Mindful Flamenco
The Mindful Flamenco project explores mindfulness using principles of Flamenco, yoga and dance to bring you the participant a sense of well-being and community while being at home during the Lock down period.
The international artist facilitators Mayte Segura from Mexico and Mayte Rulz Cala from Spain guided participants into a gentle session of movement that enhanced body posture, relaxed the mind and boosted self confidence. Flamenco and contemporary elements as well as the participants stories helped to create a piece of dance that was performed at the end of the project and you can watch below. . They used Flamenco-inspired movements to explore emotions relating to their experience of the pandemic.
As part of the project, participants made a short film capturing the flavour of the inner east Belfast neighbourhood, the feelings that those involved experienced together, and the movement and music those feelings inspired.
Mayte Segura is a contemporary and Mexican Folk dancer with a Diploma in dance teaching from the British Ballet Organisation. I have a Distinction in Performing Arts from Befast Metropolitan College and dance and training from schools around the world. Including The Netherlands Dans Theatre, The Place London, Sweden, Belgium and Mexico where I started my dance studies under the direction of renowned choreographer Judith Camero.
What was the project like? Classes were suitable for all ages, levels and abilities. Facilitators worked on several levels making the class accessible for complete beginners and providing more experienced dancers with new skills and techniques used specifically in Flamenco dance. Flamenco is a great way to express strong feeling, so the groups particularly enjoyed getting together and channeling what we’ve been going through during the pandemic!
If you think you would be interested in joining another Mindful Flamenco group following this first pilot, or you’d like to see the film of the first one, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’ll be in touch as soon as we have more information.
