Dancing with passion

These roses belong to the same species as non-edible ones, but the fertilisers have to be organic

For people who take flamenco classes, it is not just about developing the body of a speed skater, it is about channeling the soul of a Spanish dancer.

"Flamenco is a great cardio vascular workout because it is non-stop," said Cal Pozo, a dancer, choreographer and fitness expert. "It was probably Spain's step aerobics of its time."

But above all, he added, flamenco dance is about self-expression. Pozo, who produces DVDs for television shows such as Dancing with the Stars and Biggest Loser, said flamenco workout resembles speed skating.

"You are constantly in a knee-flex position. Flamenco dancers have the most incredible legs, butts and thighs of any dancer." In some cultures young girls take flamenco lessons as commonly as they do ballet lessons in the US, according to Pozo, whose first dance lessons were flamenco, courtesy his Spanish-born parents. Jackie Kalata, a flamenco teacher at Ballet Hispanico School of Dance in New York City, instructs adults as well as children.

"It is usually a person who doesn't just want to do an aerobics class," she says of the adults who attend her group classes, adding that they are attracted by the culture. "I have students do a whole warm-up, including shoulders, torso, legs, squats," she said. "Some movements are foreign to the non-Spanish culture, so I use exercises to break it down. It is gradual because it is complex."

Gypsies, Christians, Moors and Jews are among the many groups who have shaped modern flamenco.

Kalata says flamenco shoes, which have nails hammered into their heels and toes, are thought to derive from the tap shoes of touring 19th century American dancers. Flamenco has become such a hybrid that even flamenco historians, called flamencologists, disagree about the origins of the word.

Sara Erde has been a flamenco dancer since her parents took her to Ballet Hispanico when she was six. "That's what I loved since I was a little kid," said Erde, who is an assistant choreographer for the Metropolitan Opera's production of Carmen. Erde believes flamenco holds a potent appeal for women.

"When you are dancing you don't feel like you are exercising," said Erde. "Your spirit feels good. You are allowed to express anger. You are allowed to express every emotion." — Reuters Life

HOME