For me when I travel to Seville I think of the light, the music, the dancing and the surprising street theatre that just pops up and entertains you at the most unexpected times..
So these are a couple of images from last week – a band having fun at lunchtime on a cafe terrace and a woman playing with soap bubbles on the Plaza de Espana.
The warm light was everywhere.
Another short project – this time to take images that have interesting textures.
I really enjoyed this.
The walls of Seville are filled with texture, so that is where I found most of these images in a few hours of pleasant wandering about in this great town.
I am so happy to be back in Seville. To feel progress in my Tango. To meet friends again. To dance. To be in the sunshine.
And to wander the streets capturing images..
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What a great place, such friendly, welcoming people. And how Tango so facilitates travelling by yourself. You have a structure, a knowledge – its like a common language.
Love it!
This is some simple Amago exercise with Joao and Begonia in Seville a few weeks ago :
Personally I could do exercises like this all day – the solo ones at the beginning of the video – I never find solo exercises in the classes I have been to in the UK but I think they are a great idea. I just went to a class here in Lisbon and again it started with all 20 people doing solo exercises – in that case based on the cross – really fun as well as teaching technique and balance – both of which I really need!
Today is the last day of my vacation in Seville and by far the highlight has been learning Tango with Joao Alves.
I have so enjoyed our time together – Joao was accompannied by Begonia – a talented dancer who has only been learning for 8 months – and the two of them combined to provide the ideal learning experience for me.
I loved the studio – it really is an urban space, somehow that just fits with what attracts me to Tango. I attended a beginners class, a workshop designed for absolutely complete beginners as part of a cultural day at the centre – and private lessons.
I have of course only just started my own journey in learning Tango – but such a positive experience has made certain that I will keep going, and I will certainly be back to continue my learning experience with Joao.
Thank you so much to both of you for making my time so enjoyable and positive! You are not just talented dancers but also great teachers and warm and friendly people – I promise I will both practice hard and learn some Spanish before I see you both again!
Seville – Semana Santa – so much is about the processions and the masks, the deliberate concealment of individuality.
But within the crowds and the pageant I find myself always drawn to intimate gestures – the small expressions of ‘myself’ that make such a difference to us all.
I look for these everywhere, and that’s only natural. We are all looking for connections, and meaningful relationships can only be made with individuals who have the courage and integrity to express themselves in a world that so often presents easier options.
Personally I am now on a journey to find that sense of who I am in so may different areas. It is one of the most rewarding and fascinating journeys anyone can take – getting to some basic level of competency in fields that then have enough depth to turn everything back on you – suddenly you are not learning the basics of a discipline, but instead immersed in what that passion can teach you about yourself. There are so many areas of life that are deep enough – art, dance, yoga, writing.. so many creative arts..
Or perhaps teach is the wrong word – it seems to be that you and the discipline move together, illuminating each other – dancing around each other in an intimate circle of discovery.
Visiting Seville for the Easter Week ( Semana Santa ) is going to force anyone to confront their impressions of the power of the church here, and their influence on ordinary lives.
I worry at seeing masked children being led to the parades by devout looking parents. What kind of impact does all this have on such impressionable minds?
How wonderful to see that when the mask slips, children are still children.
I think it is always difficult to be fair and balanced as an outsider – we just have our fleeting impressions. But I can’t help feeling saddened by these dark churches sheltering anonymous, guilt-ridden people, particularly when they make signs of the cross to wax figures draped in gold..
After my first 24 hours here this is one of the best places I have found in which to get enjoyably lost!
The place is a maze of alleys and sights – images are everywhere. With Semana Santa starting on Sunday – street parades every day for next week – it should be a great chance to get some fascinating shots.
I will also try to get some images from my efforts to continue my beginners Tango lessons – it was great to drop in on an advanced class last night just to say hello and meet the teacher. It’s in a great urban space – I added one image to the set above – which somehow really suits the kind of Tango I would so love to dance one day – but for now it’s all about trying to find a way to learn fast enough, so I can stop laughing at myself every minute ..
