Adelaide Flamenco welcomes back Andres with open arms.

Andres, Miguel (Senovilla) and I landed in Adelaide, practically the same time as Sally (el Agua) and Jessica Statham, who arrived from
Sydney safely despite the awful events that were unfolding in that city. But life goes on, and we had to think about the task ahead of putting a smile on peoples faces, through the Bulerias, Advanced Tangos, flamenco shoes and wear.

We held the workshop in the expansive ACPA on Gibson st, 4 massive studios one after the other…which turned out to be perfect for holding a flamenco class with its wooden floors, high ceilings, and long mirrors.

In the Bulerias, as expected students were able to accustom themselves to listening to the cante, and knowing how to use the tool and techniques imparted by Andres….and I can’t wait for tonights end of fiesta 🙂

The Advanced level in Adelaide is very high and we went through a huge chunk of choreography in just 2 hours, which throughly impressed Andres.

Tonight is our last day of the tour, I’ll try to post some photos etc to make it memorable. Also tonight is the last day Miguel and Sally will be displaying their shoes and clothes. Please feel free to come and check out the stock:)

hasta pronto!
Sebastian

Hasta pronto Melbourne! Hola Adelaide!

Ole ole!!!..what a whirlwind we had in Melbourne…in a good sense of course! Another day of intense learning and choreography.
A weekend filled with intense physical work and emotion thanks to the people of Melbourne (with the addition of our Sydney loyalists :))
To say we had a ball would be cutting short but it was that…and much much more. I really enjoyed seeing the students transition of listening to the cante  of bulerias and knowing how to apply the steps Andres taught and in the end students mustered enough courage to come out and dance on their own for the typical fin de fiesta.

Awesome job guys and we even had Laura Uhe with a buggered ankle doing the Chair bulerias…Ole guapa!

We mounted more Tangos starting
with the tangos de extremadura, de repompa and to finish with granada…just brillant. Get ready Adelaide for that!
Anyway just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone for coming out to support the workshops and helping me
to make this happen in Melbourne! You have no idea how happy you have made Andres and I feel! And ah before I forget! A big gracias de corazon also to the Tedesco family for being such generous hosts to everybody that came after the workshop for drinks and tapas at the Kanela Bar. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
We hope to return again soon Melbourne y hasta la proxima! Now its Adelaide for the final leg! See you there at ACPA at 6pm or 8 pm depending!

P.S. DONT FORGET EL AGUA FLAMENCO WEAR AND MIGUEL SENOVILLA WILL BE THERE! DONT MISS THAT OUT, EVEN THOUGH YOU CANT ATTEND THE WORKSHOP 🙂

Sebastian

Day 1….Melbourne

 Day 1 in Melbourne was non-stop joy, sweat and laughs. Andres and I landed early just 90 mins before the workshop, but luckily we had Valentino to take us there with time to spare…thanks mate you’re legend! And from then on it was non-stop Buleria letras 🙂 It took a little while to break the ice of changing the dynamic from learning steps to listening to the cante. But it was incredible to see the students take that journey and in the end they were fully engaged with the cante, doing small pataitas..in just 3 hours.

Then it was time for the Tangos with the healthy addition of Sydney side students attending…you guys are awesome!!!! And then from there it was straight to the Kanela bar for some much deserved Estrella Damm on tap…no doubt we’ll be returning! See you there tonight!!!

Day 1 in Perth….Welcomes to WA, Andres

Hi Everyone,

After the incredible experience that was Sydney, Andres, Miguel and I landed safe and sound in Perth…”Boomtown” for another round of workshops and shoes! Danza Viva senior teacher Sophia Pratt welcomed us with open arms with much anticipated enthusiasm and hospitality. Here are a few words of her thoughts on the first day of workshops…

Sophia says…

“What a great start to the Perth Andres Pena course! The maestro was feeling a little hoarse after Sydney, but with some hot honey and lemon drinks he sang beautifully for us. Right from the start in the Tangos class I had goosebumps and was so excited watching my students have that experience. So happy to see our youngest course member Grace Budimlich in the class at only 11 years of age, with her sister Eloise, 13. I like this ambition! 

The Bulerias class was the challenge I expected it to be, but everyone held up well and I think a lot of people were doing better than they thought they were. The first class you feel like a fish out of water, especially if you’ve danced for a long time but have never worked with a Cantaor like Andres. Even though the steps are easy the hardest part is making sure you’re always listening and really in the moment. Kudos to Intan Oldakowska for doing a great job when Andres asked her to perform solo. 

Finally, the Farruca. Having never done a Farruca at an advanced level before I was pretty excited and the choreography doesn’t disappoint. Nor does Andres’ enthusiasm for the students and his attention to detail. The biggest thing we’re focusing on so far is not dancing a Farruca like a Tangos – keeping the hips still and the arms strong. Oh and those ‘flying hip turns’. That’s what we’re calling them, anyway :)).”

Last day in Sydney

What a way to end the workshop in Sydney…with a lot of sweat, happiness and immense gratitude, and those wild afternoon storms didn’t stop us from enjoying every minute of it.

The fandangos elementary level just looked superb…simple but still challenging enough to keep students on their toes.

And then the fin de fiesta finally came around….Andres singing for every student to get in there and put into practice what we have learned…the progress has been quite impressive.

Seeing the students come this far in just 4 days, interpreting the cante properly with Andres’s steps has been fantastic and will be so valuable the next time the end of show fiesta happens.

Ah the Solea….one of the best workshops and levels of dancing that I’ve seen so far in Australia….words cant describe the experience we had… you just had to be there.

Andres’s teaching and singing, Damian’s playing, having some of the best young talent and some of Australia’s flamenco legends mixed in the class has been quite unforgettable.

Thank you so much to Jessica Statham for being such great organiser and host….you did such an awesome professional job in making things run so smoothly. Another special big thank you to the Sydney flamenco community for supporting Andres’s visit, its been so amazing to see so many people coming to attend and observe…again thank you thank you THANK YOU SYDNEY…we’ll definitely back!

Now its time for Perth…Tangos in elementary, Bulerias de Jerez and then the Farruca in the advanced.

Can’t wait to see what WAAPA looks like!

Saludos

Day 3…Calor, calor, y mas Tormenta

Our penultimate day with Andres started off well with the Elementary Fandangos with another great turnout of students eager to learn from the maestro. Patience,a sense of humor, and a teaching methodology based on decades of experience can go along way in achieving a great class vibe with the same results….”We love you Andres!” as one of the students said…Ole!

Bulerias…another chuck of valuable info is given to us…how to leave the buleria and finish. It never ceases to amaze me to see how the students have progressed from Day 1 to this point and they are finally breaking the pattern of listening to the cante rather than just following a sequence of steps.

And then the Solea….it just gets better and better. Entrada, 2 letras, falseta and one of the coolest escobillas that we’ve seen. Andres is super happy with the level of the class and how we’ve progressed

Today is the last day! More news to come! Maybe another afternoon storm to cool us down :))

Saludos
Sebastian

Day 2…Dancing with your Eyes closed

Our second day with Andres started off with thunderous rain from an afternoon Summer storm but also a lot of joy in Dance Central.

The Bulerias level is progressing nicely with new information on half compas remates and where to put them…and again we are reminded to listen, listen and listen to the cante…even with eyes closed. Ah yes easier said than done, but luckily we have have Andres who is also an outstanding singer. We also mounted the 1st letra of Solea with a closing remate with a lot of guts and energy…cant wait for tomorrows second letra!

As mentioned before Miguel Senovilla is in Sydney until this SUNDAY selling the best shoes in flamenco today and its just unbelievable that he is here all the way from Spain to help dancers get the perfect fit, the right feel and also have their sizes on file for future orders….its been absolute bliss! No more worries!!! A lot of happy feet so far…so dont miss out this opportunity people and get yourself pair for Xmas!

So Sunday is the last day to get chance to check out Miguel’s stock and speak to the man himself at Dance Central.

More tomorrow!

Sydney…broke the ice in emphatic style!

What a way to start the tour and break the ice Sydney!

The studio was packed today with students getting the initial foundation of Andres’s
now famous and popular Bulerias de Jerez and no doubt things will progress nicely everyday! And then the Solea in the Advanced… again another
great turnout with some very high level of dancers attending…but what can we say so far about choreography…just SUBLIME.

One of the things that makes Andres classes so unique is that he teachers what he dances on stage…(check out Youtube and see!)

Today we worked on the entrada and we again enjoyed Andres capacity to teach to the level of the class without making things too hard or too easy. Andres beautiful singing brought a few tears to the eyes of more than one student and observer (You know who you are! ;)) Ah the emotion!

Damian Wright’s playing was superb throughout the class today and Andres was very appreciative of his talent and hard work!

More news coming tomorrow people! Dont forget…tomorrow classes will be held in Dance Central from now on, observers are welcome….(just come, watch and enjoy). And also check out the Senovilla shoes and El Agua flamenco wear…more on that on tomorrows blog post

Hasta pronto!
Sebastian

Tomorrow is the D-Day! Sydney Details

Hi everyone!

Andres is just hours from arriving in Sydney….we are so excited! We hope you are too! Here are some important details by Jessica Statham who will be running the Sydney leg of the tour. Check out the pics and the last week of Andres teaching in Triana!

Jessica says….

Hi everyone,

Well it’s only a short matter of time until Andres is here and I hope you’re all as excited as I am!! I just wanted to remind you all of the times, places and general details so you’re all set. I’ve attached the timetable so you all have it but the first thing to remind you of is it that the Thursday classes will be held in a different studio to the rest of the workshop

THURSDAY WORKSHOP AT THE SEYMOUR CENTRE DANCE STUDIOS
To access the dance studios you need to enter via the stage door. Best street entrance is via the gates on Shepherd St, walk straight ahead through the gates and you’ll see the stage door in front of you. There’s no parking on the grounds but there’s a parking station on the corner of Shepherd St and Cleveland St or street parking in neighbouring streets. It is also only 5mins walk from Redfern station or 2mins from buses on City Road or Broadway.

FRIDAY TO SATURDAY WORKSHOPS AT DANCE CENTRAL
Dance Central is at Level 1, 268 Cleveland St, Surry Hills. There is street parking in neighbouring streets or it is 5mins walk from Central Station & buses.

Also, our sponsors EL AGUA FLAMENCO flamenco wear and SENOVILLA flamenco dance shoes will be following Andres’ tour around Australia. It’s the perfect opportunity to try on and buy a practice skirt, get your foot properly measured up for a new pair flamenco shoes, or talk to the artisans themselves and order a new tailor-made costume or pair of shoes.

SALLY from EL AGUA FLAMENCO will be displaying her wares in the studio

Thursday: 6.00 – 6.30pm
9.30 – 10.00pm

Friday & Saturday: Attending the Bulerias workshop, without samples to display but free to chat before and after

Sunday: 1.00 – 7.30pm (Studio 2, Dance Central. She may be buleriaing a little in the middle but I’m sure you’ll all be able to catch her sometime before or after her pataita…)

Have a look at her website http://www.elaguaflamenco.com.au and if there’s any particular design or size you’d like her to bring along get in touch.

MIGUEL from SENOVILLA ARTESANO will also be joining the tour. Gone are the days of guessing whether you’ve measured your foot correctly or if the shade of green you liked on the internet ordering site will actually turn out to be what you expected. Miguel is coming with boxes full of samples which are for sale but also to measure feet, take orders and talk to you about the best design for your foot and needs. He’ll be on hand and displaying his goods at the following times:

Thursday: 6.00 – 6.30pm
9.30 – 10.00pm

Friday: 6.30 – 9.30pm (upstairs foyer of Dance Central)

Sunday: 1.00 – 7.30pm (Studio 2, Dance Central)
OBSERVER TICKETS

If you’d like to come early or stay on to watch another level of the workshops you are more than welcome. Observer tickets are $10 per class, payable on the day. Places are limited though due to space so please email me on jessica@jessicastathamdance.com.au if you’d like to reserve your spot or come and speak to me at the workshops to see if there’s still some places available.
Think that covers everything! Please just make sure you’re at the studio and ready to go well before the start of each session. Each studio has change facilities but not many so please allow enough time.

If anyone has any other questions please feel free to email me or call me on 0435 582 872 otherwise I’m really looking forward to seeing each of you in the workshops this week.

Besos
Jessica

Just 7 days to go!

Hola Flamencos!

These photos and videos were taken during Andres’s last week of classes of Seville. After 3 months learning the art of Bulerias Improvisation they have come a long way….and in Australia, Andres will also be teaching something similar to suit the amount of time we have in the workshop.

I’ve just arrived in Australia and its great to be back in this awesome country… summer yes please!
Just a reminder that its ONLY 1 WEEK ….7 DAYS! before Andres starts his Australian Workshop Tour in Sydney on the 4th of December and we finish in Adelaide on the 16th.

4 Lucky cities (Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, and Adelaide) will be experiencing and re-experiencing a visit from one of the best dancer/teachers of Flamenco today, so we hope you don’t miss out on this wonderful awe-inspiring experience!

All the information is up top in the links for each cities
If you wish to sign up for the full workshop, a partial registration, or if you just want to come an observe please email the relevant city contact

Sydney: Jessica Statham (jessica@jessicastathamdance.com.au)
Perth: Sophia Pratt (danzavivaworkshops@gmail.com)
Melbourne: Sebastian Sanchez (sebaz_au@hotmail.com)
Adelaide: Sebastian Sanchez (sebaz_au@hotmail.com)

Dont forget that our sponsors will also be travelling with Andres
Sally Hillier (El Agua Flamenco Wear) in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Miguel Senovilla (Calzados Senovilla) in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.

So there is lots for you to enjoy!
Quality flamenco wear and shoes and of course winner for Best Show of the last Jerez Flamenco Festival…Andrés Peña!

What more could you ask for!

See you in Sydney!

Sebastian