Let’s Dance!

When in Spain, you dance like the Spanish do! Or in our case, you attempt to dance.

Loyola Andalucia arranged a private flamenco show for us at a beautiful outdoor patio in Cordoba. Before the show started, we received a little gift- red and black dancing hats! Needless to say, we were able to channel our inner Spanish dance moves rather quickly!

 

There was a woman who would sing while a couple danced and let me tell you, she had quite the impressive voice!

They also had a group of young girls perform which we were told were in a class learning to dance flamenco. I think everyone was in awe with how darn cute they were dancing in their full skirts and costumes. Next we saw a few performances by an older group made up of college students who looked to be professionals in dance. One of the things I loved the most was the coordination that goes into flamenco. There are hand, hips and foot movements that are all occurring simultaneously. Also the women have to take into account their skirts which had a long train that they would just kick up or swing it back as they were spinning.

 

To our surprise, the musicians and dancers invited some of us to come up to the patio stage and learn to dance La Sevillana. It is a traditional dance that people from this region of Spain all know- similar to how many people know the electric slide in the States. The 10 of us, who I’m sure were nervous, were each paired with a knowledgeable Spaniard who was able to guide us through the dance. This 3 minute dance didn’t make us experts but we’ve all come to the conclusion that if was an experience we will never forget.

 

For a glimpse into our night- check out this video that Loyola student Jake filmed!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpH0HGepqCg