đź’«Welcome to a brand new year.đź’«
Let’s start things off by celebrating some happy flamenco memories from the past year.
Below I share some of my favorite flamenco experiences from 2025. I would love to hear about some of your favorites too!
Each event listed offered an opportunity to gather with flamenco enthusiasts from near and far to enjoy this amazing art form together.
I’ll be honest, I struggled during this past year, and these flamenco moments and the people who formed part of them helped make things better.
In a big way.
So here are my top nine flamenco memories (in chronological order) of the year.
1. In Person & Hybrid Flamenco Classes
We laughed, and learned, and danced together in person and virtually online.
It felt great dancing together in person here in town, and having students from across the globe join us from their homes for hybrid classes made class even more special!
I could not have made it through without the help of Julie, Mindy, and Liliana who helped me when I injured my foot at the beginning of the year.
2. Online BulerĂas Workshop with Carmen Herrera & JosĂ© Mijita
JosĂ© and Carmen came to us live - for the sixth time - from La Plazuela in Jerez to help uncover the mysteries of how cante and baile work together in bulerĂas. We loved listening to JosĂ© sing bulerĂas while Carmen showed us how to respond to the singing as a dancer. (Later in the year some of us got to study with these two in person in Jerez!)
3. Summer Flamenco Tour to Granada
From private classes with Ivan Vargas at his family’s cave in El Sacromonte to a flamenco intention class wtih Irene “La Serranilla” to baile and compás classes at Carmen de las Cuevas, we filled our brains and bodies with flamenco knowledge. We saw performances at the Generalife in the Alhambra and the Carlos V Palace, a show at t historic Peña la PlaterĂa along with many other captivating tablao shows around town. We took a guided to tour of the Alhambra, relaxed at the hammam, toured around town soaking in the sites of this magical city.
4. Cristina Hall Workshops
Cristina worked us hard during for a three day intensive in August. Locals and out of towners joined us in Portland and those who couldn’t make it to town joined online.
6. Emilio Ochando Workshops
Mantón, castañuelas, técnica… Our beloved Emilio managed to squeeze it all in for us and kept us laughing and learning for three days straight! After watching him perform with Flamenco Vivo in the spring, it was a huge treat that he could come back to town to give us workhops. And the fact that we got to celebrate his birthday with him made it all the more special. Local Portlanders, out of town guests, and online amigos joined in the fun.
7. Vancouver Visit for a Tribute to Oscar Nieto
I was grateful for the chance to travel to Vancouver, Canada to see the very moving flamenco tribute to the one and only, Oscar Nieto, "Oscar: Homage to the Rebel Maestro of Flamenco,” put together by his Canadian flamenco community. Wow! They did an incredible job, and it was so wonderful to see Oscar, one of my first flamenco mentors, who I hadn’t seen in person since before Covid. Oscar has taught me so many important lessons about life and flamenco: the importance of a strong work ethic and how the show must go on, the value in listening to early flamenco cante, and how our relationship to flamenco evolves as we age, to name a few. (You can make a donation here to the campaign to help Oscar cover his medical expenses related to his Parkinson’s.)
8. Fall Flamenco Tour to Jerez
After four years, it felt so good to return to Jerez! We danced it up in our classes with Mercedes RuĂz where we studied techique, tangos, and castanets. We dove deep into bulerĂas with Ana MarĂa LĂłpez, Carmen Herrera and JosĂ© Mijita, and Esther Aranda. We learned about the sound of flamenco with David Lagos. We enjoyed meals around town, shopped, and relaxed at the spa. We were treated to a private show hosted by Mercedes and even got to see her perform in Sevilla! Of course we also visited a sherry bodega and some beautiful Andalusian horses.
(Side note: It felt sad to be in Jerez with Zorri no longer there, but his spirit lives on in the streets, in class with Ani, in the peñas, and in the air of the Plazuela. God rest his soul 🕊️.)
9. Special Events
Sprinkled throughout the year were a variety of special events. One favorite this year was teaching a class with Marco at the Doc Martens headquarters. The employees were in it. We laughed, learned, danced, and gave lots of jaleos, but unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures. Other fun events were summer intensives for the kids at Steps PDX and Bodyvox, our community flamenco sale, and student shows at Bodyvox. ¡Olé!
You may have noticed the absence of the Flamenco Retreat at the Oregon Coast in the list above.
The main reason for that was a foot injury I have been dealing with this year which made it hard to imagine teaching a weekend intensive. But I think I can make it happen in 2026!
It feels good to celebrate these good times from the past year, and I invite you to do the same.
Thank you for being here.
I wish you a Happy New Year filled with lots of flamenco.
Feliz Año Nuevo
What about You?
What was one of your favorite flamenco moments of the year? It could be something very small or very big. Please share in the comments below.
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