Practice makes perfect for flamenco-dancing Airman

  • Published
  • By Capt. Sarah Schwennesen
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. (AFPN) --  When an Airman here leaves work, she does not go home and sit in front of the television. She gets her second wind and dashes off to flamenco dance classes.

After a full day as an administrative Airman for the 66th Mission Support Squadron, Airman 1st Class Jackqueline Raastad heads to a dance studio in nearby Cambridge and trains with native Spaniard Ramón de los Reyes, a professional and world champion flamenco dancer.

This 22-year-old Airman said she has lofty ambitions. She is working toward her associate's degree from the Community College of the Air Force and a bachelor's degree, while at the same time nurturing her love for flamenco dancing.

Once a week, she spends two hours of intense dance instruction focusing on perfect posture, serious demeanor and precise movements. Airman Raastad said it is quite a workout.

This style of dance is very athletic although it is never seen at dance clubs. It originated in southern Spain in the mix of Jewish, Muslim and gypsy cultures. Flamenco music combines rhythmic drum beats, strong classical guitar, clapping and singers who complement the dancer.

Similar to Jazz music, flamenco has a solid structure but incorporates a lot of improvisation through both the individual dancers and guitar players making it an experience few can forget, Airman Raastad said.

She has been perfecting her flamenco moves for four years and though she said she would like to compete, she only considers it a hobby for now because of many other projects.

"I chose this style of dance because I love the music," she said. "While in Hawaii, I saw a performance and got goose bumps.

"I've always been intrigued by its rich history. This style of dance is serious and requires a lot of technical work and skill, no matter how long you have done it," Airman Raastad said. "This challenge keeps me coming back to learn more and become a better flamenco dancer."

She said that the dance appears simple to the untrained eye, but in fact it is an intricate combination of movements used to express the dancer's emotion, using the guitar's song and the box drum's rhythms.

"Each type of foot movement that you execute is very particular, some are quiet beats and others are loud percussions," Airman Raastad said.

Her shoes, which are specific to flamenco dancing, were purchased in Spain. They have nails on the bottom to make noises similar to tap dancing, but the beats rhythmically tapped out convey the dancer's emotions and strength, she said.

Flamenco dancing has gained in popularity throughout the world, because of its exotic nature. The dancers typically have tight-fitting, colorful costumes accentuating the control they have over their body's movements. The long flowing skirts that the women wear are used to express emotion. Dancers may also use fans or shawls to express themselves, Airman Raastad said.

Flamenco dancers typically use castanets, scallop shell-shaped wooden 'clappers' that are dangled from the middle fingers in the palms, to clap rhythms in accompaniment with the music while dancing.

However, to correctly synchronize the carefully choreographed foot, upper body and hand movement takes years of hard work and patience, she said. For example, beginners can spend months working on correctly executing the rhythmic foot patterns.

After a dancer has grasped the foot movements, hand and more upper-body movements are added, all while the dancer must practice the correct poise and attitude, she said.

This is a great way to get in shape, Airman Raastad said.

"Flamenco is danced through isolating and controlling parts of the body, in doing so you tone and stretch muscles while creating lean muscle mass," she said.