Radical ideas that shouldn't be radical (in flamenco more specifically, but in other dance forms too): 1) holding auditions 2) letting dancers wear their natural hair (i.e. not slicked back) 2.5) letting dancers be individuals 3) not choosing dancers based [...]
No one person is the be-all end-all. Well, maybe your kids, or grandkids, or significant other are your world. But that's not what I'm talking about. In the dance world, I've seen dancers flock to a single person and talk about [...]
I think artists often get pigeon-holed by audiences, critics, and even their peers. And I think that sucks. Big time. I've heard through the grapevine that people talk about my shows as "out-there contemporary stuff" that they're not interested in. [...]
Lineage in dance, and particularly in oral dance traditions, carries a great deal of weight. Without respect for those that passed the traditions on to us, we lose the essence of the art form. And without allowing our students to [...]
What do I want for Christmas? More than anything, I want dancers. I've been trying to choreograph on just myself pieces that I really envision for multiple dancers. And guess what? It just does not work. It's like a painter [...]
Recently I was honored to have two high school choreography students call and interview me for a class project. They asked some outstanding questions that really made me think. And one answer I keep going back to...they asked what was [...]
Snippets from conversations I have had with audience members after performances that give an idea of how flamenco is viewed by U.S. audiences:Where are you from?I grew up in New Mexico, but I've lived here since 2008 (NYC).But you must [...]
Last year, I helped a colleague in Spain with her thesis for the Conservatorio Superior de Danza María de Ávila. She had spent a month in the U.S. observing and helping flamenco Arts Education programs. She had a lot of [...]
I had the privilege of being on "the other side" of flamenco performances this past week. First, let's be clear, two other sides exist to the dance. First, the musicians who usually find themselves behind the dancer, and second, the [...]
Dancers know the struggle for balance very well:Dancer working on balance on an unstable base. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUg1ExCLmjA Balance requires strength and control. But I am not talking about exercises on balance boards or landing a triple pirouette. Life as a dance artist [...]
