Learning flamenco in Spain can feel like an ‘easier’ process sometimes, especially when our classes are accompanied by flamenco singers and guitarists. Afterall, in the land of flamenco, there is much available talent. The holistic approach enables us to ‘fast-track’ what we absorb and practise.
It’s a different story outside Spain. Most of the teachers and students I meet in the cities Manuel and I tour to, raise the challenge of the lack of guitarists and singers to accompany their…
Grab a drink with us at Kith Cafe Marina Square (Sat 18 May, 9-10pm). Chat with guitarist Adien about playing across genres of flamenco, jazz, blues, bossa, rock and the Indonesian music scene.
Get to meet Terry, of The Guitar Gallery, wonderful supporter of the scene. Try out his array of guitars when you visit. We always end up playing or singing at his shop, one of the spontaneous places in Singapore. Meet some of the players and budding ones…
Super-charge your dance with Manuel Betanzos, the ‘Olympics Coach of Flamenco’. Here comes the maestro who lights the way for students and hands them the Torch of Learning. Make your date with him in Singapore (Wed 3 July – Sun 7 July 2019), for our annual training programme.
Personalised Training
It’s a personalised approach to flamenco training that makes learning with Manuel Betanzos special. Nothing misses his eyes. Yes, those eyes that can ‘see’ what you need, lifting you to your…
Have you been taking flamenco dance classes and thought about the cante (song) you dance to? What are the letras (lyrics), what do they say? How do we respond emotionally to, or interpret the themes of different flamenco styles. How are we equipped to express ourselves through our dance?
Perhaps we may have started out just learning steps and movement, to different rhythms and melodies without the benefit of cante in class. Afterall, this is one of the ongoing challenges…
International Day of Dance came and went yesterday. Here’s looking back on dance activities of this month, sharing some memorable times of Singapore-Vietnam dance interaction.
Right after conducting flamenco workshops and talks, we scooted off to Hoi An for a chill-out. Rest and relaxation never taste sweeter than right after a project. Hoi An enticed us into its laid-back rhythm, scenic yellow-washed alleys and riverbanks. Down-time in such a space stirs ideas and imagination.
Flamenco in Ho Chi Minh…
Once in a while, we hear a song online and can’t get it out of our head for some reason. Well, recently for me, it’s a song called Alfonsina y el Mar (Alfonsina and the Sea). Couldn’t get it out of my head for a good two weeks now.
As it floated across on my Spotify playlist (great way to discover music while working), the lyrics and melodies catch your ear. And though I didn’t listen that carefully to the…
Dear Students
I’m starting this page on my site, so that you have access to learning, remembering what you did in class. And with this, there is a responsibility on your part, to make time for practice or simply mentally rehearsing it, even as I am making time to do this for you.
A good way of learning is practising what you don’t know. So you build your learning, that you know your own work and can execute it. You will gain for…
Dear Students
General Info
I’m starting this page on my site, so that you have access to learning, remembering what you did in class. And with this, there is a responsibility on your part, to make time for practice or simply mentally rehearsing it, even as I am making time to do this for you.
A good way of learning is practising what you don’t know. So you build your learning, that you know your own work and can execute it. You will gain…
Dear Students
I’m starting this page on my site, so that you have access to learning, remembering what you did in class. And with this, there is a responsibility on your part, to make time for practice or simply mentally rehearsing it, even as I am making time to do this for you.
A good way of learning is practising what you don’t know. So you build your learning, that you know your own work and can execute it. You will gain for…
Dear Students
I’m starting this page on my site, so that you have access to learning, remembering what you did in class. And with this, there is a responsibility on your part, to make time for practice or simply mentally rehearsing it, even as I am making time to do this for you.
A good way of learning is practising what you don’t know. So you build your learning, that you know your own work and can execute it. You will…
Our chat: About the World Dance Showcase and the inspiration for it. The journey of an independent dance organiser, creating a niche and taking risks to innovate.
With: Candida Lee aka C. Kanake, the organiser and Tania Goh, Producer, Spanish Dance Singapore.
Tania (T): Candida, Thanks for inviting my company to perform at the World Dance Showcase (WDS). This is the second edition you are organising. Congratulations! I’m always interested in knowing how the seeds of the love for an art…
Flamenco Festival in Jerez this year: the cold, rainy season couldn’t dampen the warmth felt indoors, in the flamenco classes and in the theatre. What an inspiration learning from our teachers and a privilege watching the many artists on stage.
Maestro Manuel Betanzos taught two workshops – the Caracoles with fan and the Bamberas. We’ll be touring his Bamberas workshop to Taipei and Singapore (20 – 24 June 2018), as part of his Asia tour including Beijing, Hong Kong and…
Dear FriendsWe had much fun with the Tangos at Manuel Betanzos’ flamenco master workshop in Singapore last year. Here’s a video glimpse of it. We worked on a choreography to the letra of the Tangos de Triana over the weekday evenings, and on a new one over the weekend.
Sensual, earthy, redondo (roundedness) – we explored what all this was to our body, how to work our physique to the style we searched for.
Technique – working our…
These recent weeks have been filled with much inspiration watching the great flamenco maestro Manuel Betanzos teach at the workshops of the prestigious Festival de Jerez in Southern Spain.
Two full-house workshops featured his beautiful and vibrant choreographies of the Caracoles and the Bamberas, accompanied by an amazing singer, Manuel Soto and an equally amazing guitarist, Javier Ibañez. It has been greatly heartwarming to see how much the international students accomplished within one week of daily 2-hour intensive studies.
It is…
YOU ARE INVITED! SAT 21 & SUN 22 OCT are two special days – Here’s your chance to
know the Spanish Bolero School (Escuela Bolera), a balletic genre quite new to
Singapore.
Featuring 1 dance demo-talk and 2 masterclasses all conducted by guest artist, Paloma Gómez, former Principal Dancer of Spain’s acclaimed Ballet Nacional. This programme, the Heritage of the Spanish Bolero School is part of the National Art Council’s Got to Move nation-wide dance movement.
Calling Ballet Students: The Masterclass are…
With much anticipation, we finally kickstarted our inaugural Classical Spanish Dance residency with Paloma Gómez in Singapore.
This is an ongoing blog that will SUMMARISE elements of what was covered in each technique class, so as to help participants build their understanding of the Spanish Dance techniques, remember what was taught and apply to all forms of dance they do. Particularly helpful to those doing Flamenco too, as Classical Spanish Dance shares many ‘borderless’ elements and techniques. As…
If so, whether you are a beginner or advanced student in Spanish Dance, or learning Character Dance, I would encourage you to consider the Classical Spanish Dance Technique course taught by Paloma Gómez, starting this weekend. This is one of the highlights of the 1st Classical Spanish Dance Residency in Singapore.
Have a look at the content here in this link, and you’ll notice that each class will focus on a particular technique. (https://spanishdance.sg/blog/1st-classical-spanish-dance-residency-singapore-23- sep-22-oct
Some of these are uniquely…
