On Sunday, I went with three of my fellow middle-school teachers to a flamenco performance... right here in our little Midwestern city! A parent of one of the students at our school dances with this local flamenco company and invited us to the performance, which was an hour-long recital of all
the company's dancers. An hour of bright swirling ruffles, passionate gestures, flying guitar fingers, and stomping rhythms that seem to settle right into your hear. The dancers and guitar and cajón players were dazzling, even the beginners! And through it all, the sweet sounds of Spanish sweeping me back to
afternoons in the park, subway rides, Sundays walking through art
museums for free, Borbon and Moorish and modern architecture all mixed
together... and that intangible, indescribable "Spain" feeling. Right in the middle of Sunday afternoon at home, between lunch on the couch and NFL football. Amazing! Plus, it was my husband's first time experiencing the beautiful combination of sights and sounds that is flamenco, so it was exciting to share this little piece of Hispanic culture with him!
It left me uplifted and wondering... what other amazing things happen right here all the time that I don't know about? What cultures and art forms and activities do I miss because I don't know to look for them? What could we be missing while we sit and watch tv on a lazy afternoon?
That sounds amazing! I hope to see flamenco dancers in Spain, someday. You make me wonder what am I missing?
ReplyDeleteWhat a good question, about looking further and deeper into our own communities. Glad you had such a good experience. It sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a different, and fun, experience. I think you are right. There are so many other things out there that we would really enjoy -- yet our own complacency gets in the way.
ReplyDeleteI loved the way you described this experience...what a enriching one it was,too! And good for you that you took the step to explre what's out there in your very own neck of the woods.
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