08.04.2005

Flamenco Inside Spain

It is always a challenge to write about something as indescribable as Flamenco. How can you describe the deep emotion that the guitar inspires or the magic of the dance and the soulful song? To get the real feeling of this you have to know it in your bones.

Liquid interviewed Mari Luz Navarro Quiñones, who has lives with Flamenco all her life and who also directs the "Se lió el tangay" group in Facinas.

Liquid: What is Flamenco for you?

M.L: Although I am still in the learning period, Flamenco means everything to me. It is a fundamental part of my life and not only on a professional level because I identify myself with it and I also enjoy it, teaching as well as dancing.

Do you ever stop learning Flamenco?

Never. There are always things to learn, and I try to pass on the few things I know.

Do you think that Flamenco is changing or do you have to adapt to strict norms of purity?

Right now Flamenco is changing more than ever. It is growing more and more by adopting and integrating new kinds of music.

When did you start to dance?

I started when i was four. My parents sent me to a course but I was quite clumsy. I was very bad at the Rumba and I saw that the others had some artisity in it, which I lacked. I thought I could never learn it. I had to get the steps into my head before I could put them into my feet, if not, I could not learn them.

Who taught you?

My first teacher was Leo Rosano, who started here in Facinas with a school and a group called Divina Pastora. Leo was here for many years. Then I had other teachers, among them Patricia de La Gloria, who taught us the tangos and the bulerÌas. In the end Leo went away and for the last five years I have been in charge of the group.

What is the group called and who is in it?

Until recently the group carried my name, although in all aspects we are equal. Some time ago we decided to call ourselves "Se lió el tangay". We are four "bailaoras" (dancers) plus the guitar player and the "cantaor" (singer).

Do you remember your first public performance?

Not exactly, because since I was five we have been performing at the Feria in Facinas.

What do like more, teaching or acting yourself?

I enjoy both. I like acting myself better, because I have a better time, but I also love teaching, especially the small children. I have children from two and a half years upwards. I teach here in Facinas, in Bolonia and in Tahivilla.

Who are your students? Girls, boys, adults …?

Most of them are girls, although I also have a few boys. There is not one adult.

What qualities do you judge most important if you want to learn how to dance?

Without doubt consistency is the most important one. Without it you cannot learn. At the beginning learning is very hard and many people give up early.

Would you prefer to dance with your group at private or at public parties?

Of course at public parties, the crowd gets more excited. Not on a stage, though, that creates a separation. I like to be surrounded by people, to feel them close.

Thank you very much and good luck for the continuation of the fantastic work you are doing spreading Flamenco to others.