“We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we are not alone.” -Orson Wells

Flamenco is a solo dance but a communal art form. We step onto stage to dance our Truth, but we need a group of supporting musicians to help us achieve the Flow. 

As a dancer with a background in mental health practice, I am constantly seeing connections between dance and mental well-being. When I teach or speak about flamenco I am always moved to comment on the benefits the art form can bring to individuals and community. In social work Systems Theory, an individual’s social systems are examined to see how they contribute to the individual’s well-being. If one part of the network is lacking, dysfunctional or overbearing, it will have a significant impact on the behavior of the individual. A flamenco group is a system, too. 

Let’s get meta here…

Orson Wells’ quote about developing relationships in order to relieve the loneliness of the human experience is piercing.  Brene Brown speaks so often on the importance of belonging.  Perhaps, belonging is the antidote to the existential loneliness of the human condition. I think it is. 

When I think of the times I have been the most lonely, it hasn’t been because I was physically alone. It is because I didn’t feel like I belonged. I always picture the same image to illustrate my experience in a community. I picture myself as a thick stick that is stuck in the earth. When I belong, that stick can get pulled out and it leaves a significant hole.  I have an impact and my absence will leave a space.  When I don’t belong, the stick can be pulled out and the soft earth just oozes together to fill in the hole. 

How does this relate to flamenco?

Flamenco is a solo art form. Traditionally, the signing and dancing are improvisational. Through the commonly understood structure of the dance and a language of rhythmic sequences the dancer leads the group through her expression of the dance form she chooses to dance. The web, glue, warp of flamenco-what holds everyone together- is the compas, the rhythm. The challenge to the dancer is to reach the state of duende or what one might recognize as Flow, of channeling the emotions through her movement while achieving more and more complex syncopations of the compas, the base rhythm. To reach Flow, the dancer needs an anchor and a source of energy.  The musicians provide that for her. They help her ground into the compas and support and inspire her through jaleos (verbal encouragement) and beautiful song and melodies. 

Only with the support of the group can a dance achieve her greatest expression of the form. 

The flamenco cuadro (group) is a microcosm for a healthy social system. Trust, non-judgmental support, and good listening are all integral for great flamenco to occur. If one participant is not fully in support of the goal-to achieve FLOW, the cuadro is not going to Flow. If the guitarist is rushing or if the dancer isn’t confident in her art, the cuadro won’t Flow.  Everyone, the musicians, dancers and audience are seeking the Flow. 

If we are to Flow in life, we must accept the responsibility that we are alone. At the same time we need to belong, we must support each other in our healthy systems.

There is a confidence that we can gain from knowing that alone we are enough.

We need confidence to assert our place in our system. We also can find strength in the responsibility to belong and support.

We must acknowledge and accept that although we are alone, the Flow comes from reaching out.