This is a summer full of yoga and flamenco teaching for me (and of course some tap dancing too). There is nothing I like more than working with groups of young people and the summer opens so many doors for me. This summer I am working at Southshore Ballet Theater in Hanover, MA, The Northeast School of Ballet in Melrose, MA and Sereda Danceworks in Natick, MA. Each opportunity allows a new group of youth (ages 8-18) to explore the characterful dance of flamenco, the soulful rhythms of tap and the inner peace of yoga.
I have been especially happy teaching in Hanover as I am hired to teach both flamenco and yoga and I so strongly believe there is a connection between the two that this affords me the opportunity to infuse my flamenco classes with yogic teachings and visa versa.
Yesterday we explored the flamenco body with the attention on the internal circular motions from lower back, to pelvic floor and then through the abdomen and fro the romboids pulling down, the arm pit rib muscles pulling up and the high beams on the collar bones shining up.
In yoga class, we talked about the concept of force. Using the ground as a jumping off point by pushing into it so we can rise up with the help of the floor pushing us. Think abut that when you raise and lower your arms. With breath, breathing in we lift up but yet we push deeper into the ground, with a breath out, we root down, yet we also feel a rising out of the ground. When we lift our arms and that pulls us up, we should root deeper into the ground. As we lower our arms, rooting us down, we should also feel a pulling up of our energy.
I Am Uniquely Eve 