Flamingo or Flamenco Gift?

It’s that time of year again when all us flamencos start slipping secret messages through our kids’ letters to Santa. We dream of a cornucopia of flamenco supplies, shows and trips to Spain. We can dream!

You are a brave soul if you have a flamenco dancer in your life because it’s all so confusing. You *think* she said flamingo shoes, right? Or was it a flamingo dress? NO! Worry not, here are a few items for the flamenco dancer in your life in three separate levels of crazy for flamenco.

BEGINNING CRAZY

This dancer has just begun her flamenco journey. Besides a PAIR OF FLAMENCO SHOES she’ll want to watch flamenco all the time. If you don’t have an ongoing show near you or you’re tired of going down the rabbit hole of YouTube, try streaming or purchasing these must-see flamenco movies.

Both FLAMENCO and FLAMENCO FLAMENCO (I wonder what the third installment will be called) by Carlos Saura offer vignettes of music and dance from contemporary artists although the movies were filmed 15 years apart. In the first movie you can see Farruquito as a child dancing with his legendary grandfather, El Farruco. Then see him in the second movie all grown up and dancing with such feeling. You’ll also see Belen Maya in the first movie showing us the beginnings of the avant garde styling of flamenco with her geometric Bulerias. Then in the second movie you’ll see Rocio Molina offering her own version of a stylized Garrotin.

 

SOMEWHAT CRAZY

This dancer has some experience with classes and wants more but can’t quite make it to any festivals for training. My ONLINE FLAMENCO STUDIO has over 30 courses with 200 video lessons in technique, choreography and lectures for new beginners through advanced levels. This way you can give her a dance studio at home, at work, in the garage- anywhere and anytime as long as there’s internet access.

Of course, there’s always a pair of flamenco shoes, but she’ll probably need some new FANS or MANTONCILLOS (mini shawl) FOR DANCE right about now. The fans break so easily and both can be such a hassle to purchase because the shipping usually costs about as much as the product! So, be sure to get her a few of each. The large dance fans with fabric on both sides are the sturdiest, but the smaller fans are so cute too, too. Try getting a mantoncillo to match the color of the fan.  😉

FULL ON FLAMENCO CRAZY

She goes to shows, she has the shoes, she takes her classes. What else could she need or even want? Well, there are those flamenco shoes (we have them but we always want/need more) and the ultimate goal of a trip to Spain to actually train completely immersed in the cradle of flamenco.

One of the events that I’ve been really wanting to go to but haven’t (hey, I have kids) is the FESTIVAL DE JEREZ. This two-week long festival has workshops running all day with show after show every evening. There are classes for beginners though advanced with the best of the best like Marco Flores, Rafaela Carrasco, Domingo Ortega, Mercedes Ruiz, and Concha Jareño.