The flamenco performance slide show of pictures is available here.
A spectacular flamenco performance was provided through song and dance as the audience watched in astonishment at the San Diego Mesa College Apolliad Theatre on Oct. 12. The atmosphere was set by the dim lighting, which provided a romantic and soothing mood.
The audience went from a soft murmur to complete silence as Rocio Carrera (known by her stage name Paloma Aragon) proceeded to demonstrate the art of Flamenco.
Carrera gave an amazing performance as she stomped her feet, clicked her castanets, and maneuvered her body gracefully in perfect sync with the music. She took center stage as she demonstrated an all-encompassing knowledge on the topic. As the Flamenco dancer waves her arms in the air it signifies the release of the spirit from the dancers body.
The audience played their part as participants in a select few numbers. The crowd was encouraged to yell, “Opa!” when they viewed a part of the performance that they favored. This created a more relaxed and welcoming environment for all the spectators.
She danced around the stage and then explained the history of Flamenco, which definitely gave the audience a prodigious presentation. Carrera was the perfect choice to teach the audience about this sacred art, which her examples and explanations portrayed beautifully.
Flamenco is a traditional dance capable of expressing emotions. It is a Spanish dance said to represent three different art forms; el cante (the song), el baile (the dance), and la guitarra (the guitar playing). Music styles such as this are referred to as palos, which are simply various styles of the dance.
The songs are categorized based on their rhythmic patterns, mode scales, chord progression and the form of stanza used and also the geographic source.
This show was recommended for students to attend not only for enjoyment, but also for its educational benefits as well.
“It’s a cultural event that I think enriches their lives,” said Leela Bingham a professor in the Mesa Language Department. She later said, “this is a big opportunity for both students and teachers.”
Some students also attended the event for their own personal pleasure.
“I like to expand my horizons; flamenco has always been a secret passion of mine,” said freshman Kegan Norquist.
Being a required part of select courses; teachers consider it necessary to have at least minimum knowledge on the basic arts of flamenco. Other students simply wanted to extract more from the experience of flamenco.
“I’m here for a fantastic experience [and] I just want to learn more about flamenco,” freshman Martin Terry said.
Thus resulting in differences in the student body. Different students attended the event for different reasons. All of which are educational or seeking a new experience.