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

Technorati Tags: flamenco, flamenco London, flamenco UK, flamenco dance, flamenco dancers, flamenco dancing

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.

Sandra

Sandra La Espuelita

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This uses Jeroen’s FLV Player to call the cine player, and only loads content when the user clicks the image. The video itself shows Sandra La Espuelita hosting a flamenco workshop and demonstration in 2007. The guitarist is Francisco Antonio.

The sensory nature of flamenco tends to give all the kids something of value (the colour and movement of the costumes; the sound and feel of shoes, castanets and cajon; the tactile feel of the fabrics, shawls and fringing; the movement and feel of dance fans; the vibrations of the guitar music).

Each session takes on its own shape and dynamic depending on the children themselves with the more able learning movements and clapping rhythms, and others experiencing flamenco to the best of their abilities. Concentration spans vary and you need to be able to think on your feet to find ways of involving everyone – it is important to talk to teachers and carers to understand the capabilities of every child so that you can expand their experiences and allow each individual the space to participate in their own way. With some, for example, the ability to follow a movement with their eyes is a huge achievement.

The sessions are hugely rewarding for me. Students I have worked with before greet me like a friend and are fabulously honest – if they don’t like a particular costume or piece of music they will absolutely let me know, or if they don’t feel like joining in on a particular day they won’t, which is just as it should be. When they are having a good time, however, (and I have to say this is generally the case) the pleasure really glows through and a hard-won smile is the best of all!

Is anyone else running similar sessions?

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