Flamenco Beat in the Heart of the City

By Marina Rybak

The official Valentine’s Day is far behind us, but the sizzling season of “Amor” is just heating up. The heartbeat of the city is pulsating with Flamenco passion.

You do not need to be a native of Spain to appreciate this sensuous, vibrant art form, which has multicultural roots and has sprouted from the sunny Andalusia. And you do not need to be a professional flamenco dancer to feel the exhilaration of stomping your feet on the ground, throwing your arms to the sky and experience the creative force of energy rushing up your spine.

Moved by its strong, blazing spirit, I always wanted to step into flamenco shoes. I felt that the practical knowledge of the dance would help me to stay grounded and connected to the core of the earth, keeping the visceral spark of inspiration aflame. For very long time the desire to find the class remained dormant. But one day it all came together when I became an “absolute beginner” at the Flamenco Vivo studio in NYC.

Though I am still an absolute beginner, I have discovered that flamenco fire is burning ever so brightly in the belly of New York City. In addition to the numerous passion-igniting workshops, the city is abuzz with flamenco hot spots from intimate performances at the tapas bars Downtown to the extravagant theatrical productions Uptown.

Just for starters here are few tempting events that are coming up and are the feast for the senses and the “love fest” for the soul:

Flamenco Festival, a promotional venue, committed to advancing flamenco artistry outside of Spain together with New York City Center spotlight BALLET FLAMENCO DE ANDALUCIA March 6-9.  Spain’s critically acclaimed repertory company is staging tantalizing Metáfora.

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at the Lincoln Center and nationally celebrated Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana present “100 Years of Flamenco in NYC” March 13 – August 3. The exhibit is the first of its kind in the United States. It promises to inspire and not to be missed.