like and bite off more than your head.
• DO feel free to make suggestions. If you have favourite falsettas you want to use, put them in. Contrary to what some people think, good dancers do also listen to the music and working with an inspirational guitarist is wonderful. What you play will encourage the dancer to use steps and shapes that compliment the music, and this is what real, living flamenco is all about. However, use this freedom to make suggestions with caution. Get to know your dancer extremely well before you even think of being less than ecstatic about costume choices. We need to know we look wonderful at all times.
• DO NOT expect the dance to be exactly the same every time. Apart from the times when you work with a group that uses very precise and exact choreography, things will change – there will not always be an identical number of compas between the end of the letra and the llamada for example. As I have said before, I feel strongly that real flamenco is a moving feast that grows and changes each time depending on performers and mood. It keeps you on your toes, but is all the better for that.
• DO be prepared to act as diplomat and elder statesman when there is also a singer involved. Now, they really ARE gods! Don’t ask me how you manage to balance your own needs with those of cante and baile – you guitarists are amazing when you get it right.
• DO enjoy yourself! The feeling that comes from having been part of the creation of a piece of living flamenco that was special to that moment simply cannot be beaten.

Sandra La Espuelita

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Let me know if you go to or have heard of a good Flamenco class near you – who the teacher is and what its like.

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