Flamenco

“So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.” -T.S. Eliot

This weekend, a new tenant moved into the Eat, Pray, Love, AirBnB. She is a Chinese Flamenco dancer who works as a finance advisor in New York. Her passion is flamenco so she took classes, became so proficient she won a competition, and now gets invited to perform throughout the states. I wanted to introduce her because she is a great example of what you can do if you truly love something and have the desire and determination to achieve it. It’s what took me to sociology and education. It’s what drew me to go watch her perform.

Life is full of challenges. I cannot recommend finding healthy outlets you enjoy enough. Mine have been photography, piano/music, dance, books, film/theater and art. I also like to cook, volunteer and workout. These have been hobbies and jobs at different points in my life. I once taught ballroom dance classes.

During my marriage, my husband would not let me enjoy any of the above. There was always an excuse when I wanted to buy a piano, a camera broken “by mistake”, or intent to get in the way of classes. If you’re married to someone this controlling, please, consider leaving. Your partner should be your biggest cheerleader and make you want to reach for the stars, not stunt your growth.

Flamenco is empowering. I have taken classes in the past and I have never felt anything like it while performing other dances. Please, take in a show if you haven’t seen one or look it up online (see my favorite scene from Mission Impossible 2 - when they first see each other through Flamenco dancers). Make sure you focus in on the dancers while the wailing sound of the impassioned musicians play their Spanish guitars nearby. The women are on fire. Watching their faces, it is a mix of despair, passion, enrapture, and strength. So much strength.

The night I went to watch with a friend, I was experiencing some frustration with something I needed to do and a lack of patience in response to it, only made it worse. The minute the music began playing and I watched the first dancer, I was transfixed and reminded of the strength we carry as women. I was reminded of my own power as I got carried away into her performance. With every passing chord and movement, the unnecessary frustration dissipated, replaced by the realization I had stumbled upon another long forgotten part of myself in Miami on a day when I needed it most.

That level of passion and strength lives in all of us. Never let anyone take that away. Find the things and people you love most and make the time. You will thank yourself later.