Flamenco school and Spanish school in Spain

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Njål Bendixen

Posts: 65
Joined: Aug. 25 2016

Flamenco school and Spanish school i...

Hi All

I am thinking about sending my daughter to Spain (probably Andalucia somewhere) for a month, to study Spanish language and flamenco dance. She is 15. Perhaps to stay with a family. I did that in France when I was 16 and it was a very good experience.

Can anyone recommend language schools and flamenco schools?

Thank you very much,

Njål Bendixen

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 9 2017 15:49:28

Piwin

Posts: 3559
Joined: Feb. 9 2016

RE: Flamenco school and Spanish scho... (in reply to Njål Bendixen)

Try Carmen de las Cuevas in Granada. I don't recommend it for "advanced" flamenco students but it's good for beginners and they have some very good Spanish teachers. The setting is beautiful (you're basically learning Spanish with a direct view on the Alhambra), small village feel plus only need to walk down the hill to go the center of Granada to get the bigger city feel. I think they can set you up with a host family as well. In my short experience there the staff was very nice and helpful. The city is overall pretty safe, definitely more than Sevilla, where you'd have to be a bit more cautious as to which neighbourhood you're sending her to.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 9 2017 16:17:21

Njål Bendixen

Posts: 65
Joined: Aug. 25 2016

RE: Flamenco school and Spanish scho... (in reply to Piwin)

Carmen de las Cuevas is one of the schools I have been looking at. You say that it is not good for advanced dancers. My daughter is a VERY talented dancer, she is in a government sponsored program for developing talent in children. This focusses on ballet and contemporary of course. She has been doing flamenco lessons 3 times a week for the last 2 years. So with flamenco she is good, but not yet that experienced.

Do you think that Carmen de las Cuevas would be good for her with flamenco classes?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 9 2017 17:45:57

Piwin

Posts: 3559
Joined: Feb. 9 2016

RE: Flamenco school and Spanish scho... (in reply to Njål Bendixen)

Actually scratch that, I should be more specific: I don't think it's all that good for advanced flamenco guitar students.
For baile, I don't know (sorry I was generalising what I thought about the guitar classes to the other parts of flamenco). Patricia Guerrero's mother is one of the regular dance teachers there so it can't be all bad! The one I knew best was Javier Martos. I didn't see enough of him to know how good of a dancer he is but just in regular conversations I could tell that he's very knowledgeable and knows how to impart that knowledge.
One option could be to send her there for Spanish courses and elsewhere for flamenco. Manolete's school is not even a 10-minute walk away from there. He's one of the biggest names of Granada baile; if not the biggest. He's now in his late 70s, and has a lifetime of knowledge to share. If she's really ambitious, she may even be able to work in classes from both schools.

I should add that I think it changes a lot depending on when you go. If you go during the two summer months, then there will be much more people there who are there as "tourists" and not necessarily all that serious about flamenco, plus the classes can get crowded. If you go any other time of the year, classes are smaller and the students there are probably a bit more serious about learning.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 9 2017 18:18:47

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Flamenco school and Spanish scho... (in reply to Piwin)

+1 for Granada. Compact city, relatively safe and friendly. Find a Spanish home for her accommodation. This would help a lot.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 9 2017 19:27:33

withinity

Posts: 180
Joined: Sep. 17 2013

RE: Flamenco school and Spanish scho... (in reply to Njål Bendixen)

Carmen de Las cuevas seems like the place too go in terms of institutionalized learning but I don't think its so great. What was it like a thousand euro a month or something? I rather learn from the street lol.

I see what they be teaching people and it seems pretty dam stupid they showing the students solea por bulerias even before they can do a rasgueado.

Granada is the place to be me thinks, there is many students of Flamenco and all types of music and an international base of people here so you not completely stuck in in the Spanish world which can be hard if your not fluent in the language.

I mean you could even live rent free in Granada and study Flamenco , for anyone else who is wondering , lots of opportunities to live in caves , abandon houses and valleys.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 11 2017 14:37:45

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: Flamenco school and Spanish scho... (in reply to Njål Bendixen)

I'm backing Piwins post- For younger dancers contact with the older ladies that have a lot of knowledge is always a good idea. They might not be up on the latest way the younger dancers are doing corte' etc. But what they can impart to a young dancer is good braceo and all the little details that come with years of teaching and watching.

It's more about foundation and solid basics like excellent marking compas and upper body work. Footwork is like falseta, you can get it later when you need it, the foundation is more important. And if your daughter has some footwork, then the older ladies will call her on sloppiness and make her fix it.

If anything a safe reliable trip will get her out there and mixing with people who may tell her where to go next year if that place is not for her. You have to start somewhere and for a 15 year old woman the most important component is safety.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 12 2017 12:07:18

Piwin

Posts: 3559
Joined: Feb. 9 2016

RE: Flamenco school and Spanish scho... (in reply to withinity)

quote:

What was it like a thousand euro a month or something?

When I went some years ago I stayed 3 weeks and guitar classes were basically 100 euros a week. So 100 euros for 5 90-min classes. That's more than fair even for group classes.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 12 2017 14:13:23

mrstwinkle

Posts: 551
Joined: May 14 2017

RE: Flamenco school and Spanish scho... (in reply to Njål Bendixen)

Taller flamenco in Sevilla have an apartment right above the studio and do both Spanish classes and dance. They seem decent enough and the area is pretty okay, plus they do social stuff (Pena trips, get-togethers etc) so she would be in a group of (mostly female) students. Might be a little pricey for a month - depends on your budget =- but they might do a discount for an extended stretch like that.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 12 2017 16:05:13