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dancing at home

Day 2: How To Keep Your Shoulders Down [Flamenco Home Challenge]

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Day 2: How To Keep Your Shoulders Down [Flamenco Home Challenge]

It's Day 2 of the 10-Day Dance Like You're In Class With Mercedes Ruíz Home Challenge! How did the breathing activity go for you yesterday? Angela had an interesting realization about her breath; check out her comment here

Below you’ll find my reflections along with a new home activity...

I applied yesterday’s challenge activity to a remate and marcaje por bulerías since I’ve been wanting to improve my bulerías.

I noticed that thinking about the breath before I started set me up to breathe more fluidly while I was dancing. While it was easier to focus on breathing during the marcaje than it was during the remate (probably because of the complicated rhythms, footwork, and body slapping) I could execute the remate with more ease when I was aware of my breathing. What about you? What did you notice?

Now for today’s challenge,

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How This Mom Finds Time for Flamenco

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How This Mom Finds Time for Flamenco

Today I'm going to share with you one mom's strategy for improving her dancing from home. It's something you can employ as well. (And trust me, if this busy mom can do it, so can you.) I lay out a simple 4-step process for you at the end of this post, but first, I want to introduce you to Katerina ...

I have a new student.

Her name is Katerina. Katerina had been wanting to learn flamenco for a long time. A few weeks ago she decided it was finally time and signed up for private lessons. 

During Katerina's second class I was impressed with how much she'd improved from her first session. The moves she'd been so unsure about before she now danced in sequence with no help from me.

That's when she told me about her routine...

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Where to Study Flamenco Dance Online

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Where to Study Flamenco Dance Online

Online flamenco learning opportunities seem to be popping up all over the place. 

I find this very exciting. 

As you know, there are all kinds of flamenco instructional articles around here, but I'm talking about online video teaching.

While I do not believe one can learn flamenco dance only by online studies from home (flamenco is after all a communal art form), these resources can be wonderful for:

  • Supplemental instruction
  • An introduction to flamenco
  • Practicing from home
  • Deepening one's understanding of particular aspects of flamenco
  • Those who have difficulty making it to physical classes (many of the students who join me for workshops and trips come from what they often call, flamenco deserts, and online sources can be especially great in these instances.)
  • Encouragement & inspiration

Here are a couple of my favorites . . .

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Day 5: How to Create a Step (Last Day of the Mini-Challenge)

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Day 5: How to Create a Step (Last Day of the Mini-Challenge)

It’s the final day of the Mini-Challenge and time to step things up a bit. That's right, today things get harder. But sometimes harder can be more fun. 

And I think you'll find that to be true with this final activity which is all about creation . . .

The creation of a step

Today’s exercise comes directly from our imaginary teacher of the week, David Romero.

David says coming up wtih a step is easy, You just have to do the work.

In other words, it’s not hard as long as we're willing to put forth effort.

(You can hear him talk about this six minutes thirty seconds into his video interview.)

Below, find out how to make up your very own flamenco step by following David's exact advice. (Well, along with a few additional suggestions from me.)

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Day 4: How to Learn From Your Favorite Artist

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Day 4: How to Learn From Your Favorite Artist

Today I'm going to show you how to learn from a favorite artist of your choosing. Read on to find out how.

David Romero says that we learn from all of the people we study (or work) with. That we hold onto the best bits from each person, that which we like,

Llega un momento en que naturalmente salen cosas en que tú dices, uy, esto por qué? Porque tú ya lo has vivido o la has visto o te lo han explicado.

“A time comes when things start happening naturally. You start doing things, and you say, “How did this happen?”

The process happens over time, David says. After a lot of dancing, a lot of studying, a lot of practicing, your body begins to change.

"And this is good.” he says. “It should change. Because if someone doesn’t change when dancing . . . What are we going to do? There has to be an evolution. And that comes from learning from all of the people who you study with, or all of the people who you work with, and all of the people who you admire.

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Day 3: How to Up Your Flamenco Game From the Comfort of Your Own Home

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Day 3: How to Up Your Flamenco Game From the Comfort of Your Own Home

Woo-hoo, you’ve made it to day three of the Dancing with David Even Though We’re Not With David Challenge! Today's task won't take long, so read on to find a new exercise to help you become a better dancer from home . . .

Learning by observation is one of my favorite ways to learn, and I've learned quite a bit from observing David Romero, noticing both how he dances and how he approaches dancing and teaching.

Today we're going to focus on the approach.

Presence

David gives 100% (if not more) when teaching.

He, the teacher, is there with you, the student, completely.

Which inspires you to be there with him. And to give all that you have to give during those moments.

Sooooo, when you’re in the studio,

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Day 2: Improve Your Dancing From Home With the Dancing With David Mini-Challenge

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Day 2: Improve Your Dancing From Home With the Dancing With David Mini-Challenge

Today I'm going to share with you a fun exercise (one of my personal favorites) that will help you to become a better dancer from the comfort of your own home. Yesterday we addressed the idea of looking in the mirror and how we need to look at what’s being reflected back to us in order to know what to change.

Today we’re going to go deeper,

Today we’re going micro,

Today we’re going to talk details

But before we do, I want you to take a moment to remember your why.

Got it in your cabeza?

Good.

Now, no matter what your purpose,

Details matter.

Flamenco has a certain aesthetic, and although there is plenty of room for personal style and preference, we must strive to remain true to the aesthetic of this art form.

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Day 1: Become a Better Dancer From Home With the Dancing With David Mini-Challenge

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Day 1: Become a Better Dancer From Home With the Dancing With David Mini-Challenge

It's time to begin the Dancing With David Even Though We're Not With David Mini-Challenge, yahoo! Read on to discover today's strategy for improving your dancing from home . . .

Now I know you may not want to, but please, look in the mirror.

Por favor.

This is essential.

Especially when you're at home with no teacher there to correct you, other than the David (for the purposes of this mini-challenge) inside your head.

You must look in the mirror

Allow the mirror to become your imaginary teacher, and listen to his corrections.

Once you’re finished reading this, I want you to get up, go the the closest mirror, do a move, and notice,

How do you look?

If something doesn’t look right, consider your basic technique,

How are you holding your elbows?

Do you need to move your arms farther away from your body, or closer perhaps?

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Become a Better Flamenco Dancer: A Mini-Challenge For You

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Become a Better Flamenco Dancer: A Mini-Challenge For You

It’s time to become a better flamenco dancer. And it’s time to use our imaginations to help us do that.

You may remember the Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge. Well, this week begins the Dancing With David Even Though We’re Not With David Mini-Challenge.

In other words, it’s time to pretend

You know how much I like to pretend.

You most likely saw last week’s video interview with David Romero. And you could probably tell by watching that he is a fabulous teacher with all kinds of wonderful information to share. So, for the next week I’ll be channeling David on a daily basis in order to learn from him from the comfort of my own home.

Care to join me?

(Check out the video at the end of this post if you'd like to see David dance.)

Why would I want to participate in this mini-challenge?  

  1. To learn and grow as a flamenco dancer.
  2. Because it will be fun.
  3. Because it will not require a lot of time.

How will it work? 

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3 Essential Elements for Learning to Dance Por Fiesta

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3 Essential Elements for Learning to Dance Por Fiesta

This week I learned about daylilies. And as it turns out the process I went through in learning about this flower led me to a mini-formula that is perfect for learning to dance por fiesta palos like bulerías. (I'll share that with you in a moment.)

But first, my lesson on daylilies

On Monday morning Stefani and I were on a walk when we happened upon bunches and bunches of bright golden daylilies. I’ve been noticing them everywhere this summer, including in my garden. I did not know what these flowers were called, and I’d never bothered to find out. I didn’t even bother to notice that their petals and shape look very much like ‘regular’ lilies. I guess because their colors, golden, yellow, red, orange, peach . . . are so distinct.

“I have those flowers in my garden,” I said to Stefani, “I cut some and put them in a vase, and the next day they were dead.”

“Well yeah, those are daylilies,” she responded. “They only live for a day.”

And this is how I came to learn why the ones in my vase at home had lasted, well, one day.

She proceeded to tell me more about the flower, information I won’t bother sharing with you because learning about flowers is not the point of this story.

(I’m getting to the point.)

Before I became aware of their name and the whole one day of life thing, I had already decided that I was not going to go around cutting more of these flowers and putting them in vases inside my house. Before Stefani told me about their life span, I had discovered on my own through trial and error that these flowers would be better enjoyed in the garden.

For the time being at least . . .

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Three Easy Ways to Grow as Dancer (Even When You Have No Time)

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Three Easy Ways to Grow as Dancer (Even When You Have No Time)

For seven days I danced as if I were in class with Mercedes Ruíz, in my own way, just as you may have done in your own way. Seven days of class without class. Seven days of "dancing" wherever we were in whatever way we could and in whatever way we wanted to.

And now that the challenge is “over,” I want to look at how it doesn’t really have to be over.

I share below three ways to easily grow as dancers on any given day and in any given place. Whether you participated in the challenge or not, you can benefit from doing these three things. After that I’ll share some gains (expected and unexpected) that I've taken away from the experience.

Three (relatively) easy ways to keep the challenge going:

(... even if you didn't participate in it)

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Day 7: Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

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Day 7: Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

As you know the challenge has involved some squeezing in this week, for me at least. But over the past seven days, I've come to see this squeezing more as taking advantage of moments of opportunity.

Por ejemplo:

"Hey, we have a few minutes before going to do (thing we need to go do) Margot, do you want to do an exercise with me?"

Or, "Is my pompi dentro?" I've found myself asking myself while washing a dish.

And you already know about teeth brushing.

Stuff like that ...

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Day 6: Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

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Day 6: Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

I didn’t tell you this, but I decided to do something I have not done in the past with the choreography I learned from Mercedes in Jerez last fall, I decided to keep it.

You may think I keep all of the dances I learn from her, or perhaps you know me better than that.

My pattern is to let them go.

In fact, this intention I set last fall during the FlamencoTour to Jerez, to retain and polish the choreography Mercedes taught us, is part of the reason I set up the holiday challenge.

I gave myself many excuses as to why I could not do this over the holidays:

'You have other flamenco things to work on Laura.'

'It is December. It is holiday time. It is not time for flamenco discipline.'

'It won’t be the same as being in class with Mercedes. It won't be anything like it...'

I almost didn't do it.

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Day 5: Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

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Day 5: Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

Only two days left of the challenge? I kind of can't believe how quickly it's going by...

Squeezing it in

I mentioned yesterday that I had an idea for squeezing in an exercise when you're feeling that there is no time.

Because there is time.

Let me tell you about how I brush my teeth.

Normally I do tree pose without arms when brushing my teeth. I did yoga long before I started flamenco, and tree pose has always been a favorite of mine.

But sometimes I’ll substitute a flamenco exercise, a marcaje or something for the hips.

During the challenge I’ve been doing an exercise from Mercedes when it's time to brush my teeth.

In the morning, at night, and during any brushings in-between.

That's more than four minutes of exercise time right there.

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Day 4: Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

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Day 4: Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

I did something in anticipation of the challenge upon arriving in San Diego,

I told my family about it

You could say it was for accountability, and that may have been part of it, but mainly I was feeling excited. So excited that I had to share.

Often I'll not share these kinds of things with my family or my non-flamenco friends because really, why would they care? 

That's what I'll often think.

But I've noticed something,

They do care.

Because they care about me.

I've noticed that when I'm excited about something they tend to get excited as well. And I've noticed that their excitement about my excitement makes my excitement grow.

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Day 3: Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

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Day 3: Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

I want to talk about how to get more out of your "time" with Mercedes during this challenge. Because I know it can be hard to squeeze in flamenco activities right now as many of us are busy with family, holiday stuff, and what not.

But before I get to that, a brief snippet from today ~

I decided to take the challenge on the road today while hiking with the family.

So Margot and I listened to Mercedes as we walked.

As it turns out many of her reminders were just as helpful to hiking as to flamenco,

'Respira, despacio, pompi dentro...'

Take 'pompi dentro' for instance:

Making a point not to let your bottom stick out forces you to engage your core which is most helpful in maintaining stability on the rocky and sometimes slippery trail.

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Day 2: Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

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Day 2: Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

My niece is participating in the challenge with me. In part.

She loves flamenco and started taking regular classes this spring after taking a class with Ricardo in Santa Barbara.

“Do you want to do some of Mercedes’s exercises with me?” I asked her on Christmas Day.

She did.

She knew what to expect as she had sat through her class in Jerez a coupe of times. (My nieces spent some time with me and the group in Spain last spring, and Margot happily, patiently, and voluntarily sat through hours of class with Mercedes.)

“Are we going to do the one with the hands?” she asked me as she stretched her arms out imitating the exercise, this exercise.

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Day 1 of the Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

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Day 1 of the Dance As If You Were in Class with Mercedes Holiday Challenge

Day one has arrived, and the Holiday Challenge begins!

What it consists of

Each day for the next seven days I plan to:

  1. Do a few of my favorite Mercedes body technique exercises.
  2. Run one of her choreographies.
  3. Imagine Mercedes talking, giving me feedback.

If you’ve never studied with Mercedes, sin problema. No problem. You can still participate in the challenge. Just substitute another teacher for Mercedes, and do same three tasks using material from that teacher.

Make it work for you.

Now let’s get more specific about the daily activities

There are basically two “tasks.”

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