Monday, May 24, 2010

Flamenco is sweet and sticky and hot and spicy like dried mangos covered in red hot chili peppers


Today’s private lesson with Maya was so enriching. I am deeply intrigued by her singing in Spanish, although she does not really speak the language. Her family speaks Spanish around her and she picks up words and some meanings, and then she strings them together without any apparent reason to accompany herself as she dances flamenco. This is such a deep personal expression that I am put in awe at the extent of her inner being. She reaches into her core to find this and shares it with me. She finds peace in our world.

I sometimes have Anthony play the piano for her and they make a beautiful duet, both so dedicated to their expression. Maya is like a smoldering fire. She is the glowing remains of a raging fire that licks at the air and crackles with internal energy. Anthony is so cool he is hot. Like ice that burns. His cool air passes through Maya and her heat crackles louder. Together they are so moving.

I worked with Maya today on the concept of being light in the arm pits, to use the inner armpit muscles to lift the arms, rather than the arm itself. You need to open your chest from right in the middle of the rib cage (like a lobster being cracked open), lift the side rib muscles, lift the armpit muscles and at the same time open your outer shoulder blades while at the same time there is a subtle pulling in between the two inner shoulder blades.

From yoga to flamenco the two art forms merge.

Ole Namaste!

No comments:

Post a Comment