Flamenco.
Although many of the details of the development of flamenco are lost in history, it is certain that it originated in Andalusia and that from the VIII to the XV centuries, when Spain was under Arab domination, their music and musical instruments were modified and adapted by Christians and Jews, and later by gypsies ... It is a genuine Southern Spanish art. It exists in three forms: el cante, the song, el baile, the dance, and la guitarra, the guitar playing. (Wiki)
AND, I have always felt like a gypsy. The sound of flamenco music touches my soul like no other music does (except Elvis, of course). When I was in Spain the fall of 2012, I was enchanted with a young cousin named Laura Ruiz. She was thirteen and her beautiful sister (Elisa) was sixteen. Laura did not speak English, but she wanted to show me how to dance the Rumba. Her parents own a restaurant in Fresneda, a small district near Malaga, and the large back room was empty. A perfect dance venue. Laura turned on the Rumba music and started to sway. Her arms lifted above her head and her hands flitted like a ballerina's. I was mesmerized. There is nothing quite like seeing Spain through the eyes and music of locals, especially from a child so willing to please her American cousins.
Did I learn the Rumba? No. But this time...I won't be shy. Elisa tells me that Laura now dances flamenco. The music and the sway of the body against the sounds of clapping and castanets will lure me into imagining myself in old Spain. Adding this to my Spanish-To-Do list makes me smile and I hope Laura, who is now eighteen, will be gentle with me...especially since her sister has offered me her teaching services...
In 2012, Elisa spoke English, but Laura did not. Maybe my rudimentary Spanish skills will see me through if she doesn't speak English yet... However, we all know that music needs no words and neither does dancing. I have a skirt for flamenco and I'm ready to roll.
No comments:
Post a Comment