The Late Late Blog...

A later than advertised blog, mainly to do with the fact that I'm busy trying to sort the filming side of stuff as well as take in the dance lessons, but generally its been a good day, perfecting or trying to perfect the 'llamada' which I thought I progressed on well...then learning 2 more steps which included lots of stamping golpe style, and a kind of side step with golpe stamp (in which I keep jumping!) which took the choreography up to half way through where we need to be.

For some reason I Felt I was much more focused and relaxed today. I was taking things in and meeting the beat more consistently. Previously my head had just been all over the place with planning stuff and there comes the realisation that, you just can't do it all alone sometimes. I had this realisation this morning, with the question, can we ever be 100% self sufficient as artists, as human beings?

No extra practice this afternoon as I had more planning and language barriers to overcome, but happy that the lessons seem to be back on track and that I have some stuff to get my teeth, or at least my feet into. 

Toni looked tired today as he was constantly counting me into the beginning of the steps, and though I did miss a few starting points, it wasn't as bad as it has been. 

More visuals tomorrow, I promise. Today has been a good day about mastering the mind, actually listening and taking more steps forward. 

Fantastico!

Luck is an attitude.

Worst ever lesson today. Despite really wanting my life to be in rhythm with the universe, my dancing certainly was not in rhythm with the bulerias tempo.

Just could not get this llamada (or the 'call' as I found out it means through a Skype session!). Its the planta tacon part that is just abysmal. I think there's so much on my mind with the planning and organising with the filming that I'm finding it hard to focus 100% on the choreography.

Really for the first time I felt so tired and like giving up today. The worst lesson ever, but I still feel so lucky being here in this city right now. A slight hiatus dogged by these issues;

1) I find it hard to really listen to Toni or any other teacher for that matter in order to learn.

2) I struggle with time. Or lack of it. Often.

3) I need to relax and enjoy flamenco in the moment and feel its passion more. That I don't feel I'm doing.

These have been problematic particularly today. Not to mention the fact that the dance I am tryng to emulate may not even be 'El Embrujo del Fandango' (or 'The Bewitched Fandango' as it translates to).  Despite that, it was the dance that first inspired me for this project, so that's the dance I'll be adapting.

Speaking of which, next Monday will be the day to film the performance. Even though I've made a decision not to perform it in front of people, its still some pressure for me.

Toni mentioned getting a guitarist to play the music instead of using the music I've got which is perfect and what I originally envisaged.

We also agreed that we'll make the choreography much more simpler and shorter because Amaya's dance was very complex. I'd love to be able to do it completely but maybe that's not the point here.

Anyway, I met with some film-makers here this evening - one British and one Dutch. (Is anyone Catalunyan here?) Many more decisions to make about location of the filming etc etc. but tomorrow is another day and in Barcelona, it seems at the moment, anything can happen.

I am Catalunyan

No practice today, just a day full of meeting lovely people, some from Catalonia, some not.

Had lunch with a new friend from India and her son's partner from Barcelona, who explained a bit more about Catalonia's push for independence, which has both historical and contemporary reasoning.

Historically, the drive for independence has been one about identity, but more recently, Catalonia is the region that generates more income for Spain in terms of tax revenue, and because the economy is not so good here at the moment, there is disagreement as to whether the region should continue doing this or have its own independent constitution.

Even so, Spain first have to agree to hold a referendum, and even if that was held, the result about whether Catalonia gets its independence may only be 50/50, as many people who live here aren't originally from the region and may not be concerned about it, whereas in the smaller, more traditional villages on the outskirts, people there do want to independence.

I wonder how it would change things here and how the region's identity would evolve or become yet stronger?

We also spoke about how Catalunyan people may at first appear aloof and then open up and embrace people. Kind of finding their feet first. I came to the conclusion that I am Catalunyan.

About strength...that's something I'll need to draw upon for this last week of lessons and practice.

Somehow, I have to feel Carmen Amaya's passion, strength and conviction in my interpretation of the choreography. I have to believe that I can meet and keep in rhythm with the Fandango music.

Expect a miracle.

Practice a la Sala H

Finding Somorrostro

Well, who'd have known it. Thinking I couldn't find Somorrostro (birth place of Carmen Amaya) when it turns out the first time at the beach last week I was actually on that very beach.

Another amazing day taking in the sights of Barceloneta today. I took the bus down there and walked right along the promenade, stopping for some well needed carbs in the form of patatas bravas and also some small fried fish to keep my energy up for practicing.

Also found Carrer de Carmen Amaya, which I am assuming is named so because she was raised there? I wonder what she would think of it these days?

Onto Somorrostro Beach for a while and then 2 hours practice between 6pm and 8pm this evening in the beautiful Sala H of Barceloneta Civic Centre. Its an amazing venue and the practice was good, just trying to get faster at the Palmas and the Llamada, but beginning to figure out the timings a bit better, though I am wondering how on earth I will get this as fast as it needs to be?

I've decided I'm not going to give up. I'm going to do this, whatever it takes, and I'm already getting quicker, both in the learning and the timings, but its the first golpe stamps and the palmas I need to work on getting faster and perfect right now, so I spent a good amount of time just practicing this.

Felt a lot more relaxed as well, and just kept thinking about how to re-perform that strength and conviction shown by Carmen Amaya.

Anyway, as usual, estoy cansada. I know this week is critical but I'm having a bit of a break from practice tomorrow, I'm really yearning Barca culture to inspire this and the next phase of the project. In fact, I thought about taking the project participants to see 'Bajari' if its on in Liverpool when I get back in a couple of weeks. I think that'd be a great idea for them to see that and understand the spirit of flamenco.

Buenos Noches.

                                          Catalunyan Fish & Chips

                                          Its got her name on it...

                                       

                                                       Beautiful Somorrostro Beach.

                                          Sala H, Barceloneta Civic Centre. 

Lesson 11

Just a little something I learnt in Lesson 11.

Can you feel the force?

So much to say about today. Its been brilliant, if very tough. And full of sweat. Nice.

Another great lesson started slowly with me trying to do this stamp move from yesterday. I got there in the end with some repetition. But got there (that's the important bit).

Now onto yet another move. Its just non-stop and brilliant. And excuse me while we laugh at the high speed of the music from the performance we're trying to adapt the choreography to.

'El Embrujo del Fandango' has a very complex 'compas' or rhythm. The start of it is like a buleria and the fandango is part of the same family as this.

Anyway, at the start of the dance that Carmen Amaya does in the performance I'm trying to emulate, she does palmas (clapping) and stamping at the beginning. So we tried that firstly, which was good,  but it took me a while to relax. My teacher always laughs at how I have too much tension. Is this a very English thing? Or a very Clare thing? He must think I'm mad for wanting to even attempt doing a routine to this music, because he said even he finds it hard to dance at the speed that Carmen Amaya could dance.

Anyway, the palmas was slower than Carmen's (first name terms now), but the timings today were definitely not processing in my head and I was starting to think that my teacher thought I was missing something. I explained that, usually, I think I have rhythm, but this is a completely different ball game.

Moving on from the palmas, we did this move that I actually loved, but found mas dificil. The Llamada (pronounced 'Jamada').

It took ages for me to get this right. I think its because we're working with a 12 beat pattern, which stops on the 10th beat usually and begins again on the first beat after the 12th beat, and also I'm getting used to this in Spanish rather than English, which is a bit off-putting. The way I'm learning is just by the count of the beats. So on the 1st and 3rd beat there are golpe stamps. Then a step forward for 2 beats, then another golpe step on the 6th beat, then, 7, 8 and 9 are planta tacon steps backward with a golpe on the final 10th beat.

I did laugh at first because it was like doing the flamenco version of the moonwalk but it wasn't funny when I was constantly doing it wrong and not producing a great technique in my planta. I have to put the emphasis on the planta and tacon, add more force and security. After about half an hour or more of this I was starting to feel sorry for Toni constantly going through the timings and counting me in only for me to miss the beat I should begin on. This person has great patience.

Again, the key was to relax. Once I did, it got better. But now we would put the palmas and the llamada moves together, a la Carmen Amaya.

It was really weird trying the moves that she did because it is really like performing and becoming another person or trying to become another person. I really have to think about if this is what I want to achieve in the re-performance.

Dancing like this, though, really gave a sense of strength and conviction, because that was what Amaya was about. Her performances where characterised by strength, and she had this like no other male dancer at that time, apparently. It was so unusual for a woman to dance like that with such masculinity in the late 30's, now its more normal but she was unique.

But if I wanted to get these steps right, I have to feel the force, particularly in steps such as the planta and tacon. That doesn't necessarily mean stamping louder, but just with that little bit more security and grounding would help. Can I really begin to feel this?

So I tried almost emulating that strength and the positioning of her body in the moves she did for the introduction to the performance, the palmas, through to the grabbing of the jacket, through to the llamada etc. If I'm honest, I was so proud of myself for getting through that bit - and sometimes it was good. Just some mistakes on the llamada, but practice will help that.

There's lots of work to be done on the positioning of my body etc, but essentially I did feel that I became stronger and 'grander', more confident by doing these steps and I think that's what Amaya was trying to do. Give women more confidence in themselves.

After a quick run through of the 2 marcages that we'd started on Tuesday, the lesson ended with the advice that I need to work a lot over the weekend, and this evening, I went to see Toni, my teacher, perform in 'Opera y Flamenco' at Teatro Poliorama, on Las Ramblas. I was curious to know if he performed as well as taught, so it was interesting to see him in that context and how flamenco is of course a performance which includes a bit of acting. The dancing itself was great, and the singers and musicians were just amazing. In fact, I immediately recognised some of the musicians from the 'Bajari' feature documentary I saw last weekend. It was just so brilliant to see and hear such talented people perform in this amazing city. I feel very lucky about that.

It also made me think about where I should film my re-performance. Should I try and hire a theatre, or is a studio OK? I'll have to process that one.

So that was me for today. Pleased with the progress, but aware I have so much to do. Another great day in Barca. Video footage to follow...

Saludos.