Welcome to Flamenco NI

Indulge the senses and enter into the spirit of celebration. Xmas Souk will bring more than a hint of the Orient. Killough, Co. Down 26th November  15.00 – 20.00pm

For more information go to http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=177193259030221

Lower Garfield Street Belfast will turned into a street in Seville for Culture Night this Friday, 23rd September and the historic Barber Shop will host NI Opera who will perform arias every 30 mins from 6pm. In addition FlamencoNI will provide live Flamenco dancing including the very popular fiesta dance – Sevillanas. Get dressed up in your Flamenco/Gypsy best and come down and join us for an evening of fiery fun at the fiesta….

Expo-Nations 2011 – Celebrating Belfast’s Cultural Diversity

Place of Victory for all Nations (PVN) has announced the programme for Expo-Nations 2011, a full day of exciting and informative events taking place on Saturday 13th August at the Europa Exhibition Centre, Belfast.

Expo-Nations, now in its third year, is a colourful showcase of the City’s cultural diversity. This year’s programme is loaded, starting at 1pm and running through to 9pm, and it’s sure to attract people of all ages and communities from all over the country. Highlights include an international arts exhibition, a fashion show, a live cultural quiz show, children’s entertainment (Expo-Kidz), cultural performances and a live world music concert.

The events will be officially opened by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile. Angela Ifonlaja, Project Co-Ordinator, says: “Expo-Nations compliments the efforts towards a dynamic, peaceful and shared Northern Ireland by celebrating the cultural diversity present in the City and providing a forum where people from many different communities and backgrounds can come together to learn more about each other in a relaxed and fun-filled environment. As we learn about our similarities and appreciate each other’s uniqueness, we discover how we can further develop inter-community ties that will harness the strengths of each community represented in the City for the benefit of all. It is very much an interactive two-way learning experience for both migrant and host communities in Northern Ireland.”

Expo-Nations is one of Belfast’s featured events that highlights how well it is moving on to being a truly culturally dynamic city. The symbolism of Expo-Nations in pulling together resources and talents from various community groups in our city resonates with the shared future that, as a developing cosmopolitan city, we are working towards. It speaks of the progressive journey that we have already made. The project is supported by various organisations, community groups, NGOs and local government organisations such as, Belfast City Council, the PSNI and Unite Against Hate.

Expo-Nations highlights the positive contributions of migrants to the province and is visible proof of the exciting new opportunities that the efforts towards good inter-community relations are creating right in the heart of this City.

Please go to www.expo-nations.org.uk for further information on the programme.

Many thanks to all for your continued support and encouagement throughout 2010. FlamencoNI wishes you a very safe and warm holiday season and a happy 2011.

Don’t forget you can now enroll online for all new 2011 classes offered through the Crescent Arts Centre.

For Beginners go to;

https://crescentarts.ticketsolve.com/shows/126511135/events

and for elementary go to;

https://crescentarts.ticketsolve.com/shows/126511136/events

Day Events 1:00pm – 6:00pm ~ FREE – Flamenco demonstration and taster  workshop at 1.20 in the Helen Lewis studio. Evening Performance £8/£5
The Crescent Arts Centre’s annual festival of dance, CityDance, makes its festival debut this year. Featuring over 40 workshops for all members of the public to participate in during the day, the event concludes with an evening showcase of dance from the top companies and individuals around the North.
For tickets contact CAC Box Office on +44 (0) 28 9024 2338 or check out the website at

https://crescentarts.ticketsolve.com/shows/26510417/events

For the month of June only we have added a new Bulerias course.
The class will be held in the new Crescent Arts Centre www.crescentarts.org Helen Lewis dance studio and will be on Thursday evenings from 8-9pm. This class is for upper elementary and intermediate level students.

The Bulerias is an up-tempo and light-hearted Flamenco party dance. It has a great number of variations in both melody and rhymical structure and is usually accompanied by lively palmas. It is often used to end another choreography such as the Solea or Alegrias but can also be danced by itself at the end of a flamenco show or performance when it is know as the Fin de fiesta a dance in which the whole company will take part.

“A mi me duele, me duele

la boquita de decirte

gitana, si tu me quieres”

“It hurts me, it hurts me

My mouth hurts me from asking you

Gypsy woman, if you love me”

Felipe will again be coming from Spain for this workshop which will be held on 16th May in the beautiful new studio of the Crescent Arts Centre, 2-4 University Road, Belfast www.crescentarts.org.

The beginner dance class will run from 1-2pm, technique class will run from 2-3 pm and is good for all including complete beginners who have had no dance or previous flamenco dance experience.

The Intermediate class will now run from 3 – 5pm and is open to Flamenco dancers with at least 2 years of Flamenco dance experience. We will start a new choreography, Tientos, in this class so for elementary dancers who want to move up this is a good month to start.

Please wear flamenco shoes, character dance shoes or shoes/boots with a block heel – no stilettos, sandals or trainers may be worn.

April 23rd, 24th and 25th with Santiago Peña who is coming directly from Spain to teach these workshops. Two levels will be offered in these workshops a Beginner/Elementary level and an Intermediate level.

Two hours in each level will be offered each day for the 3 days so 6 to 12 hours of teaching is available over this weekend.

The beginner/elementary class will study Tangos, a dance with a simple rythm which allows the student to begin to express themselves in flamenco.  This is a brand new choreography so beginner students are encouraged to attend.

The intermediate class will study Bulerias de Jerez, an open dance with an infinite number of pasos (steps) which can be combined in an infinite number of ways to create  an individual and distinctive dance, as seen at any flamenco fiesta be it on the street or on the stage. Students must have at least 2 years of experience for this class.

Santiago Peña was born in Arcos de la Frontera, a town with strong flamenco roots and traditions, 20 minutes  from Jerez, the cradle of flamenco.  Santiago started dancing at the age of 5, when he won his first trophy for sevillanas. He went  on winning prizes (90 or so) and began dancing flamenco seriously at 12 years of age, performing in a cuadro flamenco with his sister.  He studied first with Chari Zapata and Maria Barba in Arcos, and then with la Chiqui de Jerez and Andres Peña, his cousin – one of the foremost dancers of flamenco puro today- with whom he has also performed.  Santiago has danced throughout the province of Cadiz and in Malaga, Sevilla, Cordoba, Valencia and Barcelona.  He has been teaching flamenco for 6 years.

“When I dance, everything around me stops – I don’t dance, I feel.”  In his teaching, Santiago hopes to inspire students of all levels to love, feel and express themselves in flamenco.

All classes will be held at the Spectrum Centre www.spectrumcentre.com. Please wear flamenco shoes, character dance shoes or shoes/boots with a block heel – no stilettos, sandals or trainers may be worn.

Days, times and prices are listed below:

Level 1 Class (Tangos)

Friday 5.30 – 7.30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 1-3pm (6 hours) // £75 // student £70

Level 2 Class (Bulerias)

Friday 7.30 – 9.30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 3-5pm (6 hours) // £90 // student £80

Both Levels (Tangos & Bulerias) £150 // Both levels student £135

Sign up for the workshop below using paypal or contact 07746622821 for alternate payments methods. There will be no refund of payments within 48 hours of the workshop and money will not be returned if you must leave the class for any reason. If there are still places available on the first day of class you may join the workshop but £10 more will be charged for each level.

Class level

Level 1 Class Tangos £75.00 Level 1 class Tangos(student) £70.00 Level 2 Class Bulerias £90.00 Level 2 Class Bulerias(student) £80.00 Level 1&2 Tangos & Bulerias £150.00 Level 1&2 Tangos & Bulerias (student) £135.00

FlamencoNI and King Street Arts present our first Flamenco Tablao (party) night on Friday April 9th, 8pm. You are invited to come along and party with us.

This is not a formal evening and there will be no dance performance but there will be loads of Flamenco music and opportunities to dance Sevillanas, Fandangos, Bulerias or whatever else takes your fancy.

If you who have never danced the popular Spanish folk dance, Sevillanas, join Maureen for an Introduction Class at 8pm before the night kicks off.

Maureen (Maria Teresa) Connolly is an experienced flamenco dance teacher and has been teaching Flamenco dance for many years. The class is a one hour long and aimed at those who have never danced before or anyone who wants to try Flamenco or learn Sevillanas.

Here’s a little information on Sevillanas:
Sevillanas are a set of dances that form the core of Spanish folk dance. They are danced at ferias,weddings, and many other social events in Spain, and the stepsare the building blocks of flamenco.
Some flamenco enthusiasts insist that sevillanas are not flamenco but the dances are still taught to beginning flamenco students to help prepare them for the more difficult freestyle forms of flamenco.

Sevillanas are danced face-to-face with a partner to sevillana music, which is in three-quarter time. For public performance women often wear the beautiful polka-dot flamenco costumes; the dramaticturns and passes of sevillanas are emphasized by the colorful ruffled dresses. Unlike many folk dances, arm work in sevillanas is just as important and can be just as complicated as footwork. Despite this, you shouldn’t worry too much if you jump into a sevillana only to stumble through it. As with other folk dances, sevillanas are supposed to be fun. Getting to where you’re supposed to be is more important than how you get there.

So if you don’t know Sevillanas already – take the lesson – no partner is necessary but if you know the dance already come along and have fun with it or any other Flamenco dance you want to do.

BYOB, snacks, friends and yourself. Flamenco attire is encouraged and will add to the ambience of our tablao flamenco for the evening.

The cost for the Sevillanas lesson is £8.00 and includes admission to the party. If you wish to only take the lesson it will be £5.00. Admission to the tablao is £4.00.  Sign up using Paypal below or  alternatively, you can pay on the night if you want to just drop in.

Lesson payment

Sevillanas Lesson & Party £8.00 Sevillanas Lesson only £5.00