What An Inspiration.

2006-03-07T13:19:00.000+01:00

Welcome to my Blogspot!

To start off with I´ll explain the name.....I love Japan and all that prodigously originates from it, so my name had to be in Japanese. It means, Jewel which is my english name, for my true spanish name, Gema. But my real passion in life is Dancing.....Flamenco. I´ll get to that.

Currently in Sevilla, Spain, I spent the vast majority of my life in Sydney. So I live between two worlds, and maybe in a distant future I´ll live between three. Who knows?
Staying at home sick and frustrated due to my busy lifestyle, I heard my brother calling for me just half an hour ago wanting to show me a, guess what? Blogspot! Never have I nodded in agreement so much at what I read. It was about spanish people and what I am going to term, their "la-di-da-di-da" attitude.

http://deepinspain.blogspot.com

So I decided to make one of these myself. It was about time, anyway.

Flamenco. Im sure you have all heard of the name before. Its my life. What I do, what I live for. What I feel. Wherever you are from, you can also feel what flamenco has to offer. You dont have to be spanish. You just have to feel. So I will be be attempting to make this a special place for people who, like me, are in love with Flamenco. And one thing this blogger failed to mention about Spain is Flamenco. Unfortunately, interest in our own culture seems to be diminishing over the years, not to say that an interest in other cultures is a bad thing (as long as it isn´t hip hop xD) no, nothing of the sort, but I think we must all remember our roots and where we came from because those things are what make up part of us. At least this is true of my generation. Few 20 year olds think flamenco is "cool". A sad unfortunate fact I think somehow should be changed.

I´ve been dancing since I was six years old. That is a total of 14 years. Back in Sydney, my mother wanted me to keep some of my cultural roots (as most immigrant mothers want of their children-and Iam so happy she did) so she enrolled me at a Flamenco academy and since that day I´ve been in love. Iam currently dancing at Manuel Betanzos, in Triana. And if you are really into this, you´ll know he is giving classes at the Festival de Jerez, a major Flamenco festival during this time of year. In September a similar festival called "Bienal De Flamenco" is held in Sevilla.

http://www.festivaldejerez.es/festival2006/primera2006.html

And this is Manuel´s website.

http://www.manuelbetanzos.com

I took some time off dancing (quite a long time off actually) due to my university studies, but luckily Im stomping away again and this amazing dancer has been a constant inspiration, he gives his heart out to everyone and even if I cant make it to where my heart has always aspired (to travel in a company) I can at least continue learning this art at such a prestigous dance school. Here I feel like anyone can have a chance and that maybe its not so late. And I have to add that my concept of the universality of flamenco is reinforced seeing some of the japanese and even polish students that are breifly at the academy, taking some lessons.

When I was back in Sydney, I was at http://www.loscarmonas.com.au run by Adriana Rodriguez, who stared in Mission Impossible 2 as one of the dancers at the beginning of the film.
And was dancing, well, mostly everywhere in Sydney...restaurants, weddings, festivals...even at the Opera House. And it was on the stage that I mostly learnt what I know today. Because the display of your emotions, when you are out there transmitting to people, that is what it is all about. So I hope to go back someday and give classes and transmit what I have learnt and what I know about the fab art of Flamenco.

Houseki´s Blog

What An Inspiration.