Local performers are bringing a centuries-old form of Spanish dance and music to Arlington that is enchanting audiences in night spots throughout the county and the Washington, D.C., area. It is flamenco, a lively and soulful brand of folk music that mingles furtive stepdancing with guitar and folk songs.
“The rhythm, the feelings, the sounds, the overall ambiance, it's very much alive,” said Arlington resident Michael Perez, Miguelito to his friends, who has played flamenco guitar for more than 15 years.
Perez and others, like local dancers Ginette Perea and Shahram Tehranian, have sparked a growing local interest in Flamenco that is spreading. According to www.dcflamenco.com, Perez's Web site — a terrific source for information on flamenco in the area — Arlington is home to four weekly shows in tapas bars and restaurants. The latest to open is on Friday and Saturday nights at El Ranchero on Wilson Boulevard. The performances are intensive, often punctuated by shouts of “Ole!” from the crowd once the rapid pounding of dance steps and the guitar strings get going.
“I have to throw all of myself into it because in flamenco, you get out of it what you put into it,” said Perez.
PEREZ'S LOVE for flamenco began during his studies at California State University Fullerton, where he was learning classical guitar. One night he stumbled upon the music that would become his passion.
“I was studying classical guitar in college and kind of just looking for my niche as a musician, when I went to a flamenco party,” said Perez. “I fell for it instantly.”
Flamenco was brought to Europe in the Middle Ages by the gypsies and flourished in the Andalusia region of southern Spain. It began as solely a form of singing, but performers soon mingled it with chords of the guitar and dancing. Its bold gestures, whirling spins and serpentine movements are a challenge even for professional dancers, but those who study it find flamenco evokes both passion and joy.
“I went into my first class and never left,” said Susan Woodward, dance instructor for the Arlington Center for Dance, which offers courses in flamenco's complex footwork.
A flamenco performance, she said, is controlled by the dancers, whose movements are expressive of their feelings and energy. Through small gestures, looks and other little clues, the dancers signal the guitarist when the music will change. The two elements, dancers and musician, thus come to work as one.
“It's very much based on what's happening at that moment,” said Perez. “It's more challenging for me in a way because I have to find the music right then and there, but it's also more fun because it's exciting. Every performance is a little different.”
WOODWARD WAS drawn to flamenco as a student at Ohio State University, where she studied historical dances. She became fascinated, she said, by Baroque-era lithographs depicting flamenco dancers with castanets. Soon afterward, she traveled to Madrid, then further south to Andalusia to learn the dances herself.
“It looks easy when you see it, but flamenco is very demanding,” said Woodward.
Flamenco, she said, is different from other forms of dance musically because of its 12-count structure and shifting accents. To learn flamenco, however, she said, one of the first steps is understanding “contra tiempo,” the off-beat clapping that sounds the beginning of almost every flamenco performance. The strange rhythm seems capable of stirring even the most timid of hearts. It marks the rising action of the performance, building as the dancers prepare to let loose with their steps. It gives the dance an air of drama.
“There is a very strong theatrical aspect,” said Woodward. “It is about speaking from the soul. As you start feeling the words and the music, you start to move. You bring yourself into it.”
Speaking from the soul, what is known as “duende” in Spanish, is the core of flamenco's spirit.
“I call it exposing your soul to the world,” Woodward said. “There is nothing better.”
TO FIND FLAMENCO in Arlington, go to the Crystal City Jaleo on Sunday nights, or to Gua Rapa, near Courthouse Plaza, on Thursdays. El Pike, 6138 Arlington Blvd., also features flamenco on Wednesday nights. To take flamenco dance lessons, contact the Arlington Center for Dance, 703-522-2414. A roster of both guitar and dance instructors can also be found on Perez's Web site.