Nine Things To Do Before You Perform

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Nine Things To Do Before You Perform

People are feeling nervous.

Nervous and anxious about the Student Showcase on Saturday.

I know this feeling.  Well.

So I thought I'd repost these tips today, performance tips.

Whether you're performing in front of your friends in class,

at a show in front of the public,

or even just in your own bedroom in front of your cat,

There are things we can do to ease our nerves ...

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Jasmine | Viernes con una Letra

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Jasmine | Viernes con una Letra

I am in Córdoba.  I like it here.

This evening we were taking a stroll, my nieces, my sister, and I.

Dando un paseo

That's something I like about Spain.  Families and friends taking walks around the town together.  It is normal.  It happens every day.  So many people out and about.  Together.

We walked by jasmine

Lots of jasmine hanging down the wall.

El olor.

The smell.

And so, one of my favorite tangos, from Camarón along with a video ...

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Flamenco Guitarist Santiago Lara, a Video Interview

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Flamenco Guitarist Santiago Lara, a Video Interview

When we're on the FlamencoTour, we hear Santi practicing. A lot.

Santiago Lara, that is.  

We're in the studio dancing.  He's either in the bathroom or upstairs practicing.  

When it's time to play for us Mercedes calls for him,

"Santi!"

I can hear her saying it now.

Actually, if you listen carefully you can hear her saying it in the video below at about 1 minute 50 seconds...

I first interviewed him in the spring of 2013.  Unfortunately, I lost all of that footage.  I know, back up.

So, I interviewed him again last fall.

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How to Play Castanets for Sevillanas | La Tercera

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How to Play Castanets for Sevillanas | La Tercera

You've probably read the basics about sevillanas.

And you've probably seen my detailed explanation of the steps to the sevillanas I learned in Jerez, from Harumi who learned them from Ani.

But now,

What about sevillanas with castanets?

The toque for the first sevillanas is here, along with the reason why I write them out in two different ways.

And you can find the toque for the second one here.

Today I post the third one ...

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"It Was My First Time in Spain"

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"It Was My First Time in Spain"

For thirty years Stella had been wanting to travel to Spain. In the fall of 2013, she finally decided to make the trip.  And she did it by joining the FlamencoTour.

"How scary it would be to come alone,"

Stella says.

"Once you come back [home] then you realize what a precious jewel you had ...  and I'm jealous of people who are going to go."

Watch the video below to hear Stella talk about her experiences in Jerez.

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It Wasn't Like My Fantasy

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It Wasn't Like My Fantasy

I mentioned that I had this fantasy of dancing on rooftops before I went to Spain for the first time. Once I settled in Sevilla and found my apartment, I was overjoyed to discover that it had an azotea.

azotea - rooftop

I wanted to go up there with my character shoes. Yes, character shoes. I was so stubborn, so green that I didn't believe having actual flamenco shoes would make that much of a difference when dancing. Anyway, I wanted to go up to try to practice the little that I could remember from class.

Carolina, my roommate, told me to make sure that the door didn't close or I would be locked up there with no way of getting down. I think she may have thought I was nuts.

So one day I went up to dance on the roof

It was sunny and beautiful. Springtime and not too hot.

But it wasn't like my fantasy.  

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