In the video tutorial below I take you through the basic movement of the hands and fingers used in flamenco dancing.
First we’ll focus solely on the movement of the hands.
Then we will look at the finger movements.
Things to remember about rotating the hands in flamenco:
1. Rotate the hands in a circular motion.
I love the analogy they use in Spain where you pretend you’re twisting an orange, or the fruit of your choosing, off of the tree.
2. Move the hands in isolation of the arms.
Focus on engaging the muscles in your forearms to help you move the hands. This will allow you to rotate without using your elbows or upper arms.
Once you feel good about the rotations, you’re ready to add the fingers.
Things to remember about the finger movements in flamenco:
1. There are many different ways to move the fingers.
You may fan beginning with your pinky.
You may fan beginning with your pointer finger.
These are just a couple of options.
Sometimes you may choose not to move the fingers at all.
2. Be aware of your thumbs, and don’t leave them sticking out on their own.
(Matilde Coral taught me to bring the thumb and middle finger toward each other. I love how this looks, and it helps to remind you to bring the thumb in. You can also bring the thumb and the pointer finger toward each other.)
In Summary
We must dedicate time to flamenco hand technique so that the movements become second nature.
If not, our hands will freeze in awkward positions when we are concentrating on other things such as a tricky step or the rhythm.
The good news is that there are MANY ways to move the hands in flamenco.
So, practice a lot, and experiment to see what you like.
Then watch as your hand movements automatic, and you can focus on the steps!
Was this helpful for you?
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