Before flamenco dancer Irene Rodríguez ever learned to dance, she learned to make music. Specifically, she studied piano, going to a professional school for the instrument in her native Cuba, where she excelled (partially thanks to large hands, she admits). “But as soon as I met dance, I really started wanting more hours of dance lessons than music lessons.”
Rodríguez ended up studying at the school of the Ballet Español de Cuba and eventually became a principal dancer of Spanish dance and flamenco at Ballet Español de Cuba and the renowned Ballet Nacional de Cuba, in addition to founding her own troupe, Compañía Irene Rodríguez (which will perform next on April 12 in Tampa, Florida).
But although she hasn’t studied the piano formally in many years, Rodríguez says her musical education remains essential to her work as a dance artist. Not only does it allow her to seamlessly communicate with conductors and composers, she says it makes her a better dancer—and it’s something she’s passionate about passing along to her students.
“When you become a Spanish dancer, you are a musician, as well,” Rodríguez says. “I always tell my students: You need to imagine you are making the music with your body.” Often, it’s more than just imagination: Flamenco dancers are tasked with sounding out rhythms through complex footwork and clapping, as well as with castanets and sometimes a cane. This means dancers not only need to learn the physical coordination to dance and create music at the same time, but they also need to become percussion musicians themselves. “You really need to have a very developed musical ear.”
Today, Rodríguez teaches classes, workshops, and private lessons worldwide, including at the Patel Conservatory and University of South Florida in her new home of Tampa. And she always encourages her students to study music. “If they can learn how to play an instrument, even better. But they at least need to learn to identify tempos, rhythms, and develop a musical ear that can follow a constant beat,” she explains.
Once they learn these basics, however, what she really wants is for dancers to move to more than just the beat: “You need to follow the accents of the music, the nuances and cadences of the music, the intentions, the silences of the music. Always follow the feeling and what the music wants to express—and your interpretation of that.”
One of the major components of flamenco is palmas, or hand clapping, which marks the rhythm via the hands, and is typical of the dance style. Rodríguez often leverages it as an exercise, instructing students to clap out a phrase until they no longer need to think through the beats in their heads. According to her, this is how “they can relax and concentrate on the meaning of the steps and their interpretation more than the rhythm.” (Sometimes she even suggests—half-joking—that students practice while driving, tapping out the rhythm on the steering wheel until it becomes ingrained.)
And if they still struggle? She has them work on it some more. Rodríguez strongly believes that students who aren’t naturally musical can develop their ear through practice. In fact, she even recommends Spanish dance as one way for dancers of other genres to become more musical. “In my own experience, I have seen ballet dancers who, after taking tap lessons or flamenco lessons, get much better in the rhythm in their own ballet class.”
So what music does she play in class to help her students learn this kind of musicality? Rodríguez likes to put on everything from classical Spanish music to tracks from today’s generation of musicians who have a more contemporary take. Here are some of her go-to songs, and what she has to say about a few of her all-time faves.
“Danza Ritual del Fuego,” by Manuel de Falla
“That is one of my favorite pieces of Spanish music ever. In English it means ‘The Fire Dance.’ Manuel de Falla is one of my favorite composers—I love all the music from him. It’s very passionate, very rich. And this one really touches my soul, touches my heart.”
“Almoraima” and “Entre Dos Aguas,” by Paco de Lucía
“Paco de Lucía is the best flamenco guitarist ever.”
“Soy Gitano,” by Camarón de la Isla
“He’s one of the most famous flamenco singers from Spain. He had an amazing career in Spain, but he became extremely famous after recording in New York in the [19]70s, ’80s.”
“Mi Abuela Carmen,” Laura de los Ángeles
“Laura de Los Angeles is a composer and piano player who is very current. Listen to her if you want to know what is happening right now with flamenco.”
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