I´m finally taking flamenco classes in Sevilla. It´s been a difficult to find the ´right´ teacher or class. Not only is my schedule a bit tight, but most of the renowned teachers (that my flamenco teacher recommended to me) have basically retired and passed on their studio to their alumni. Also, a lot of flamenco dancers don´t really dance traditionally, which has been my training. Triana (the neighborhood that I live in) actually has a few flamenco studios, but I decided to try out Andrés Marín´s studio, which is about 30 min. away from my house by foot. Andrés is known as a innovative contemporary dancer, so I already knew it would be a experience different from what I´m used to.
I decided to enroll in the intermediate/advanced class - not because I´m really that good, but because it fits better into my schedule. After watching one of the classes, I thought the footwork & choreography was relativey do-able. My first day wasn´t easy, though. My teacher back home really likes to show things slowly, to make sure we get things right, but here, it´s a different story. One of the teachers, Úrsula López, would show us a footwork pattern once, and then we had to immediately do it. No explanations, no breakdowns. Afterwards, we had to do it to a super fast compás (beat/rhythm). I was really sweating within the first 15 minutes! Towards the end, we danced (or should I say, the other people did) the seguiriyas - which is a dance style I´ve never actually danced before (it´s probably the most solemn style I´ve had to learn so far). I was a bit surprised, because I thought Úrsula´s class was just a technique class, not a choregraphy one. It´s going to take me a while to pick it up, since everyone else already knows the choreography, and there are a lot of non-traditional steps involved.
This past Tuesday, Andrés actually taught the class. Like Úrsula, he would show us a pattern once. It was´n´t easy for me, but the other students could repeat it immediately. We had to do a lot of fast footwork, and it was really easy to forget the sequence. I messed up a number of times. My toe was actually bleeding by the end of class. I found it so funny ´cause it´s never happened to me before.
It´s been difficult, but I am learning relatively quickly and I´m up for challenges. I´ve also paid for a month of classes so I have to stick with it.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
La Universidad de Sevilla
After four weeks of pro-seminars (culture and grammar classes at the Center), I finally started taking classes at the University of Sevilla. There isn´t an actual campus, because the buildings are spread across the city. Fortunately, all of my classes are in the same building, which isn´t too far from home or the Center. The building used to be the Real Fábrica de Tabacos, home to the cigarette factory of Bizet´s Carmen (you know, that famous opera). There are a lot of open patios placed inside the building, so it´s easy to catch some sun (or rain) between classes. Some students also enjoy a quick smoke in the patios.
Here are the classes I´m taking:
Historia de Al-Andalus (Historia of Al-Andalus): Al-Andalus is the Arabic name for Andalucía. The first day of class was cancelled, because of the damage from the rain. The sign on the door said that the class was moved to a different classroom, yet still it was cancelled (apparently it´s normal around here). But we did have class the next day. One intersting fact: the name Al-Andalus is derived from Atlantis, the mystical island from the Greek classics. The Arabs, familiar with Greek knowledge, believed Andalucía to be an island.
Sociolingüística Andaluza (Andalucían Sociolinguistics): the professor is very engaging, and very nice. The first thing he said to us was, it doesn´t matter if some of us speak Spanish as a native language, and some of us don´t -- in his class, we´re all equal. We haven´t covered much material, but I´m excited to learn about the way the people of Andalucía speak.
Historia Medieval y Moderna de España (Medieval and Modern History of Spain): Except for one older gentleman, nobody showed up to the first day of class, including the professor. We ended up going to the aconsejeria (counseling services) of a few departments, asking what happened to the class (the guy did most of the talking, I should say). We were provided very little answers, and the counselors didn´t seem active in figuring out what happened. I don´t think I´ll be taking this class, due to the extremely low student enrollmenet.
Sociedad y Literatura en Hispanoamerica (Society and Literature in Hispanoamerica): the class is packed with extranjeros (foreigners -- probably all American). I think only four or five of the students are actual Spaniards. The first day of class wasn´t that exciting, as the professor only talked about the life history of one of the autors we´ll be studying. In general, it seems like professors here like to doddle on unnecessary details, such as the history of things (when the class isn´t about history).
Relato Hispanoamericano (Hispanoamerican stories): located in a medium-sized lecture hall, which surprised me a bit, because I´m not used to having literature classes in this type of a classroom. The type of work is similar to the other class, Sociedad y Literatura en Hispanoamerica, but this professor seems more interesting.
Cartografía de la memoria colectiva: la Guerra Civil y sus presentes (Cartography of collective memory: the Spanish Civil War and its presence): a class at the Center taught by an actual Penn professor, so I´m sure I´ll receive credit (which is also why most people are taking this class). The material sounds fascinating, but the readings are supposedly challenging and the professor tends to talk rapidly.
Here are the classes I´m taking:
Historia de Al-Andalus (Historia of Al-Andalus): Al-Andalus is the Arabic name for Andalucía. The first day of class was cancelled, because of the damage from the rain. The sign on the door said that the class was moved to a different classroom, yet still it was cancelled (apparently it´s normal around here). But we did have class the next day. One intersting fact: the name Al-Andalus is derived from Atlantis, the mystical island from the Greek classics. The Arabs, familiar with Greek knowledge, believed Andalucía to be an island.
Sociolingüística Andaluza (Andalucían Sociolinguistics): the professor is very engaging, and very nice. The first thing he said to us was, it doesn´t matter if some of us speak Spanish as a native language, and some of us don´t -- in his class, we´re all equal. We haven´t covered much material, but I´m excited to learn about the way the people of Andalucía speak.
Historia Medieval y Moderna de España (Medieval and Modern History of Spain): Except for one older gentleman, nobody showed up to the first day of class, including the professor. We ended up going to the aconsejeria (counseling services) of a few departments, asking what happened to the class (the guy did most of the talking, I should say). We were provided very little answers, and the counselors didn´t seem active in figuring out what happened. I don´t think I´ll be taking this class, due to the extremely low student enrollmenet.
Sociedad y Literatura en Hispanoamerica (Society and Literature in Hispanoamerica): the class is packed with extranjeros (foreigners -- probably all American). I think only four or five of the students are actual Spaniards. The first day of class wasn´t that exciting, as the professor only talked about the life history of one of the autors we´ll be studying. In general, it seems like professors here like to doddle on unnecessary details, such as the history of things (when the class isn´t about history).
Relato Hispanoamericano (Hispanoamerican stories): located in a medium-sized lecture hall, which surprised me a bit, because I´m not used to having literature classes in this type of a classroom. The type of work is similar to the other class, Sociedad y Literatura en Hispanoamerica, but this professor seems more interesting.
Cartografía de la memoria colectiva: la Guerra Civil y sus presentes (Cartography of collective memory: the Spanish Civil War and its presence): a class at the Center taught by an actual Penn professor, so I´m sure I´ll receive credit (which is also why most people are taking this class). The material sounds fascinating, but the readings are supposedly challenging and the professor tends to talk rapidly.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Rain rain, go away...
It´s been raining in Sevilla for the past two weeks. And I hate it. Normally, I can tolerate it, thanks to my comfy rainboots. But I expected more pleasant weather, and hence, I didn´t bring my rainboots. Big mistake. The only form of waterproof footwear I have are my puma sneakers, but they´re useless. They´re completely worn out, and basically function like sponges. I guess after a while I get used to it, but the water is pretty dirty. Possibly with the remains of dog poo.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Some more beautiful sites in Sevilla
Los Reales Alcázares
Marriage site of Charles V (Holy Roman Empire) & Isabella of Portugal
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