Flamenco

What is Flamenco?

What images come to mind first? Fiery, dark-haired Spanish women, castanets, long dresses with many ruffles. Pure cliché? But where does the spirited dance actually come from? Originally, Flamenco, with its combination of music and dance, hails from Andalusia, but it draws from various sources. Influences can be traced back to Gitanos, the immigrated Roma. Their music blended with that from Castile, Jewish traditions, and, above all, with the traditions of the Moors, who held dominance in southern Spain for many centuries. Contacts with the New World also led to feedback regarding Flamenco, with new influences from overseas.

And how do you dance it?

The foundation of Flamenco consists of singing, rhythm (hand clapping), guitar accompaniment, and dance. Music and dance influence each other, responding to each other, so to speak. The movements follow strict rules, requiring absolute body tension and a lot of expressiveness. Every part of the body is involved: upper body, legs, arms, hands, and fingers. Even the direction of the gaze is significant. Men and women often dance alone. While the movements of men are more angular and energetic, the dance style of women is softer and more rounded. What they share is the strict rhythm and passion. The beat is accentuated with the feet. There are both rehearsed choreographies and improvisations. Advanced dancers develop their own style. As you can see, Flamenco is a dance that requires a lot of practice and attention to detail. Physical fitness also doesn't hurt.

What do I need?

Most important are a love for music, a certain extroversion, curiosity, and the courage to get to know another culture and perhaps other sides of yourself. Do you need expensive, elaborate dresses? No, for training, you only need comfortable dance or workout clothing and secure shoes. Later on, you should get typical Flamenco shoes and a swirling skirt. These shoes have nails on the toe and heel to accentuate the rhythm.

What do I not need? A perfect figure, youthful freshness, or twenty years of dance experience. Learning Flamenco is possible for everyone. Anyway, if you're not aiming for a world career on the big stage. For that, you should start a bit earlier than in your mid-50s.

What you don't necessarily need is a dance partner. Many Flamenco variations are solo dances. The exception is the so-called `Sevillana´, where you face each other (woman/woman or man/woman) and perform the same steps and arm movements. However, it's always more enjoyable to dance with others, isn't it? So, it's worth looking for like-minded people and joining forces.

This can be a bit challenging when you're interested in a dance that is not as widespread as, for example, the Disco Fox. So how do you find like-minded people? A perfect method is to register with Lass-Tanzen. This way, it's easy to find dance enthusiasts nearby. It's worth a try, right?