Flamenco Inesita

 For some months I have posted excerpts from my book, “A Dancer’s Life”, a chronicle of  performing experiences over decades as” blogs” on this site. It is an introduction to an unusual career covering many venues and situations as a Spanish dancer, (usually designated as flamenco). Flamenco has evolved over the years and remains the most popular manifestation of the dance art of Spain.

My journey into this type of dance has been a varied one and has not been confined to a Spanish environment exclusively.  I have been engaged in the world of entertainment as “show business” on all levels from cabaret to concert and back again. Flamenco can be seen anywhere and still retain its essence.  As my work is an ongoing process and I continue to perform, it is open-ended just as Flamenco is: an endless chain of rhythm. Flamenco as a dance form tells no stories of fact or fiction. I believe this form of dance expression is thought of in terms of choreography. This is not the case. The variations in flamenco are fragments and are short in length. The sequences can be rearranged within the dance. As an abstraction, it is not representational. There is no room for narrative.  There is no need to tell a story. Superimposing a libretto of any sort diminishes the power inherent in the dance itself. The interplay of forces between the dance, guitar and song is unique. Like every art form the study of flamenco in all its facets requires dedication, focus, and constant revision. To achieve control, power, and articulation, one must not stand still, but look forward to ever more meaning.