SUNDAYS FLAMENCO DANCE CLASSES

New Series of Flamenco Lessons Starting Feb 5th - Mar 25th, 2012 NO CLASSES FEB 26th, 2012 Register in Advance to Save your spot!

You can Register for any of our courses as 4 weeks or 8weeks 4 week group class: $56 per person/per class 7 week group class: $98 per person/per class Drop-ins $15.00 dollars

Taught by Sylvia Melecio @ FOREVER DANCING BALLROOM 5818-B Seminary Rd., Falls Church, VA 22041 (703) 824-3555 To REGISTER for Flamenco Group Classes or RESERVE a spot go to our Calendar, select the class of your choice and follow the instructions to sign - in.

11:00AM - 12:00PM Flamenco for beginners I & II In this Flamenco class the student will work on key elements of Flamenco, such as:  “braceo” (Flamenco arm movements), “zapateado” (Flamenco footwork) and “palmas” (hand clapping). The student will learn short dance combinations to understand and enjoy how these key elements work together in a dance and how these are used in the many “palos” (rhythms) of Flamenco.  The student will also learn Flamenco body positioning and muscle control necessary to accomplish powerful yet graceful and elegant movements for the female and the male dancer not only in Flamenco, but for other dance disciplines as well. Students should wear dance/exercise or similar clothing and men slacks. Women may wear long skirt.  Hard soled shoes/boots with sturdy heel is acceptable, as well as character” shoes, but no stiletto or high-heel ballroom shoes.  Please consult the instructor for specifics on where to purchase Flamenco shoes for women and Flamenco boots for men.

Flamenco Dance is fiery, exciting, loud, passionate and sensual. It is also incredibly atmospheric – even in a class setting. Flamenco is a style of music and dance which is native to several regions of southern Spain.

The origins of the word flamenco are unclear. It was not recorded until the late 18th century. During the Golden Age of Flamenco, between 1869–1910, flamenco developed rapidly in cafés cantantes, a new type of venue offering ticketed public performances. Dancers became a public attraction. Guitar players supporting the dancers increasingly gained a reputation, and so flamenco guitar as an art form was born.

The "Theatrical" period The period after the Concurso de Cante Jondo in 1922 is known as Etapa teatral (Theatrical period) or Ópera flamenca period, so-called because the impresario Vedrines called his shows opera, to take advantage of lower taxes offered to opera performances. The cafés cantante were gradually replaced by larger venues like theatres or bullrings. Flamenco became immensely popular but, in the view of purists, hopelessly over-commercialised. In the new shows, flamenco was mixed with other genres and theatre interludes portraying picturesque scenes by Gitanos and Andalusians. The dominant palos (Flamenco music styles are called palos) of this era were the personal fandango, the cantes de ida y vuelta (songs of Latin American origin) and songs in bulería style. Personal fandangos were based on Huelva traditional styles with a free rhythm (cante libre) and with an emphasis on virtuoso variations. The (Canción por bulerías) adapted popular songs to the bulería rhythm. This period also saw the birth of a new genre, sometimes called copla andaluza (Andalusian couplet) or canción española (Spanish song), a ballad style mixing zarzuela, Andalusian folk songs and flamenco, usually with orchestral accompaniment.

Traditional flamenco artists never received any formal training: they learned by listening and watching relatives, friends and neighbors. Some artists are still self-taught, but nowadays, it is more usual for dancers and guitarists (and sometimes even singers) to take Flamenco classes and be professionally trained. Some guitarists can even read music and study others styles like classical guitar or jazz, and many dancers take courses in contemporary dance or ballet as well as flamenco. Flamenco occurs in three settings - the traditional juerga, in small-scale cabaret or concert venues and in the theatre. The juerga is an informal, spontaneous gitano gathering (rather like a jazz "jam session"). This can include dancing, singing, palmas (hand clapping), or simply pounding in rhythm on an old orange crate or a table. Flamenco, in this context, is organic and dynamic: it adapts to the local talent, instrumentation, and mood of the audience. This context invites comparison with that other creation of a dispossessed class, the blues. Flamenco has been referred to as The Gypsy Blues, or even the European Blues as a means of providing a frame of reference to those new to the genre.

One tradition remains firmly in place: the cantaores(singers) are the heart and soul of the performance. A Peña Flamenca is a meeting place or grouping of Flamenco musicians or artists. There are also "tablaos", establishments that developed during the 1960s throughout Spain replacing the "café cantante". The tablaos may have their own company of performers for each show. Many internationally renowned artists have started their careers in "tablaos flamencos", like the famous singer Miguel Poveda who began in El Cordobés, Barcelona. The professional concert is more formal. A traditional singing performance has only a singer and one guitar, while a dance concert usually includes two or three guitars, one or more singers (singing in turns, as flamenco cantaors sing solo), and one or more dancers. One of the singers may play the cajon if there is no dedicated cajon player, and all performers will play palmas even if there are dedicated palmeros. The so-called Nuevo Flamenco New flamenco may include flutes or saxophones, piano or other keyboards, or even the bass guitar and the electric guitar. Camarón de la Isla was one artist who popularized this style.

Finally there is the theatrical presentation of flamenco, which uses flamenco technique and music but is closer in presentation to a ballet performance. El baile flamenco is known for its emotional intensity, proud carriage, expressive use of the arms and rhythmic stamping of the feet. As with any dance form, many different styles of flamenco have developed. In its most authentic form, flamenco can be seen danced informally at gitano (Gypsy) weddings and celebrations in Spain. There is less virtuoso technique in gitano flamenco, but the music and steps are fundamentally the same. The arms are noticeably different to classical flamenco, curving around the head and body rather than extending, often with a bent elbow. "Flamenco puro" is considered the form of performance flamenco closest to its gitano origins. In this style, the dance is always performed solo, and is improvised rather than choreographed. Some purists frown on castanets (even though they can be seen in many early 20th century photos of flamenco dancers). The type of dance most Europeans would call "flamenco" is a commercialized style, developed as a spectacle for tourists. To add variety, group dances are included, and even solos are more likely to be choreographed. The frilly, voluminous spotted dresses are derived from a style of dress worn for the annual Feria in Seville (the original is actually too tight to dance in!). "Classical flamenco" is the style used in modern Spanish flamenco dance companies. It is characterized by a proud, upright carriage - for the women, the back is often held in a marked back bend. Unlike gitano flamenco, there is little movement of the hips, the body is tightly held and the arms are long, like a ballet dancer. In fact many of the dancers in these companies have trained in ballet as well as flamenco. Modern flamenco is a highly technical dance style requiring years of study. The emphasis for both male and female performers is on lightning-fast footwork performed with absolute precision. In addition, the dancer may have to dance while using props such as castanets, shawls and fans. "Flamenco nuevo" is the new wave in flamenco, characterized by pared-down costumes (the men often dance bare-chested, and the women in plain jersey dresses). Props such as castanets, fans and shawls are rarely, if ever, used. Dances are choreographed and include influences from other dance styles. In traditional flamenco, young people are not considered to have the emotional maturity to adequately convey the "duende" (soul) of the genre. Therefore unlike other dance forms, where dancers turn professional early to take advantage of youth and strength, many flamenco dancers do not hit their peak in their thirties and will continue to perform into their fifties and beyond.

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Flamenco Lessons are Near Lincolnia, VA; Jefferson, VA; Falls Church, VA; Annandale, VA; Arlington, VA; North Springfield, VA; Franconia, VA; Idylwood, VA; Springfield, VA; Alexandria, VA; Groveton, VA; Washington, DC; Tysons Corner, VA; West Springfield, VA; Vienna, VA; with the best Flamenco Instructors of the DC Metropolitan Area.