Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand August / September 2015 - Art & Education Issue | Page 23

Education
development, sense of autonomy
but also creating sounds by using
and mindfulness, to his or her
their feet, hands, fingers, castanets,
perspectives on life in general. Dance and props like fans, hats, and poles.
requires the understanding of music,
Imagine stepping and tapping your
rhythm, movement, and time, which
feet front on beats 1, 2 and back on
together create body awareness.
3, 4. Now add the arms going down
As a teacher, the first lesson I give
on 1, 2 and up on 3, 4. Then add your
is on breath. Learning to be aware
hands rotating out on 1, 2 and in on
of your own breath increases the
3, 4. Right, now lets add the head
mindfulness on the individual.
looking right on 1, 2 and left on 3, 4.
It then trickles down to posture
Shall we add the fan? Multi-tasking
and exploration of the body parts
is one skill that is clearly and slowly
and their mechanics. Movement
developed in flamenco dance. It only
is conscious and controlled; there
comes with time and practice.
is a difference between
Dance understanding
raising your arm up and
and growth, as I see
dancing your arm up,
it, work in layers.
isn’t there? Where
With practice
does a movement
Dance is a
and discipline,
begin; how is it
beautiful language
we reach for a
controlled? Dance
without words—it
common place of
requires practice,
can only be felt.
understanding,
and, because
but the how and
your body is your
how long depend
instrument, you
on a private journey.
learn self-love and
—Carla Soledad
What I notice in my
self-discipline.
Rivera
students is their sense
Exposure to music and
of accomplishment and
dance allowed me to see the
growth from the previous lesson.
world from different approaches. I
I see their sense of pride when they
understand rhythmic patterns and
capture another layer, step, sequence,
time division; I’ve formed a strong
or footwork. That ‘Yes!’ moment is
sense of space. In the long run, these
wonderful to witness.”
are lessons we apply in daily life,
Wanderlust: What other ideas do
consciously and subconsciously.
you want your students to take from
But the biggest lesson is emotional.
your class?
Dance has taught me to recognize
my feelings and then channel them
Carla: “One of my first battles is to
through movement to convey a
replace ‘I can’t’ with ‘I can’. As cheesy
message and evoke emotion in
as it sounds, don’t knock it till you
somebody else. Dance is a beautiful
try it is my motto. We often stunt
language without words—it can only ourselves with mere false beliefs
be felt.”
before we make a physical attempt
Wanderlust: What changes do you see
in your students from when they start
until they finish your dance lessons?
Do you feel that they learn to use selfexpression as a form of art?
Carla: “It is difficult to measure how
much time it takes for a student
to understand that they are using
self-expression, because of the
complexity of flamenco. One cannot
understand all dance concepts at
once, and each individual will capture
something different from a lesson,
based on personal factors. There are
many aspects to be learned. We are
dealing with timing, counting, and
body isolations, to name a few. Plus,
in flamenco, dancers are not only
creating movement with their bodies

at something. I remind my students
to be patient; as with everything in
nature, we need time to grow.

I want my students to feel and think
like a dancer always, not just in the
classroom. I want them to leap or
jump when crossing a street instead
of walking across it. I want them to
listen to sounds and find rhythmic
patterns and make music their heads.
I tell them to try counting out music,
recognizing downbeats, and dancing
in front of the mirror!”
CONTACT CARLA
fb.com/flamencothai
carlarivera@soledaddesigns

Loni Berry
Loni Berry is the artistic director of
Culture Collective Studio, an Englishspeaking theatre in Bangkok. With
over 25 years of experience as a
teacher, director, composer, and
playwright, he has directed plays
at several professional theatres and
has taught acting, directing, and
playwriting at some of the most
prestigious universities in the United
States. Many of his former students
are successful actors on Broadway
and in Hollywood. Loni is also the
founding headmaster of Oakland
School of the Arts in California.
Wanderlust: Tell us about your
upcoming program and the philosophy
behind Culture Collective Studio.
Loni: “The program is called PROJECT
E3, which stands for Explore,
Experiment, and Experience. Culture
Collective Studio approaches theatre
training from a unique perspective.
We believe that t