a newsletter for students of flamenco dance
Flamenco Wayfarer
What practice can do for you.
The heavy car door opened with a clunk and I sprinted across the hot bitumen car park in bare feet, gripping my towel with both hands to reach the shade of the entrance of the town swimming pool.
It was 5pm and time for practice at the swimming club.Â
From the age of 9 to 13 I repeated this ritual 5 days a week during the school year.
We trained for an hour and a half every day unless there was something like a cyclone to keep us out of the water.
I wasn’t a great swimmer.Â
I won a few races here and there but nothing to write home about.
Training everyday was a natural part of my life just like brushing my teeth before bed.Â
And although it was fun when I won and I wanted to win, looking back, winning was not the reason why it was such a good thing to do.
It was about who I became by training 5 days a week.
I became someone who understood persistence and discipline, two skills that have helped in many ways throughout my adult life.
Why do you practise your dancing?
Is it improve your skills?
Is it to be able to perform?
Both are great reasons to put your shoes on.
But I think the way regular disciplined practice changes you as a person can’t be overlooked.
It doesn’t matter if there are days when you feel like you take two steps back or you only have time for 10 minutes, what matters is that you practised.
You made a promise to yourself that you would practise and you kept it.Â
While the details of what you are choosing to do are important, just as important if not more, is the bigger picture of how you are growing and changing through your practice.
What personal qualities have you developed through your regular practice of dancing?
Huellas Flamencas
In this section of our newsletter we'll be taking a journey through the history of flamenco, exploring the lives and legacies of the artists who have shaped this wonderful artform.
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This week I’d like to share an excerpt from the paper I was required to write in order to complete my Diploma of Flamenco Dance. My chosen subject was ‘Los Cantes de Las Minas’.
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CANTES MINEROS
The title ‘cantes mineros’ refers to a classification of a group of styles that arose from a convergence of factors.Â
The migration of workers from Andalucia to the mining regions of Almeria, Jaen and the Sierra Minera de La Unión y Cartagenera from the 1940s and the exchange of traditions between these workers and the local population.           Â
Although Spain, along with Greece and the Balkan countries, lagged behind other European countries during the industrial revolution, the country was able to increase exports of agrarian products and raw materials during this period.
An increasing demand for mineralogical materials saw the expansion of mining activity in Sierra de Gador and the Sierra Almagrera (Almeria), followed by the activity in the Sierra Morena of Linares (Jaen) and the Sierra Minera in the region of La Union and Cartagenera (Murcia).
It appears, from writings in the local press at the time, that this period was marked as a ‘mining boom’ with many workers of diverse origin relocating to work in the mines with the goal of realising their fortune.Â
Unfortunately in many cases, the mining activities were poorly managed and working conditions became dangerous with workers being exploited by their employers.
The everyday life of a miner during this period was one of great hardship and peril.
The working conditions in the mines were extremely difficult with long working hours accompanied by poor wages. Child labour, absence of time off and dangerous sanitary conditions were a part of the daily life.
Living conditions were also severely lacking with many families living in shared accommodations with terrible sanitation.
To decompress from the pressures of working in such difficult environments the workers frequented the many taverns in town that hosted modest cafes cantante (singing cafes).
The cantes mineros were shaped in these cafes cantantes of the mining basins of the southeastern peninsular.Â
After endless hours spent working in the mines, songs were generated which helped to alleviate the suffering and tragedy of the lives led by those who had found themselves in this difficult circumstance.
The singers become chroniclers of their surroundings, relating the events of everyday life.
The workers who came to the mines in the south-east not only brought their families with them but also their cultural traditions. However, it is important to point out that the cante minero has its own style and is different from the cante Andaluz.
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LA TARANTA
The taranta is considered the musical pattern for all other estilos mineros. It is a style that is interpreted free of a fixed compás.Â
The verse follows the same structure as that of fandango, which is four or five octosyllabic lines that converts to six lines with the repetition of a line.
Its most likely origin is Almerian, a result of the evolution of local fandangos.
From flamencologist Andres Salom the taranta is:Â
"a brave and courageous cante, with very sweet modulations in which all the possibilities of the cante mineria are explored" and it requires "a rich voice that covers the greatest number of notes".
Its original creation is attributed to the singer ‘El Rojo el Alpargatero’ however there have been many great singers that have established their own styles for singing the taranta which have been studied by many singers that have followed in their footsteps.
Since we’ve explored a little of the history and cultural significance of the cante mineros, I'd like to share an example of taranta so you can hear the depth and emotion of this musical tradition.
This example is sung by Juanito Valderrama.
16th February 2024
Technique Toolbox
Each week I’ll share something from my technique toolbox that I hope will help you with your dancing.Â
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FEET IN PARALLEL
This week’s subject for the technique toolbox is short and sweet and it is about keeping your feet in parallel when doing footwork.
When you begin studying any footwork step, you should always study with your feet in parallel and close together.
Of course there are times when you won’t dance with your feet in parallel. Certain steps have a specific shape that is outside of parallel, the traditional alegrÃas escobilla step is a good example.Â
However when you are learning a step for the first time you should begin in parallel before trying to add any variation.
When you need to increase speed and strength, you need to be able to return to parallel so you can execute your footwork cleanly and control the compás.
A great video to study this aspect of footwork technique is this performance of ‘EstampÃo’ from the Ballet Nacional.Â
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