My Love Affair with Flamenco
For a very long time, I saw you from afar. I sometimes would stay a little longer just to catch another glimpse of you. Even if it was just 5 minutes more, it was 5 more minutes of satisfaction. I knew they would be the most magical, sweaty, fast, exhilarating five minutes of my life. For years, I put you off because I didn't have a good enough reason to be with you. I was afraid of the judgement that came along with suddenly dedicating all my spare time to you. I thought it would be ridiculous that at my age, taking you on, would be viewed as absurd or to a "normal" person crazy. But then one pretty unforgettable day in May of 2011, life threw a curve ball as hard as they come, which broke me down to little tiny pieces. A few days later, I experienced you. That was the day that I picked myself off of knees and said to myself: f*ck this. I didn't know what any of my other next steps would be. I didn't know if I would pack up by bags and go home or if I would linger a little longer. I made up my mind. I cried my way to you, I saw you undress several times, I saw you stomp ferociously from woman to woman. You saw me stare at you in complete awe while you touched my heart and entered my soul. With each "pellizco" your body made that night in La Latina, my life has forever been changed. Flamenco, you have had me since and I will never leave you.
One day I will share my story in depth with you all. It is one of those life changing stories that is difficult to share especially through this form (and one day I will). I'm not sure if I found my way to flamenco or if flamenco found its way to me; either way, it has been 100% the medicine to my sanity. Either way, I need you to know that I am slightly obsessed with this form of dance.
We all know exactly how we ended up in our love affair with flamenco. If you have an inspiring story you would like to share, please email me or comment below.
