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Greetings from Montana, USA. I'm quite excited to have found this forum, as I'm also tremendously excited to be returning to flamenco guitar after playing other instruments in other styles the past several years. After grade school woodwinds, nylon-string guitar is really my 'first' instrument since undertaking formal classical guitar study at age 14. Later, an infatuation with bossa nova further enamoured me with nylon-string guitar. Then, living around Denver in 1992, I heard Rene Heredia being interviewed on the radio and immediately felt the magic of flamenco. I studied the Juan Martin method 'El Arte de Flamenco' assiduously for several years. But, as I sought work playing out, I delved away from practicing solo guitar and played just about every other style of ensemble music...to the point where after grad school I was only playing drums. Fast forward about ten years, and I recently acquired the opportunity to weekly accompany a bellydance troupe where I play Arabic rhythms and improvise in Phrygian on bouzouki and saz. But I love the purity and elegance of nylon string guitar--my first. I aspire to introduce the dancers to some flamenco compas and have been recovering my form on guitar. As I said, I am very excited to be returning to flamenco guitar! It's my favorite guitar style (and, there is nothing sexier than a flamenco guitar ).
Sounds like you are a versatile player. Welcome. About introducing your bellydancers to compas, im not sure, since this usually takes years, even for the simplest steps. For proper flamenco i think you will need a flamenco dancer. But of course you can always implement some flamenco elements in your own music, or in a belly dancers choreo. oh, feel free to share some pics of your troupe
The simplest way to ease belly dancers into flamenco is probably by way of a Zambra or other Granada-style por tangos. I know a lot of belly dancers who also study flamenco, and vice versa.
About introducing your bellydancers to compas, im not sure, since this usually takes years, even for the simplest steps. For proper flamenco i think you will need a flamenco dancer. But of course you can always implement some flamenco elements in your own music, or in a belly dancers choreo.
Thanks for the suggestions all. The troupe call themselves "mutt" bellydancers and are accustomed to dancing to a variety of recorded music. I'm introducing traditional Arabic rhythms with percussion. When I can find some other percussionists, I intend to play some guitar. So, it'll be some experimentation for sure.
Note...I'm now Randal ... changing my psuedonym often helps assuage my ADHD
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