Flamenco Dancing: Basic Footwork

Series Summary

The flamenco tradition originated has a musical outlet of the poor and oppressed in Spain. As a mixture of four cultures, there is no denying flamenco is a true artistic endeavor. The collaboration of singing, dancing, and guitar are weaved together into a melodic and rhythmic mood that sends chills up and down the spine. Though this historic art form is thought to have evolved from the sixteenth century, many modern day enthusiasts have revived the flamenco tradition. Thousands of people have dived into this cultural hodgepodge of Spanish decent. The flamenco dance is one of the most culturally popular Spanish dances. Originating over three centuries ago, the flamenco dance maintains its classic style yet blends in modern dance steps as well. Pounding out dance steps to the music, the flamenco dance takes skill and rhythm. It seems that there is nothing more beautiful than the grace of a female flamenco dancer. In this free video series, learn how dance the flamenco. Paola Escobar is an award-winning flamenco dancer in Columbia. She shows you the basic foot work for the flamenco, and she gives you tips for adding alternative steps. Learn how to accent dance steps with the rhythm of flamenco music. If you are trying to improve your speed, Escobar shows simple techniques to improve flamenco dancing. So, enter the world of the flamenco dance today!

Video Transcript

"When you make footwork, you need to bend your knees a little bit and, and you need to use, you connect your whole body with your stomach. So beginning from, from here, you're going to start with the first step. It's going to be, we're going to use our heels. This is the first, the first movement we learn, and usually we use a rhythm. One, two, three, four and a little bit faster, and come back, two, three, four. One, two, three four. One two three four."