Guajiras at the London Pena

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Ailsa

Posts: 2277
Joined: Apr. 17 2007
From: South East England

Guajiras at the London Pena

When I went to the Jerez festival last month, as well as seeing loads of amazing shows, I was on a Guajiras dance course with the beautiful and charismatic Merche Esmeralda. She danced Guajiras in the Carlos Saura film Flamenco. She's not only an amazing dancer and teacher, she's a fiery personality which made for some interesting classes!

I've worked on the dance in my kitchen

and frightened the cats practising my footwork, and decided it was time to do it somewhere else so gave it a try at the London Pena on Sunday.

Not the most perfect performance - I'd already had a difficult committee meeting, done my first guitar performance with Jenny, and fallen out with the singer who didn't want to do anything she hadn't rehearsed with the guitarist.
But I've decided to show you some of it because I think the choreography is just so pretty. I'm an even bigger Merche fan now than I was before.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 15 2008 19:16:07

JBASHORUN

Posts: 1839
Joined: Jan. 23 2005

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Post has been moved to the Recycle Bin at Apr. 11 2011 17:20:36

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 15 2008 19:52:05

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Guajiras at the London Pena (in reply to Ailsa)

Bravo Ailsa!

I thought a lot of the moves were really great.
To be critical, I felt some of the footwork was "dragging"...ie just lagging by a fraction.
Guitarists suffer from this all the time IMO and the only cure is to be able to do stuff in practise twice as fast as you do in performance.
A way of practising (guitar) for this is to play much lighter than you'd normally play.
I don't know if this would work for dance, but I can't see why not.

Anyway, a great performance for a non-pro IMO.

cheers,

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 15 2008 19:55:41

Arash

Posts: 4495
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)

RE: Guajiras at the London Pena (in reply to Ailsa)

Oleee....Wonderful..thanks for sharing

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 15 2008 20:08:53

Matic

Posts: 603
Joined: Jul. 3 2006
From: Slovenija

RE: Guajiras at the London Pena (in reply to Ailsa)

Olee!!

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vengo de los san migueles
si no me caso este año que yo
me caso el año que viene

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 15 2008 20:21:13

Estevan

Posts: 1936
Joined: Dec. 20 2006
From: Torontolucía

RE: Guajiras at the London Pena (in reply to Ailsa)

I think you did particularly well considering the circumstances.

I especially liked the first 30 seconds, some subtle sexy stuff and very nice movements with the fan. (And later on I can tell that you have a natural feeling for the fan as a weapon

)

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Me da igual. La música es música.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 15 2008 21:48:41

Ailsa

Posts: 2277
Joined: Apr. 17 2007
From: South East England

RE: Guajiras at the London Pena (in reply to Ron.M)

Thanks everyone.

quote:

To be critical, I felt some of the footwork was "dragging"...ie just lagging by a fraction.

Yeah my footwork wasn't the tightest. Funnily enough I danced it through once for my teacher the day before and she said I was rushing the footwork

I guess when I'm nervous it's the the footwork that has a wobble.

Actually there were other things I'd like to work on too. But I really just wanted to share with you how pretty the choreography is. And I like to take any chance to show myself with a big frilly dress on stamping my feet

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 16 2008 8:51:02

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Guajiras at the London Pena (in reply to Ailsa)

Just out of interest Ailsa,
How do dancers practise taconeo only, or do you always practise with moves and choreography?
I have always noticed that dance students seem to have better upper body movements than heel work.
Is that an interest thing or the way it's taught outside Spain.?

quote:

Merche Esmeralda

Madre mia!.....

I love her individualistic, practically Ballet style and grace and elegance.
(She's also got very nifty footwork as well!)

Then again,I guess that's why she's one of the best in the World!

I would have thought dancers would have practised to a straight 3/4 or 4/4 metronome beat as that seems to be the fundamental of Flamenco taconeo to me anyway...

cheers,

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 16 2008 20:37:31

Ailsa

Posts: 2277
Joined: Apr. 17 2007
From: South East England

how do dancers practise taconeo (in reply to Ron.M)

quote:

Just out of interest Ailsa,
How do dancers practise taconeo only, or do you always practise with moves and choreography? I have always noticed that dance students seem to have better upper body movements than heel work. Is that an interest thing or the way it's taught outside Spain?

Ron that's an interesting question. Well I can tell you how I practice, but I guess everyone has their own method. I use a slow loop. Atm I'm practising quite a long escobilla for an Alegrias.

First I get the rhythm of the step. Partly because I learn rhythm more quickly. Problem is tho that sometimes I have the right rhythm but wrong step making that rhythm! As different parts of the foot make different sounds that sometimes matters, but sometimes no big deal.

Then I get the actual steps down. I personally find this quite confusing as there are a limited number of ways of making sounds and they can all seem like variations on each other.

Then I try to make the sounds of my feet into music - so that there is expression, variation. Not just thump thump thump

Tbh I don't think I'd got to that stage with the Guajiras yet.

Last I add skirt movements, arms etc.

In classes in Spain it seems to be taught the same as here, so I'm not sure why English dancers sometimes struggle with their footwork, but I think you are right.

Thanks for the question Ron. I don't get to go on endlessly about dance very often!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 18 2008 7:30:11

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: how do dancers practise taconeo (in reply to Ailsa)

quote:

I'm not sure why English dancers sometimes struggle with their footwork, but I think you are right.

I dunno myself Ailsa...but it's not just England we are talking about here...

My theories are this...
1. Flamenco dancing schools overseas seem to attract more women than men.
Maybe it's because men see dancing as a bit gay or something, I dunno.
Anyway, in my own experience I have always found women to be wowed out by the whole visual thing, the poses, the attitude etc. which I must admit looks great and is certainly a big part of Flamenco Dance. (which the Gays probably like as well!

)

2. I'm not too sure on my facts here, but I read that Flamenco Dance for women traditionally revolved around upper body work, abrazos, manos, facial expression and skirt work, the mould being broken by Carmen Amaya with her disregard for "Trajes de Flamenco" in favour of tight fitting trouser suits and vibrant heel work on her tour of America with Sabicas.
I sort of doubt this on seeing archive film where poorly dressed Gitanas in villages in Andalucia show an exceptionally good knowledge and ability of taconeo.
I tend to think that maybe this was the fashion for "Opera Flamenco" or "Public Flamenco", where such displays by women were thought of as crude or scruffy.

3. Taconeo for women is definitely with us now.
Yerbabuena is a great exponent of this and it really is exciting to watch.
The best way to listen to taconeo is on an audio-only medium...no visual.
The best Spanish dancers have this complete "even-ness" about the triplets and sextuplets that I don't hear in "extranjero" dancers I hear on the internet.
(Much like the "El Tempul" rasgueado, where you can't quite work out what's going on, since everything sounds so even and no particular finger favoured.)

4. I think this is entirely solveable, although I know nothing of dance.
Flamenco is not Singing, Dancing and Guitar as separate items, but a different aspect of the same whole, with more things in common than separates us.
Tight triplets are very important, both in guitar and dance.
So IMO, practising 1-2-3, 1-2-3 and 1-2-3-4-5-6, 1-2-3-4-5-6 with various combinations of punto-tacon are the essence of this and provide a great foundation to building up a great choreography IMO.
I never seem to hear this in "extranjero" dance.
This is very similar to the problems on the guitar as well!
Of course, as a dancer you still have to get to grips with all the other stuff of moving around etc.

I just wonder if foreign dancers really ever consider taking the piece apart bit by bit and working on each bit as it needs, or just kind of takes on the whole choreography "in general" and mainly more as a visual thing?

Just my thoughts...no offence to anyone!

I love talking about Flamenco technique.

cheers,

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 18 2008 20:26:37

Mark2

Posts: 1881
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco

RE: Guajiras at the London Pena (in reply to Ailsa)

Hi Ron,
I worked with a dancer for years who made a trip to Spain for almost a month every year. I played for her classes and worked with her on her material as well. She tore everything apart, and we would practise bits of a dance that were difficult until she felt it was right. I think in her case, her feet were better than her upper body. She loved the complicated, syncopated steps and they were fun to accompany. Her classes had tons of footwork, and her students also seemed more developed in that area, as opposed to another local professional dancer, who seemed a bit more refined. Both dancer's classes concentrated on parts of the dance, as opposed to the whole dance. One teacher would often run just a few compas for 1/2 hour. Most of the students would never reach the point of being able to perform the 8-10 minute routines by themselves that were being taught with any kind of dominance, or in most cases, at all. The difference was that the teachers were pros who made their living teaching and performing, while many of the students just didn't put in the time needed outside of class. To be fair, these teachers were teaching stuff from the top maestros-stuff they themselves spent hours/days/years on to be able to pull off.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 18 2008 20:43:24