Since this is my first blog post in 2010 and since the New York Flamenco Festival is ongoing right now, celebrating its 10th anniversary, of course I will write about my love affair with Flamenco and the ways it inspires many other facets of my life, including my academic work. Slowly but surely, it has sneaked into my dissertation, and references to the dance ,and to dance theory in general, pop up in my chapters, thanks to the flexibility of my field (English) and of my adviser.
Watching the opening night of the Festival last week, I let myself re-experience the revelation that always strikes me watching a real artist: dance is their language, and the really good dancers are the ones able to communicate through their bodies in such a way that they reach the audience. I know this might sound obvious, but I really get this message straight as I follow those perfectly executed steps that I recognize because I am doing them myself….I mean, their poor imitations.
This is what I tell the students I work at Baruch with, and all the groups I have worked with so far remembered one thing, if nothing else, about me personally after my introductory visit to their class: that I dance Flamenco. So, I tell them about using the body for a presentation, grounding it with a sense of presence and control. Straightening the back, maintaining a posture are all important. They come in second to mastering the material, of course, but still.
photo credit: patrícia soransso
And this is another thing I learned from great dancers: the beauty of mastery, of really giving your best to something. I am always inspired by students who want to do their best, and I watch them with the same respect and admiration I watch a Flamenco performance.
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