At my very first Flamenco performance, 1995. I attend a weekly meditation class and we've been doing a gratitude practice. There is a lot that is going on with me lately, that I will be writing about soon, but I'm not quite ready yet to reveal all of it. In the meantime, I think this practice of gratitude is a good one to set the stage for my future writings and announcements. Also, it's Thanksgiving season so the gratitude practice is very timely.
Our class' practice has consisted of writing daily lists of things for which we are grateful. I figure I will do the same here, but keep it within the scope of Flamenco and dance.
I am grateful for:
-the training and study of music and dance that I had as a child. Without it, Flamenco would have taken even more effort than the massive effort it has already taken.
-Intro to Flamenco being the only class that fit my schedule that Spring quarter at UCLA back in 1995.
-my teachers throughout the years, primarily the most influential: Raquel, Marta, and Nelson, my piano teachers with whom I spent the first half of my life; Ms. Brown, my high school dance teacher who planted the seed in my mind that I could be a professional dancer; Liliana de Leon-Torsiello for being the teacher who introduced me to Flamenco and started me on the path; Gabriela Garza for continuing me on the path and for giving me my baptism by fire in the tablao; Inmaculada Ortega for introducing me to the world of study in Spain; Manuel Reyes Maya for giving me the professional level skills that gave me the confidence to dance at a tablao in Spain and to return home to pursue my career, and finally Linda Andrade, for spending a year coaching me on the details that have made me the dancer I am today.
-my husband because he is an adventurous spirit who dropped everything and went on the Spain adventure with me.
-our four years in Spain and all the growth we experienced there.
-all the friends and family who have supported my Flamenco life.
-the studios and studio owners that gave me a chance to teach.
-the students who have attended my classes. I have learned as much from them as they have learned from me and they are the ones who have made me the teacher I am today.
-all the audiences throughout the years.
-all of the venues, the venue owners, and the producers of the shows of which I have been a part.
-all of my fellow Flamencos and Flamencas. No matter what ups and downs we have had in our community and with each other, no one else in this world fully understands the love we have for this art form that we do. We are a family.
-all of those who have come before us for preserving the art and passing on their knowledge.
Ole a todos.
Our class' practice has consisted of writing daily lists of things for which we are grateful. I figure I will do the same here, but keep it within the scope of Flamenco and dance.
I am grateful for:
-the training and study of music and dance that I had as a child. Without it, Flamenco would have taken even more effort than the massive effort it has already taken.
-Intro to Flamenco being the only class that fit my schedule that Spring quarter at UCLA back in 1995.
-my teachers throughout the years, primarily the most influential: Raquel, Marta, and Nelson, my piano teachers with whom I spent the first half of my life; Ms. Brown, my high school dance teacher who planted the seed in my mind that I could be a professional dancer; Liliana de Leon-Torsiello for being the teacher who introduced me to Flamenco and started me on the path; Gabriela Garza for continuing me on the path and for giving me my baptism by fire in the tablao; Inmaculada Ortega for introducing me to the world of study in Spain; Manuel Reyes Maya for giving me the professional level skills that gave me the confidence to dance at a tablao in Spain and to return home to pursue my career, and finally Linda Andrade, for spending a year coaching me on the details that have made me the dancer I am today.
-my husband because he is an adventurous spirit who dropped everything and went on the Spain adventure with me.
-our four years in Spain and all the growth we experienced there.
-all the friends and family who have supported my Flamenco life.
-the studios and studio owners that gave me a chance to teach.
-the students who have attended my classes. I have learned as much from them as they have learned from me and they are the ones who have made me the teacher I am today.
-all the audiences throughout the years.
-all of the venues, the venue owners, and the producers of the shows of which I have been a part.
-all of my fellow Flamencos and Flamencas. No matter what ups and downs we have had in our community and with each other, no one else in this world fully understands the love we have for this art form that we do. We are a family.
-all of those who have come before us for preserving the art and passing on their knowledge.
Ole a todos.
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