Friday, August 5, 2011

The start of my first year of flamenco

I started to learn dancing flamenco a year after I got back living in Tel Aviv, after many years I lived in another city - not too far. I had a weird time in my life and felt I want to learn something. I found out I can learn flamenco from a great dancer near my house. As far as I loved flamenco before - I thought it will be a good idea, mostly after I saw from outside how it looked like. It was in the street view with some windows which gave a chance to see... My teacher moved the classes to other places and I still go wherever she moves. It's already third place in 5 years.
I still wasn't very in the scene, so some close people didn't really understand why do I take it. I have to say that in those 5 years many things changed in me. One of the things is that I'm totally in the scene - even without being a profecional dancer. I got in that much till some of the girls I get to know see me as someone who knows all. Well, I know a lot now, but I still have a lot to learn. Anyway, it helps me that I always do some checking in the right places about shows/movies. A lot of basic information I know from my teacher. She has a lot of knoledge and ecxpirience. She tells a lot from it, mostly for the beginers. I always do my best to listen to her. I learned a lot from her, more than the steps.
The buying of the clothes was pretty crazy. Although the scene of flamenco - only recently it started to be easier to find some flamenco clothes in Israel. I went to a store of dance clothes, a store which has clothes for all kinds of dance. I went with one of my sisters. I remember myself do some mess in the store for finding a skirt or a dress. They had mostly skirts. I had a problem: I didn't like some of the skirts, others didn't fit... My sister had to remind me how fat I am. Nice, isn't? In the end - the lady who worked there saw I through  almost on all the flamenco skirts and didn't choose any - told me to wait a moment. She will bring me something special from the back which they don't show everyone. She brough me a black dress with long sleevs (almost till the elbos) which has "bells" in the end of the sleevs. I tried it. It was fitting me well and I fell inlove. I almost went out to the street with it just because it was so beautiful. I still have it. After 5 years and who knows how many showers it had - still hang on. And I still love it. When I first came with it to class - the other girls opened their eyes and asked me where I got it. I still hear this quetion from time to time. When I tell them - I hear that they didn't see it there. Ofcorse! This is something special! But I saw like this in the interenet as well - for perofirming.
When it moved for choosing shoes - it was easier. The lady from the store showed me three models: one is made in Israel and not so good, other one made in Brazil and a little better, and the third made in Spain (Menkes). I've been told in the store it's like the Mercedes of the flamenco shoes. I got into the Mercedes without a second thought.  The first try was good. Again - I almost went out with it, but I didn't want to ruin the shoes/Mercedes before I learned even one step of flamenco. In my first year I didn't stop thinking I dance in a Mercedes.  That was REALLY nice...!
In the first year I didn't feel too much compotition. It mostly look at others and see who dance better and who's worse. I guess I was somewhere in the middle. Another thing which changed in me was the stress. I thought I was crazy to get into a group and dance. It stressed me that other people will see me dance. Till the end of the year it changed. Even that now I can easlymake mistakes - I love that people look at me dance. I won't upload to here in the close time cause all the videos I have includes other girls too, and I don't think they would like me to upload it. THe first time I notice it was through a mother of a child who started to learn after the start of the year. The mother knows my teacher from long time ago and made her daugther start to dance. She used to seat and stair at us in the classes. That was for making sure that the child practice at home the dance in class. And show her "wisdom". I think that the girl is cute and she became a really good dancer, but I was sorry for her. It always looked to me that the cild learn beacause her mother wants it.  In the start the mother made me stress from another reason: she looked at us every class - all class! In some she joined us un the end. I didn't want her to look. I don't remember the ecxect moment, but there was one which I understood that I don't care anymore that she looked.
Well, it isn't all the things I remember from the first year, butI guess it's enough for one time. Other weird/funny things I had that year - next time

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