From that perspective, I am all the more inspired by seeing and hearing these adaptive, boundary-pushing percussive dancers. student at UCLA researching percussive dance and the possibility of “percussivity” within all dance forms. I am a flamenco dancer still feeling limited by the present conditions of the pandemic. She wonders how all this time spent in solo research will affect the many percussive forms that rely on collaboration with live musicians, and how an eventual reunion might be particularly generative. Los Angeles-based stepper and choreographer Jamal Josef is experimenting with his style by “putting more power behind his movement than in the percussive sound.”ĭancer and scholar Becky Hill is using these limitations to further explore her relationship to Appalachian clogging, flatfooting and buck dancing. The bells missing on her ankles made her no less dazzling to watch.īut for some percussive dancers, social distancing poses an opportunity to rethink their practice, and to explore ideas they wouldn’t have under normal circumstances.įor example, in addition to normal movement-based sessions, flamenco dancer and teacher Xianix Barrera is teaching her students about flamenco history, dance structure and costuming in her online classes, topics she wouldn’t typically cover in a traditional studio setting. I came across Brinda Guha, New York City-based kathak and contemporary Indian dancer, exploring the lyrical, non-sounding elements of her movement. I saw Mary Baird, New York City-based flamenco dancer and co-founder (along with myself) of Al Margen Flamenco, dancing in her basement laundry room. On social media, I found an abundance of creativity. So, like any resourceful millennial, I turned to my friends and their friends in percussive dance communities. What about my neighbors downstairs? Will their lights fall down? What if my stomps echo into the alley? Will I get a noise citation? Will drilling footwork on my practice board become my only rehearsal option for the months ahead? Because many of our practices hinge on bodily sound-making and the use of hard-soled shoes, they can easily become a nuisance to neighbors and a vandal for polished wood floors.Īs I started to think of remedies for my artistic confinement, I quickly realized that every idea seemed like another roadblock that most of my non-percussive dancer friends were not facing.

This experience, unfortunately, has been the grim reality for many percussive dancers around the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Claquette flamenco