Tuesday, December 31, 2013

First class of escuela bolera

Once again - at the last moment and tired. This time accept the shoes and dress I was armed with castanets. I learned using it before but it was a long time ago and I didn't touch it for years. I got up fast to the balcony. Yeah, Ilan did come for a trial. He got down in the stairs when I got up. He was holding his flamenco shoes at his hands. I thought at the start that he's at his socks on his feet without any shoes. Just a crazy way to say "hello" as I can do only with him. Dressed up fast and got down. There was a brake between classes. I took my time to talk. I finally understood what I saw - he took it seriously and was wearing ballet shoes (or at least something which looks like). This is weird... He said that think so too and doesn't sure that he likes it. He was trying to convince me that I shouldn't wear a dress now at those classes because of it hides the feet. 

Class has started. Only then the dragon tattoo girl came. The happy one didn't come at all. Ayelet and Moran stayed as usual, This time also Hadas. Mijal's daughter joined us. We've been asked to put our castanets. Each one of us stood at the ordinary places. We've been asked to stand in a circle. Mijal gave a little lecture about escuela bolera - a dance which was there before flamenco. She remind the family of Pericet who are teaching it and count as great in it. And how to put the castanets on the hands. The putting the castanets wasn't new to me although I still need some help from time at the looseness. Mijal called it "tourniquet". Then she asked who's lefthanded. I said that I do. One more girl pulled up her hand too. Mijal asked me to stand by her. I came to stand next to her. She said that now - every time she say "right" I need to use my left. I know that... It was a bit hard to go back to it after all this time cause I became a little rusty, but it's like riding a bike. I didn't lose it. I still felt I have the technique but can't use it to the end like could if I still took some practise. Mijal didn't have much to fix me. Once she did was after my head was at the clouds. Another time was because I didn't use my castanets for too long and things has been forgotten. The dragon tattoo and the looking girl were sharing the same couple of castanets when Mijal noticed it - she brought them two more couples for choosing. 

And standing in the front of the mirror. Some more about escuela bolera. The ballet thing, the thing it has some moves and dances without any way to make any personal interpretation... Mijal said it's good for any dancer to try it for learning another way to use the body better. But in the end of class will be a buleria for having some flamenco after all. 

For the moves - Mijal said that because of time it has been made all movements fit to the crinoline women were wearing under their dresses. We learned two drills of ballet moves, two drills of castanets which fit the moves, we've been asked to mix between both if we can. It was pretty confusing at the start. At the first times not only the mixing between - few times me and others got confused about which leg comes first. Every while we've been asked to notice crinoline we don't wear and dance in a way we don't ruin the crinoline. Mijal was walking between us from time to time for fixing. I was one of the lucky girls who didn't need the fixing. It was after I could remember which leg... At my head I made a try to imagine the big dresses of 16th century with crinolines for making my moves fit to it. 

We started to learn a dance of escuela bolera. Still not with using castanets. Few little steps and where to take our hands. Mijal said that each dance of escuela bolera has a name and the one she started to teach us called "Ole de La Curra", maybe after a dancer. She was impressed by the way we danced it. 

And for the end - sevillanas. Mijal said that from now on each class will end with it. A song was on. We've been asked to be in couples. Some became. I asked Ilan to be my partner in it. He didn't accept me or the other one who asked for it. I'm still rusty in that as well and I found out why did Ilan wanted to do it alone. From the middle of the third one or so - he's rusty as well. 

End of class. Mijal said that this time wasn't enough time, but since next week we'll have a little time for buleria as well near the end of classes. 

Ilan said that he isn't used to dance sevillanas with castanets. For me it was first time this way too... This class was a nice try so far. Because of it I was looking for a video of Ola de La Curra. 

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