Flamenco Class Update

NEXT SESSION – Classes at Sugar Swing!

Dear Students, 

The NEXT SESSION of flamenco starts April 20th* – the focus is footwork!

Flamenco 1 – Beginner – For those with little or no flamenco experience and those wanting to review and improve their skills with 4 count rhythm. You do not need previous flamenco experience to take the Level 1 class.

Flamenco 2 – Int/Adv – For those that have worked with the 12 count before. A more advanced option for steps given will be made available to those students needing a challenge.

*Appropriate footwear required – Character shoes or any shoes with a sturdy heel would be fine for beginner students.

Classes run for 8 Thursdays: April 20th – June 8th.
The early-bird deadline is April 13th. 

More information on my CLASSES page

Hope to see you there!

Jane

Flamenco classes before summer?

Dear flamencos, 

It has been so great to be back in class! We have 2 levels currently thriving on Thursdays and are looking for some quick feedback about upcoming classes once this session is over so we can decide on how best to proceed.

I am hoping to have one more session of flamenco classes at Sugar Swing before summer hits. My plan is to continue with 2 levels, Thursdays at the same times, but for the next session the focus will be on footwork. Level 1 will stay within the song form of Tangos. Level 2, still within the 12 count. Character shoes or any shoes with a sturdy heel would be fine for beginner students. You do not need previous flamenco experience to take the Level 1 class.

If you are interested in a session of flamenco classes starting April 20, could you please take a few seconds to fill out the google form at the link below? Replying does not obligate you to commit to classes. Responses are anonymous so please only fill it out once so the response count is accurate. It is just 3 multiple choice questions about level and length of session. All the information about dates and pricing is at the top of the form.

The google form is now closed. You can find out about the next session and the link to register on my CLASSES page.

The next opportunity for classes after this will be in the Fall.

Jane

Flamenco update

Dear Students,

Happy New Year!

A quick note to update you on my flamenco classes. As you can imagine, in studio classes are unlikely to take place for some time. I hope everyone is managing in these very interesting times and finding ways to stay positive safe and healthy. If you have any questions or just want to connect for a chat, please do send me a note. I sure do miss sharing weekly moments with everyone.

There are a lot of great online performances, live interviews on instagram and facebook, and releases of past performances happening. It’s truly an unprecedented time for online access to flamenco in its cultural home and in intimate ways we wouldn’t normally have access to. Here are some pics of my favourite teachers and what they’ve been up to online:

Dancer Miguel el Rubio performing at the Peña Cultural Flamenca Torres Macarena de Sevilla in October.

Dancer la Farruca interviewing singer Antonio Villar on Instagram

Dancer Farru interviewing his brother dancer Farruquito on Instagram

Dancer Farru giving a talk about his family history via flamencos por el mundo.

Dancer Oruco performing with Juan Villar, Luis Amador, and Juan Jose Villar as part of regular online events at flamencolive.jp

Dancer Manuela Rios performing in T de Triana.

All the best for an inspiring 2021! Hoping to see you all again soon.

Jane

Fall flamenco update

Dear Students,

A quick note to update you on my flamenco classes. In what would have been the start of my 20th year of teaching flamenco in Edmonton I find myself instead taking a semester off for the first time. As an independent teacher, I’m not comfortable hosting groups of students in person in the studio at this point. Insurance does not cover this type of situation and Marrmac themselves have had to put some pretty strict protocols in place to keep their studio running. Many people are finding this a very uncertain time, I think it’s best to wait until the situation improves and we can see each other in person again.

I hope everyone is managing in these very interesting times and finding ways to stay positive. I am taking advantage of the time to work on my own development. I hope you are inspired to do the same! Since March I have been studying quite intensely with my own teachers in Spain and will have a lot to share with you when we finally meet again.

I will re-update everyone in the New Year about if a Spring session of regular classes will be happening or not. Until then, I hope everyone stays safe and healthy. If you have any questions or just want to connect for a chat, please do send me a note. I sure do miss seeing all of your lovely faces in class!

Here are some pics from the past few years to lift your spirits

Tangos master class with visiting Spanish dancer Farru, November 2019.

Tangos workshop with visiting Spanish dancer Carmen Ledesma, November 2019.

Romance workshop with visiting Spanish dancer Carmen Ledesma, November 2019.

Dancers Magdalena Difani, Jen Dunford, and Carmen performing the Alegrias from my Level IV class at the Flamenco Society of Edmonton’s 2019 Community Show. Photo – Earl Mckenzie

Song and Dance Workshops with Vancouver’s Stephanie Pedraza and guest guitarist Tosh Hayashi from Calgary – 2015

Soleá performers from my Level II/III class with guest singer Susan MacGregor and guitarist David Matyas at the Flamenco Society of Edmonton’s 2019 Community Show

Song and Dance workshops with Vancouver’s Oscar Nieto – 2015

Flashmobbers performing my tangos choreography created for the Edmonton Flamenco Festival in 2016/17

Flamenco Updates

UPDATE – online classes will not be taking place at this time

Wondering about my next flamenco session? Interested in some online classes while you are stuck at home? MarrMac students are keeping up with their technique at home while we wait for this all to pass!

Are you? How are your palmas coming along? This is a great time to work on arms, hands, and posture. If you have room in your home, marking steps and choreography. If you have enough privacy and space, why not work on your footwork technique?

Students, in the wake of the cancellation of the Edmonton Flamenco Festival, I have not had the chance to send out a message about upcoming classes. We won’t know when in-person classes are able to run again so I have not set up my post-festival class session. The Flamenco Society of Edmonton has also just announced they have cancelled their Community Show in May.

In the meantime, I am happy to set up some online classes to keep you occupied and engaged with the material we’ve been working on. They would not begin until April and would occur in real time as our regular classes do. Note that I am not offering free classes, nor am I offering to share or post recorded videos.

We are all facing a very uncertain future and a rather chaotic present. I completely understand if it is not in your best interest to sign up for classes at this time. There is no need to write me to explain. In fact I would prefer that you refrain from doing so as I am also overwhelmed with the situation.

For more information and to indicate your interest, please visit this link and we’ll see what might work for those interested.

UPDATE – online classes will not be taking place at this time

Stay safe and well and hope to see you once this has all passed.

Jane

ps – in case you have missed the updates from the Edmonton Flamenco Festival, we’ve been posting photos of past performances and classes along with tidbits about guest artists online. You can read recent posts and catch new ones on our:

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Class reminders. Flamenco Festival workshop deadline tonight!

News in this update:

  • Class Reminders – final group class Friday, March 6th 6:30 – 8:00
  • Edmonton Flamenco Festival – Workshop early-bird registration deadline tonight!

CLASS REMINDERS

Friday, March 6th final group class 6:30 – 8:00

A reminder that the final group class for all students is Friday, March 6th. Students will all get a chance to review their material from 6:30 – 7:00

    • 6:30 – 7:00 – review class work with your classmates. We will use available studios
    • 7:00 – group warm up and presentation of pieces

This is an informal opportunity for each class to perform their dance for the other students and to see what other classes have been learning. We will finish with a few videos to watch and coffee at a local café afterwards. It’s a really fun night and a great way to end the semester. There is no obligation to perform.

*Please note that March 6th’s group class is for current students only. Guests are not allowed.

If you registered but have missed a lot of classes or had to withdraw from class this semester, please feel free to come to the final class as an observer to see what others have been doing, watch some videos with us and meet other members of the community. It’s a fun night.

Next session

Classes will resume after the flamenco festival and will include rehearsal for the community concert. Info coming out later this week.


EDMONTON FLAMENCO FESTIVAL March 12 – 15

Festival Mainstage – Sevilla en Blanco y Negro – Winspear Centre March 13

Tickets here – edmontonflamencofestival.com/tickets/

Festival Workshops – Early-bird deadline midnight tonight! March 2nd

Don’t miss this chance to experience the artistry of our incredible guest performers from Spain!

Cante (song) class with José ‘El Pechuguita’  – for all levels.

I highly encourage everyone to attend. This class is designed to practice singing as a group and even if you are not interested in singing beyond the class, it’s invaluable for deepening your understanding of the dance. Never been to a cante class before? Not to worry we tend to all help each other out. This is a fun class with a lot of students attending. José ‘El Pechuguita’ was here as a guest of Jairo Barrull in 2018 and taught a fantastic class por tangos.

Compás (palmas) class with El Oruco  – for students that have experience with the 12 count.

El Oruco is a master at palmas and his compás classes are the best out there. This is the first class I look for when I go to study in Seville. If you are in my level I class or above, this class is for you.

Dance classes with El Oruco and Karolina González – have a look at which level is appropriate for you below.

    • Are you in my Beginner level tangos classes?
      The Introductory level Tangos with Karolina González is aimed at your level.
      You can sign up for Package A if you want to take both days of dance, and Package B if you want to add the cante class as well.
    • In my level I – III bulerías or soleá por bulerías classes?
      The Beginner/Intermediate level bulerías with Karolina González is aimed at your level. Level III’s, the Intermediate/Advanced level is also for you.
    • In my level III – IV classes?
      The Intermediate/Advanced level Alegrías with El Oruco is aimed at your level.

Full workshop information and registration can be found at this link.

Looking for private or semi-private classes? Guitar classes? Contact info at the link above.

hope to see you this Spring!
Jane

Want to keep up to date with the flamenco community? Click here for some tips.

Flamenco Festival workshop deadline

EDMONTON FLAMENCO FESTIVAL

Workshop early-bird registration deadline – March 2nd!

Don’t miss this chance to experience the artistry of our incredible guest performers from Spain. The Early-bird deadline for Festival workshops is this coming Monday, March 2nd. Classes are March 14th and 15th. See below for more information.

For this year’s festival, I’m beyond thrilled we are bringing dancer El Oruco from Seville who has been my mentor since 2010. His guests include his wife, dancer Karolina González, as well as 2 singers returning from past festivals. José ‘El Pechuguita’ was here as a guest of Jairo Barrull in 2018 and Jonathan Reyes was here as a guest of Sonia Olla and Ismael Fernández in 2019. Guitarist José Luis Medina rounds out the group.

El Oruco and guests – March 13th performance at the Winspear – Tickets now available!


Weekend workshops – March 14th – 15th

Early-bird deadline – March 2nd. Wondering what classes are for you?

Cante (song) class with José ‘El Pechuguita’  – for all levels.

I highly encourage everyone to attend. This class is designed to practice singing as a group and even if you are not interested in singing beyond the class, it’s invaluable for deepening your understanding of the dance. Never been to a cante class before? Not to worry we tend to all help each other out. This is a fun class with a lot of students attending. José ‘El Pechuguita’ was here as a guest of Jairo Barrull in 2018 and taught a fantastic class por tangos.

Compás (palmas) class with El Oruco  – for students that have experience with the 12 count.

El Oruco is a master at palmas and his compás classes are the best out there. This is the first class I look for when I go to study in Seville. If you are in my level I class or above, this class is for you.

Dance classes with El Oruco and Karolina González – have a look at which level is appropriate for you below.

    • Are you in my Beginner level tangos classes?
      The Introductory level Tangos with Karolina González is aimed at your level.
      You can sign up for Package A if you want to take both days of dance, and Package B if you want to add the cante class as well.
    • In my level I – III bulerías or soleá por bulerías classes?
      The Beginner/Intermediate level bulerías with Karolina González is aimed at your level. Level III’s, the Intermediate/Advanced level is also for you.
    • In my level III – IV classes?
      The Intermediate/Advanced level Alegrías with El Oruco is aimed at your level.

Dancers, there is a lot of interest from dancers in Edmonton and other cities in Canada and we anticipate our usual high registration levels. Class sizes are limited and we encourage you to register early so you don’t miss out.

Tickets and workshop registration: www.edmontonflamencofestival.com

hope to see you at the festival!
Jane

Want to keep up to date with the flamenco community? Click here for some tips.

Class reminder. Flamenco Festival News!

CLASS REMINDER

Friday, February 14th there are no classes due to Family Day long weekend.


EDMONTON FLAMENCO FESTIVAL – March 12 – 15 – Show and Workshops!

Join us for the Edmonton Flamenco Festival featuring dancer El Oruco and guests from Spain!

I’m beyond thrilled to be bringing dancer El Oruco from Seville who has been my mentor since 2010. We now have the final line-up and are excited to host his wife, dancer Karolina González, as well as 2 singers returning from past festivals. José ‘El Pechuguita’ was here as a guest of Jairo Barrull in 2018 and Jonathan Reyes was here as a guest of Sonia Olla and Ismael Fernández in 2019. Guitarist José Luis Medina is the final last minute addition.

El Oruco and guests – March 13th performance at the Winspear – Tickets now available!


Weekend workshops – March 14th – 15th

Don’t miss this chance to experience the artistry of our incredible guest performers from Spain. The Early-bird deadline is March 2nd. Wondering what classes are for you?

Cante (song) class with José ‘El Pechuguita’  – for all levels.

I highly encourage everyone to attend. This class is designed to practice singing as a group and even if you are not interested in singing beyond the class, it’s invaluable for deepening your understanding of the dance. Never been to a cante class before? Not to worry we tend to all help each other out. This is a fun class with a lot of students attending. José ‘El Pechuguita’ was here as a guest of Jairo Barrull in 2018 and taught a fantastic class por tangos.

Compás (palmas) class with El Oruco  – for students that have experience with the 12 count.

El Oruco is a master at palmas and his compás classes are the best out there. This is the first class I look for when I go to study in Seville. If you are in my level I class or above, this class is for you.

Dance classes with El Oruco and Karolina González – have a look at which level is appropriate for you below.

    • Are you in my Beginner level tangos classes?
      The Introductory level Tangos with Karolina González is aimed at your level.
      You can sign up for Package A if you want to take both days of dance, and Package B if you want to add the cante class as well.
    • In my level I – III bulerías or soleá por bulerías classes?
      The Beginner/Intermediate level bulerías with Karolina González is aimed at your level. Level III’s, the Intermediate/Advanced level is also for you.
    • In my level III – IV classes?
      The Intermediate/Advanced level Alegrías with El Oruco is aimed at your level.

Dancers, there is a lot of interest from dancers in Edmonton and other cities in Canada and we anticipate our usual high registration levels. Class sizes are limited and we encourage you to register early so you don’t miss out.

www.edmontonflamencofestival.com

hope to see you at the festival!
Jane

Want to keep up to date with the flamenco community? Click here for some tips.

Review classes and registration reminder

News in this update:

  • January Review Class update
  • Winter Session Classes registration reminder

JANUARY REVIEW CLASSES

Wednesday classes are confirmed –  2 weeks of general technique and compas for Intermediate levels and above. We will focus on arms, movement, footwork technique, and compas. There is still room to join.

Friday, January 17th classes are not running.

Intermediate – Technique and compas
(pre-requisite: 2 sessions of Level I)
Wednesdays, Jan 15th and 22nd only
8:15 – 9:15

Click here for more information and class registration

WINTER SESSION CLASSES – registration reminder

January 24th – March 6th (no classes on February 14th)
Early-bird registration deadline – January 17th

A reminder that you are not considered registered until you have both filled out the form and sent payment.The beginner level is filling up quickly, if you have filled out the form but haven’t paid yet you may lose your spot.

Click here for more information and class registration

hope to see you in 2020!
Jane

Want to keep up to date with the flamenco community? Click here for some tips.

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