Pastora Galván, México

Once again

Yesterday: we started with watching videos. It was mostly Pastora Galvan. We saw a bit of Juaquin Grilo too. We listened to Soleas, bulerias and solea por buleria. It was for we'll reconize the difference. The guitar player was there, so he played for us a bit from the three palos.

The airconditions are almost fixed. It's on the right place but doesn't work. I was wearing my skirt, but not the bolero. After a while of the class I got that I was the only one who was wearing a skirt. All the rest were in pants. The guitar player was the only man in the class, and still everyone accept me in pants...

It was pretty difficult yesterday. We had to improvize again. I started to understand how to do it, but I was without any insporation and wasn't really on the ground. At least I make outside classes some checks if it's possible to fix me in this (I'm not like this only in classes).

The good thing was that I wasn't the only one. One of the sisters from Haifa was amazing, but all of us accept her weren't in our best, include someone who I see as not bad at all. But nevermind, it doesn't matter how bad will I be - there is another one who will be even worse than me in my bad days. She isn't a bad person, but a higher flyer and less confidence and tallent. She always do "faces" and stop in the middle. In one of the times testerday she said we don't understand - she's affraid. Neta had a short speech about that everyone does, includes proffesional dancers who do it for years. Than 2-3 more said they are affraid too. And the guitar player said that he's affraid too. We all started to laugh and made her try.

Later on - Neta showed us something of how to do it wrong, and how to do the same thing - but right. Not all understood the meanning. I did although I was with my head in the clouds. The other flyer wanted to make a video of it. Neta didn't like it...

In the end of the class I took my daily clothes change outside the studio. In the way back for taking all my stuff - the other astronaut said that she thinks that my shoes are still there. NO! Don't do it to me!

Dorantes in Diás de Flamenco

A year and a half ago (march 2010), one year after Farruquito, it was Dorantes who came to performe in Días de Flamenco.s far as it's a festival mostly for dancers in a place of dancing, and as I heard - he never performe alone - he came with two dancers: Juaquin Grilo and Pastora Galvan.

Juaquin Grilo and Pastora Galvan made the master classes at friday morning. I didn't go to this. I was a bit stress with money and prefered to save it to the show itself. And I was a bit lazy. I wasn't sure that I really want it this year. The class with Farruquito a year before was enough for a while (for me). I thought I'm crazy for a while, but it didn't take for too long. Neta went to both classes and said it was very difficult. They just did all fast in the way they dance in shows, no explaining anything and no attention to the fact (at least) most of fellows got tierd in the middle and set on the side - again - at lost a part of time. Neta said that even she wasn't able to stant it. So, if she couldn't - what a chance did I have? Lucky me that I didn't try once in my life.

And the show itself. I guess it was great. I had some technic problems to pay attention and I really can't blame the performers. Usually there are no problems with Soznne Dellal - where it happen every year. This time - I could hardly get my tickets to this, although I did try when they only started to publish the details. I tried few times, my mom tried and my sister (who came with me) tried few times each. Every time their computer didn't accept us - no matter who called them and which credit card of any of our family we gave them. In the end my sister made it. Than another problem: my sister knows I love being close to stage, but she didn't want to listen to me NOT to ask for the first row. In the big hall where it happen the first row isn't convinient and even it's close - it's hard to see all details on stage. So she did ask for the first row. And like it wasn't enough - she had a problem with my clothes. And as I couldn't enjoy till the end from what my eyes see - I couldn't listen normally to the music bacause my sister told me almost all the show how much horrible are my clothes. And she didn't try to say it quiet. I was a shame that maybe Dorantes and the dancers already can hear her. From what I could see and hear (thanx sis...) - the show was almost perfect. I didn't love all - but till it get to the part I didn't like it was a short part in the end, a part of Grilo. I can say that even than it was after a long, long wonderful dance he made (and as someone who learn - it was a dificult too, and he made it amazing).

Outside - I met Neta before the show. After the show - I did think of asking Dorantes for a photo with him, but... Happened to me something which normally doen't happen to me in those cases: I got too shy. After my sister told me loud ALL the show what she thinks of my clothes. So no photos with Dorantes for proving I saw him. The best I can is uploading photos pf him which are "running" in the net

Farruquito in Días de Flamenco

Another thing from third year:
Every year,  for something like in the last 20 years - there is a festival in Tel Aviv called Dias de Flamenco (days of flamenco). Every year it's in a place called Suzanne Dellal. This place is a place of dance shows - mostly modern and flamenco dance. There is also a stage for ethnic types, which also shows flamenco from time to time. This festival happen every march, takes three days - thursday, friday and suterday. It's always includes flameco artists from Israel, suterday morning flamenco shows and activities for children, every year there is a contest for young dancer for scolarship in Spain, and... A flamenco artist from Spain which gives the main activity of the festival. The dancer will give two hours of master class on friday morning and will give the main show every evening in each evening. I mean artist, because it happen that it's a player who comes with dancers who gives the master calsses. Last year it was Dorantes as the guest of honnor. He came with Juaquin Grilo and Pastora Galvan. Juaquin Geilo and Pastora Galvan made the master classes. But that will be for another time.
Two years ago, in the middle of my thirs year, few weeks after my hand healed - the guest of honnor in Dias de Flamenco was Farruquito. He came with the show Puro. I made my place in his master class friday morning, and tickets for his his on friday evening for me and for one of my sisters. I decided I need his master class because of two reasons: I wanted to see how does it go with another teacher (mostly from Spain), and hell - it's Farruquito! I was sure I will be able to through it easally after my dancing with a broken hand. A big mistake which is hard to say I'm sorry about.
When I came there - I got into a building which I never got into before in Suzanne Dellal. I changed my clothes (after that I understood that I could do it in another place - more convinient). I heard a conersation about a show which was that days in another place (where Diego El Cigala came after to permore as well) without a conection to the festival. The Antonio Gades also came that day to performe in Tel Aviv with Carmen. I saw it in the evening before - I will tell about it in another time. One woman said she didn't know that Antonio Gades is already dead and was sure he will come as well. Another woman told her it's more convinient to sell tickets this way, and many didn't know that Antonio Gades is dead...
Few minutes before it started I started to get nervous. Many reasons: first time I really can say I do a thing like this, Farruquito has a different style from my teacher (I think both style diserve respect and has its place), I heard other girls who I learned with that said they are affraid to come because of the level he demands (and I mean girls who learn more years than me), the "wonderful" sentence of the @#$% about my level started to eco in my head (and I started to think how dare I to come), and hey - it's Farruquito!!
A bit after I was ready all the girls has been askef to come. We went out. First time I dared to go out of a studio in my flamenco shoes. We stopped near the enternce. I saw him outside tales with other people. Another girl started to talk with me. I didn't mind. I still looked at him a lot, but the conversation with her made me a bit relax for a moment. She's a tall girl (I will tell in the end why does it important) who came esspecially from Aco. In Israelis sercomstenses it's far away. Than we got into a building near - another one I saw in the first time from the inside. 
Well, I always stands in the left since the end of my first year. I ussually stand in the first raw for I could see the techer in the best. That time I didn't dare. I stayed on the left, but found a place in the middle - for I couls see Farruquito, but for it will hard for him to see my mistakes. I saw him in the mirror talks with someone  behind me - really in the end of the studio. Than he came to the mirror side. On his way to the mirror he grabed my hand and grabed me to the start of the studio - on the first raw. He signed me to stay there. I couldn't belive, but...
In the start of the heatting I hardly could do anything. 2.5 years of dancing - includes 5 weeks with a big ugly plaster on my hand - and I was too nervous for I couldn't remember how to dance. MY feet didn't "listen" to me. Many times Farruquito stoped near me to ecxplaine me how to make the steps. There was also a step called picado. He asked to do it. I learned it on my first year, it was a bit hard in the start, but I knew how to do it. I even helped someone else in the year before how to practice it. Now it's a master class of Farruquito and wasn't able to do it... He came to help me. Than I got really nervous. NOT in the angry thing... So I lost my balance. Before I fell on the floor I found myself sending my hand and catch his hand. He didn't even move. I didn't fell, but it was reason to touch him and feel his mussles... After a while (or maybe than already) he seem to understand it's only nervous. I started to relax, dance and do the steps. Near the of heatting we made some turns (oh my... I'm not sure now that I say the right word). He staned in the front of me most of the time, just to see I do it right. Evey time I finnishes one turn - I stoped and looked back at him. Eyes to eyes. Oh... This gipsy has eyes like fire! I never seen a thing like this before. I don't know why, but it helped me to relax till the end.
Than with started with a cheografy. It was Solea Por Buleria. In the class there were a couple of Israelis cancers who are married to each other and have a group of their own. They learned from Los Farrucos in Spain. I still think the Los Farrucos are great (at least most of them), but I don't like that Israeli couple. The man was in the end, the woman next to me. She made a translation most of class to Hebrew for what Farruquito said in Spanish. She thinks that the students don't know a thing about flamenco. There was a part that Farruquito mentioned Farruco. She said just "his grandfather". Really? Like we didn't know....! There was a part pretty funny. He said that dancers needs to listen to the singers. He started to sing slowly and said that this way the dancer needs to dance slow. And than she sang again the same part, but fast. He said that if the singer do this way and dancer don't listen - he/she will keep dancing - it won't look good. The expemple was a bit funny. And he knows to sing as well. In thedance itself I found out I need to improvise a bit. The Israeli dancer who I don't like and was next to me almost steped on me. More than once. I needed to run aways and it will look like nothing happened. I'm pretty good in this.
In the end he set down on a bench. Some people talked with him. I came to him. Than he looked at me for I will tell hime what do I want. I asked him to have a photo with him. He accepted. I ran to my things to bring my camera. When I took it ' the tall girl from Aco asked me if I already have a photo with him. I said I don't, but I will in a moment. She brought a camera too. We accepted that she will take a photo of mine with him in my camera, than I will take her photo with him in her camera. Appear to be that I was still a bit nervous, because my camera wasn't on a standart way for photos. It too a bit time to understand what the problem Farruquito found it and fixed it.... Oops. And I have on my camera options for colors accept the standtart. I love do photos in black and white. I left it on the black and white option in the last time. My photo with Farruqito went out black and white. It wasn't the problem. The problem is that I don't like the way I look there. He looks good there, but me... Than it was my turn to take a photo of her with Farruquito. I did say she's tall, didn't I? She, taller than him, that's for sure! In the moment he got it - he looked at his sides and stood on the bench, the same bench he soot on few minute before. He started to smile. I thought it was really funny. Do I really sound like a 15 years old histerical fan? I don't mind. As long that I have a little thing which helps me to feel younger.
The tall girl from Aco told me she isn't in facebook because she doesn't have time. We switched phone nombers. In our first talk after that she said something like - "how much personal attention he gave you! I was behind you and saw it"