During one of my craziest weekends ever, a thrilling surprise...I attended a flamenco Carnaval celebration, got signed up (somewhat unwillingly) for more contests than I wanted to...and was voted Queen of the Carnaval!
I was shocked and stunned when my name was called, because I was competing with some fierce talent in my flamenco school. I wasn't even thinking of the Queen title...I just wanted to dance in the Illegales competition, no pressure, just for fun. I thought that, compared to my Sevillanas dance with castanets, there were dancers much more impressive than myself. The tangos improvisation from the girl in the beautiful dress, and the big floor-breaking lightning-footwork dude, and the reigning Queen who'd improved throughout the year, and of course the hot bellydancer were all very engaging and entertaining. (Ok, the dude couldn't be Queen, but seeing him dance, I knew it was finished for me in Illegales.) So being voted Queen was a privilege and a huge surprise.
This was on Saturday night, and it followed a very interesting afternoon, where I had been hired to dance for a major department store as they unveiled a new perfume. The manager wanted to add a flamenco air to the occasion. (I'm not sure if I'm permitted to mention names here...but the perfume belongs to a certain new mother of twins [wink].) It was my first paid dance assignment ever, and while I was apprehensive about it, it turned out to be a fun time, and I was much more at ease than I thought I would be. Who knew I had it in me? You hear all the time how good it is to push yourself out of your comfort zone, and I tend to ignore that as a worn-out platitude, but there's the proof for me right there.
So I got the regalia pictured above...the sash, and a beautiful Spanish haircomb called a "pineta", which adds several inches to my height, huzzah! (I sure do need it.) I also get free admission for the rest of the year to future events at the studio. What I need now is a royal leg masseur, because after all that plus my regular dance class the next day, my calf muscles are absolutely killing me.
2 comments:
Wow :-) Sounds like a lot of fun!! And congrats !! ;-) I don't know anything about the flamenco dance - how long have you been dancing flamenco ?
Thank you! I have only been dancing flamenco for two years, but previously I studied different forms of dance, so I can catch on to steps and choreography fairly easily.
Flamenco is the traditional dance of Spain. It is done by both men and women, but without a partner. It involves a lot of sharp staccato footwork with awsomely noisy shoes, and is done with accompaniment of beautiful Spanish guitar and sometimes percussion. Someday, I'll post a video :)
Post a Comment