Tierra....it's over

Thanks to all of you who came out to see Tierra - after all the work & lead-up to the show we were thrilled that we had such a receptive audience to perform to! Thanks so much for bringing your friends & family, as I know many of you did. Thanks for filling up those seats - all the Ole's.... I love coming back to class & seeing your inspired faces. That's one of the reasons we bring flamencos into Calgary. Listening to cante on a CD is not quite the same thing! :-) Nothing like a live Martinete resounding throughout the theatre.

Several of you have asked what it was like having everyone here. Intense and wonderful. Over 2 weeks of dedicated immersion. Not only are you rehearsing and creating with the other artists but you are living with them in the same house, eating together, spending practically every moment together. It was one noisy place! Rehearsals downstairs and upstairs simultaneously. Guitar lessons on the outdoor deck. Ilse moved a dancefloor into the garage to practice there! Needless to say we invited our neighbours to the show after all of that :-)

Creating a full-length show in a few weeks was a lofty task, especially with the integration of the environmental themes. It was such a wonderful and artistically challenging process. This is why we do what we do - why we dedicate our lives to flamenco - give up so much - so that we can be here, gathering our talents and ideas, collaborating together, creating a show. Flamenco puro for the stage! To have your work enhanced by the musical and choreographic ideas of others, adding the lighting effects, the energy of the audience - it all creates a special magic that can't be replicated anywhere else.

Each show was completely different. Those of you who saw both nights know what I mean. For me it was a great learning experience, adapting to changes that happen onstage - pulling it all together. It wasn't quite as I expected it to be - but flamenco is full of surprises. Some moments on stage were so charged, and the way Vicente sang (so incredibly powerful) I almost didn't need to dance, he carried me with his voice. Some of our best moments were also backstage or in rehearsal, those spontaneous jamming moments. Ideas pop out and disappear so quickly that you can barely grasp them...your dance becomes a reaction to the creativity around you. I love that about flamenco. The cycle of energy and emotion, the support of jaleos and palmas - the feeling when everyone catches the remates....like we are all working on a purely 'flamenco' level of consciousness.

Those of you who saw the show, may have picked up on the vibe of the group. We felt like a flamenco family by the end of it...we spent a whole lot of time in fits of laughter...whether it was during rehearsal or afterwards watching flamenco clips or comedies. Ricardo and Vicente are born comedians themselves. I put them in the 2 rooms downstairs and almost nightly we would hear the sound of their laughter (deep belly laughs) coming up through the floorboards. That would get us laughing upstairs...soon there was this cycle of laughter on all floors! That's how many nights ended....

It is a beautiful opportunity to be able to get up, rehearse, eat and rehearse some more. I love the focus of the lifestyle and how the pieces get tighter and more cohesive every day. It is a rare occurrence to have so many international flamencos in Calgary for such a period of time! I am so happy that many of you were able to participate in the workshops, guitar classes, watching the rehearsals and attending the shows. We hope that your love for flamenco grew just a little bit more as did ours!

Please post your comments about the show on the blog. You can also post comments and a show rating on http://www.flamenco.ca/

Pictures are soon to follow....keep checking back!