• Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Media
      • Gallery
      • Videos
  • Live Classes
  • Online Lessons
    • Free Lessons
    • Courses
    • Live Zoom Classes
    • Join the Online Flamenco Studio Waitlist
  • LOG IN: Membership
    • LOG IN: Courses
  • Shows
  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy
RINA ORELLANA FLAMENCO
  • About
    • Contact
  • Live Classes
  • Online Lessons
    • Free Lessons
    • Courses
    • Join the Online Flamenco Studio
  • LOG IN: Membership
    • LOG IN: Courses
  • Shows
  • Blog
Unleash the Flamenco Beast: Practice!

Unleash the Flamenco Beast: Practice!

July 20, 2015 Posted by rina@rinaorellana.com Flamenco Craft & Practice, Flamenco Dance, Flamenco Health & Fitness, Learning Flamenco, Palos - Flamenco Rhythms No Comments

Welcome to my new series of blog posts, Unleash the Flamenco Beast, where I go over various ways to improve your dancing physically and mentally. I’m really excited to be presenting this and I hope you get a lot out of them!

I get asked all the time, “Rina, how can I get better in flamenco?” That is a loaded question, because there are SO many different answers, and we’ll explore them in the posts. However, here is one of the most obvious.

 

If you really want to improve in flamenco, you have to PRACTICE outside of class.

 

I know, very unglamorous, but it’s the truth. Many people are just happy to have the exercise and social interaction in class and don’t want to practice outside of class. That is totally fine.

But, if you want to really get better, you have to practice. How to practice, you ask?

If you can go to the studio and pound on the floor whatever you learned in class IN COMPAS with a solo compás recording, that’s the ideal.

(Now, if you don’t have access to classes, or you need more material, then take a look at my free online flamenco dance lessons.)

Solo compás are didactic / educational recordings with the various flamenco rhythms (palos) at differing tempos using a drum machine or guitar, specifically for practicing.

If you can’t get to the studio, buy a piece of plywood from the home improvement store, put a clear coat on it and you’ll be ready at any time to practice IN COMPAS at home.

I can’t emphasize enough to practice with a solo compás recording as much as you can. Dancing with the drum machine will truly help you internalize the compás. (Compás means the measure of music, but also staying in rhythm.)

Practice any footwork or marking steps you have super slow with special emphasis on the accents before practicing it at a normal tempo. Then you can challenge yourself and try it at a tempo that is uncomfortably fast.

Resources:

These are recordings available on iTunes and feature a different palo (flamenco rhythm) for each cd.

  • Solo Compás series
  • Escuela de Flamenco series
  • Ritmo Flamenco series
  • El Baile Flamenco series
  • Jose Tanaka Compás Flamenco (from Los Angeles!)

There are also apps that have solo compás. My favorite is Dr. Compás, available on the Mac app store.

So, there you have it. Just like in learning a language or a musical instrument, if you want to get better, you have to put in your time and PRACTICE CORRECTLY!

Thanks for reading! Look out for the next installment of the Unleash the Flamenco Beast Series where I talk about how to LISTEN to flamenco music.

Do you have any questions on how to practice? Let me know here!

Hasta pronto! Rina

photo credit: “La Pescailla.”

 

Like what you’ve read? Please share it!

 

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
Tags: flamenco dance floorflamenco practiceunleash the flamenco beast
No Comments
Share
1

You also might be interested in

Palmas (hand clapping) for flamenco

Flamenco Dance Basics | Palmas

Dec 16, 2022

In this video, you will learn the syncopated palmas (hand[...]

Learn How to Dance the Flamingo!

Learn How to Dance the Flamingo!

Mar 26, 2020

Improvising in the Thursday “Cuadro” class. Oh, sorry. I mean,[...]

When you just don’t feel like practicing….

When you just don’t feel like practicing….

Nov 2, 2023

We all know that dancing flamenco takes consistency, dedication and[...]

Leave a Reply

Your email is safe with us.
Cancel Reply

Popular Posts

  • The Ultimate Guide to Flamenco Shoes
    The Ultimate Guide to Flamenco Shoes
  • The Dancer's Guide to the Structure of Flamenco
    The Dancer's Guide to the Structure of Flamenco
  • The Men of Flamenco
    The Men of Flamenco
  • Build Your Own Flamenco Practice Dance Floor
    Build Your Own Flamenco Practice Dance Floor
  • Dancer's Guide to the Palos (Rhythms) of Flamenco
    Dancer's Guide to the Palos (Rhythms) of Flamenco

Search This Blog

Categories

© 2025 — Rina Orellana Flamenco.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Prev Next