Classes

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Do I need special shoes?
   1. For beginners, a closed toe shoe is required. Flamenco, character, Mexican folklórico, or jazz sneakers are ideal. Good flamenco shoes are hard to find in the U.S. and can be very pricey. I recommend making sure you’re committed to learning the dance form before you purchase shoes. If you’re not sure, come to class with a flat sole sneaker (similar to converse).
   2. If you want to buy shoes, I recommend Tacones y Lunares, the U.S. distributor of Arte FyL. 
2. Do I need to wear a skirt?
   1. A long fitted rehearsal skirt is recommended for women as the skirt is part of the dance. If you don’t have one, don’t fret, it’s not immediately necessary. Check out Barbara Faldas y Más for affordable and high quality flamenco skirt options–she also does custom skirts and costumes!
3. What should I wear to a flamenco dance class?
   1. flamenco shoes, character shoes, folklorico shoes, jazz sneakers, or flat soled sneakers (Convese or similar styles)
   2. athletic clothing you can move in, i.e. a fitted shirt, stretch or athletic pants
   3. keep your hair tied up and out of your face
   4. no dangly jewelry
   5. full skirt
4. What should I expect in a class?
   1. Each class begins with a warm-up, then moves into arm and wrist technique, exercises traveling across the room, footwork, turns, and choreography. Students will learn the basic technique, rhythms, and dance structures. We generally use recorded music and the teacher’s rhythmic handclaps, and occasionally have live music.
5. Do I need to have dance experience?
   1. No! Please come to a beginner’s class. We start at the very beginning to form a strong foundation in technique.
6. I have dance and flamenco experience, what level class should I take?
   1. Even if you have some experience, we recommend starting with the beginner class. Alice Blumenfeld has developed a method for teaching flamenco technique that makes it work for all levels. Students with more experience are able to clarify and strengthen their technique and new students build a strong foundation.