So, it would appear that my right knee and its stupid sprained ligament have made a comeback at a most inopportune (yet unsurprising) moment. Not a huge deal or anything... I can walk fine, but I feel the stairs and I definitely feel it when dancing. Very annoying. I wonder what did it? The constant walking on stone-paved streets? The abuse of daily flamenco classes and the related practice time? Probably a mix of both.
In any case, I'm being mindful of it and taking it easy in class. The walking, I can do nothing about.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sunday afternoons in Jerez
Ah, the charm of the European small(ish) town... For a Victoria-sized city with such a lively night life, Jerez is pretty much a dead zone on Sunday afternoons. Almost all shops are closed -- even the larger, chain grocery stores (or most of them) and many tapa bars and cafes (or they close after 2 and don't reopen in the evening).
So today, after our classes (Carolyn and I are both taking classes in the morning this week), we've just been relaxing and enjoying some quiet time... A first since we got here! Must say it's rather nice. We will even have a chance to have supper before we head off to the show (Rosario Toledo and Joaquin Grilo are on tonight)!
Tomorrow will be a different story--we're back to practice time and class time... So, that will leave us with very little time in between. But that's ok. How often do we get to positively OD on flamenco?
I'm absolutely loving my class this week, btw. Ángel Muñoz is not only a ridiculously talented bailaor--he's also a brilliant teacher. I'm glad I decided to take a lower level on this second week! My class last week was also pretty great, but I had to be on my toes (not literally) all the time. It's nice to be able to focus more on fine-tuning stuff now, rather than just on trying to remember choreography.
Looking forward to the rest of the week.
So today, after our classes (Carolyn and I are both taking classes in the morning this week), we've just been relaxing and enjoying some quiet time... A first since we got here! Must say it's rather nice. We will even have a chance to have supper before we head off to the show (Rosario Toledo and Joaquin Grilo are on tonight)!
Tomorrow will be a different story--we're back to practice time and class time... So, that will leave us with very little time in between. But that's ok. How often do we get to positively OD on flamenco?
I'm absolutely loving my class this week, btw. Ángel Muñoz is not only a ridiculously talented bailaor--he's also a brilliant teacher. I'm glad I decided to take a lower level on this second week! My class last week was also pretty great, but I had to be on my toes (not literally) all the time. It's nice to be able to focus more on fine-tuning stuff now, rather than just on trying to remember choreography.
Looking forward to the rest of the week.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Day trip to Sevilla
I love Sevilla. So lively, so lovely, so clean.
One of these decades, I really should make a point of going back and staying longer than a day. Mind you, my full day and a half there four years ago was loooong in comparison to today's quick day trip.
We took the 9:30 train out of Jerez and arrived in Sevilla just before 11. Then, we walked, walked, walked. And walked some more, crisscrossing all over the historical centre. We oohed and aahed at the cathedral and the outside of the Reales Alcázares, even though both Carolyn and I had been there before. But, let's face it: the biggest cathedral in the whole wide world? Still a sight to behold. My favourite part is still the super tall minaret-turned-belltower, the world-famous Giralda.
After oohing and aahing, we shopped for some flamenco-related items impossible to find at home and had lunch at a little Italian restaurant facing one of the many little plazas in the historical centre. Why go to Spain and eat at Italian restaurants, you may ask? Because they're like the Second Coming when you're vegetarian, that's why!
On our way back to the train station, we stumbled upon a "flamenco museum." We didn't go in, but checked out the super-touristy shop and these:
(Couldn't resist the cheesy photo-op...)
Anyway, tomorrow it's back to classes -- this time in the mornings. Hard to believe we've officially hit the half-point of our time in Jerez!
One of these decades, I really should make a point of going back and staying longer than a day. Mind you, my full day and a half there four years ago was loooong in comparison to today's quick day trip.
We took the 9:30 train out of Jerez and arrived in Sevilla just before 11. Then, we walked, walked, walked. And walked some more, crisscrossing all over the historical centre. We oohed and aahed at the cathedral and the outside of the Reales Alcázares, even though both Carolyn and I had been there before. But, let's face it: the biggest cathedral in the whole wide world? Still a sight to behold. My favourite part is still the super tall minaret-turned-belltower, the world-famous Giralda.
On our way back to the train station, we stumbled upon a "flamenco museum." We didn't go in, but checked out the super-touristy shop and these:
Anyway, tomorrow it's back to classes -- this time in the mornings. Hard to believe we've officially hit the half-point of our time in Jerez!
Friday, March 4, 2011
All's well that ends well...
Today was the end of our first week of classes. Time sure flies when you're having fun! Tonight we're off to see Isabel Bayón's company at the Villamarta--I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a more traditional show.
Tomorrow's our one day off, and we're using it to go to Sevilla on a day trip (did anyone say, "crazy wonderful flamenco shopping district?") Then, on Sunday we start our second week of classes... And we go on till the bitter end!
Here's hoping for happy toes! (current status = Owie)
Tomorrow's our one day off, and we're using it to go to Sevilla on a day trip (did anyone say, "crazy wonderful flamenco shopping district?") Then, on Sunday we start our second week of classes... And we go on till the bitter end!
Here's hoping for happy toes! (current status = Owie)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Hungering for a bit of flamenco puro...
An odd title, yes. Especially considering I'm in Jerez de la Frontera, if not the birthplace of flamenco, as close to that as anything gets.
But the thing is, so far, we've been so busy with classes and practice (and the consequent sore toes [me], blisters [Carolyn] and the odd strained muscle or joint [both of us]), we've pretty much stuck to the shows at the Teatro Villamarta. So far. Because the Flamenco Festival is not limited to the theatre, no sir. There's flamenco all friggin' over, all friggin' day and night long. Official festival programming all over town, plus the usual peñas, café cantantes, juergas and all other shape, manner and form of flamenco imaginable and unimaginable in this world (and, likely, others).
Still, the shows at the Villamarta are free for us students, so it's not something to be passed by just 'cause. The tricky bit is that, it being the Festival de Jerez, it's a showcase of old and new, traditional and innovative, puro (pure) and fusion. And, so far, the only traditional (puro) flamenco we've caught at the theatre was on our first night, with La Farruca's fantastic show...
On Day Two, we had that Japanese guy's flamenco / balleticky rendition of the Spanish traditional play, La Celestina.
Day Three = dark stage
Day Four (yesterday) = Rubén Olmos's very strange, very fusiony show, which had very little flamenco, but lots of modern and fusion and ballet and... Carolyn loved it, self-admittedly because of her ballet background. I mostly hated it, self-admittedly because it seemed to me just a crazy mix just for the sake of making a crazy-mix show. There were bagpipes at one point on stage, for crissakes! BAGPIPES! And a marching band. And a cross-dressing principal dancer in a fluffy-sleeved bata de cola. And... did I mention the friggin' bagpipes??? I'm not saying the dancers weren't talented, or that the show didn't earn kudos for its courage and inventiveness, but... Bagpipes and a marching band? There's flamenco / modern fusion. And there's somebody's crazy dream turned into a stage production. In all fairness, though, there were a couple of the group choreographies I did enjoy: a foursome of women doing an amazingly in-sync piece with mantones, for one thing, and crazy Rubén's use of his very own mantón (or is it a MAN-ton?)
Day Five (today) = A cute, enjoyable more-play-than-dance-show production by Javier Latorre and his company. I felt bad for the non-Spanish speakers because there was a lot of dialogue and some of it was pretty poetic. Overall, I enjoyed it because it was fun (and, self-admittedly, because of my theatre background) and cute and clever. But I still want to watch some "real" flamenco pretty soon...
The program for next week looks promising, though! Manuela Carrasco, Mercedes Ruiz... I can't wait!
And there's, of course, the other flamenco. The peñas, the café cantantes, the odd construction worker breaking into song or the person reviewing their footwork in the middle of the street. Or the car going by, stereo blasting flamenco out of the open windows...
But the thing is, so far, we've been so busy with classes and practice (and the consequent sore toes [me], blisters [Carolyn] and the odd strained muscle or joint [both of us]), we've pretty much stuck to the shows at the Teatro Villamarta. So far. Because the Flamenco Festival is not limited to the theatre, no sir. There's flamenco all friggin' over, all friggin' day and night long. Official festival programming all over town, plus the usual peñas, café cantantes, juergas and all other shape, manner and form of flamenco imaginable and unimaginable in this world (and, likely, others).
Still, the shows at the Villamarta are free for us students, so it's not something to be passed by just 'cause. The tricky bit is that, it being the Festival de Jerez, it's a showcase of old and new, traditional and innovative, puro (pure) and fusion. And, so far, the only traditional (puro) flamenco we've caught at the theatre was on our first night, with La Farruca's fantastic show...
On Day Two, we had that Japanese guy's flamenco / balleticky rendition of the Spanish traditional play, La Celestina.
Day Three = dark stage
Day Four (yesterday) = Rubén Olmos's very strange, very fusiony show, which had very little flamenco, but lots of modern and fusion and ballet and... Carolyn loved it, self-admittedly because of her ballet background. I mostly hated it, self-admittedly because it seemed to me just a crazy mix just for the sake of making a crazy-mix show. There were bagpipes at one point on stage, for crissakes! BAGPIPES! And a marching band. And a cross-dressing principal dancer in a fluffy-sleeved bata de cola. And... did I mention the friggin' bagpipes??? I'm not saying the dancers weren't talented, or that the show didn't earn kudos for its courage and inventiveness, but... Bagpipes and a marching band? There's flamenco / modern fusion. And there's somebody's crazy dream turned into a stage production. In all fairness, though, there were a couple of the group choreographies I did enjoy: a foursome of women doing an amazingly in-sync piece with mantones, for one thing, and crazy Rubén's use of his very own mantón (or is it a MAN-ton?)
Day Five (today) = A cute, enjoyable more-play-than-dance-show production by Javier Latorre and his company. I felt bad for the non-Spanish speakers because there was a lot of dialogue and some of it was pretty poetic. Overall, I enjoyed it because it was fun (and, self-admittedly, because of my theatre background) and cute and clever. But I still want to watch some "real" flamenco pretty soon...
The program for next week looks promising, though! Manuela Carrasco, Mercedes Ruiz... I can't wait!
And there's, of course, the other flamenco. The peñas, the café cantantes, the odd construction worker breaking into song or the person reviewing their footwork in the middle of the street. Or the car going by, stereo blasting flamenco out of the open windows...
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Five days in, and we're practically Spanish!
Actually, I was just referring to our eating habits--Carolyn still doesn't speak the language and, even though I do and I'm getting used to the Andalucian accent, I'm still having a hard time with it at times. But we've started to sit down for dinner between 9 and 11:30 at night! Now all we need is a siesta between 2 and 5 in the afternoon, and we're set! Ole!
All week we've been waking up early (for vacationers) and heading down to Joanna Parmelee's practice studios on Calle Benavente Bajo, a short walk from our little flat. Mind you. In downtown Jerez, everything is a short walk away from everything else. We knew of Joanna from our Victoria flamenco mentor, Veronica Maguire, who strongly suggested that we book one of Joanna's two little studios to practice what we learn in our workshops. These are the two little courtyards inside Joanna's place:
And here we are, at the front door:
If we look bundled, we are. Today was the coldest day here so far, at 14 degrees Celsius. Still better than 5. And so much better than snow (and windstorms--sorry, Victoria friends!)
Till next time.
All week we've been waking up early (for vacationers) and heading down to Joanna Parmelee's practice studios on Calle Benavente Bajo, a short walk from our little flat. Mind you. In downtown Jerez, everything is a short walk away from everything else. We knew of Joanna from our Victoria flamenco mentor, Veronica Maguire, who strongly suggested that we book one of Joanna's two little studios to practice what we learn in our workshops. These are the two little courtyards inside Joanna's place:
And here we are, at the front door:
If we look bundled, we are. Today was the coldest day here so far, at 14 degrees Celsius. Still better than 5. And so much better than snow (and windstorms--sorry, Victoria friends!)
Till next time.
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