Learning to Dance in Spain

Submitted by Zachary Jones on the 2015 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…

You’ll have to take my sincere word on this, but I have never been able to dance. I am not sure if it is the style of music, the friendliness and acceptance of the people, or the distance between the judging eyes of friends and family, but here in Spain, I have both the courage and the constant desire to dance.

In the United States, dancing is simply embarrassing for dancers and onlookers alike. The type of dance is called grinding, and it is exactly what it sounds like, and it seems to be the only dance Americans know. It is a wonderful change to see other types of dance here, especially those of the finer forms like salsa and flamenco.

In terms of salsa and other dances, the best way to describe my progress is quite a bit of practice. I went to a tapas bar to learn salsa one night (though scared to death), and have practiced my dancing at the discotecas (discos). I have never before been to a dancing club, and being able to go to one to dance and meet other people, particularly locals, is a whole new experience for me. Being able to dance in a respective manner and to lively music has definitely made me think of dancing in a new way.

Probably, the most exciting part of the week for me was learning flamenco from María José Albaicin (my host aunt, in fact). There was no way our group could actually learn full dances in just two hours, but we had fun nonetheless, and were impressed by her ability. I would have liked to have a male teacher as well to learn the masculine parts, but I still enjoyed learning the steps. Additionally, Angie (a girl on the program) and I danced in front of the class, which was a milestone for me personally.

Flamenco lesson 15J Granada Zachary Jones sm
The group after the lesson

 

Earlier this week, I actually saw a full two hour performance of flamenco with María José Albaicin, a guitar player, and a singer. We had not seen her full skill level during the lesson, and the endurance involved was impressive. Not to mention, the actual music adds whole new life to the dance.

Flamenco dancer Zachary Jones 15J Granada sm
Maria and I