Feel the Beat

For movie night we got to see Bodas de Sangre which was a movie about the process of getting ready for a Flamenco show. The movie made me nostalgic since I have been a dancer for 13 years and I miss the both the rehearsing and performing. As I watched the movie I paid attention to the lines they were creating, their facial expressions and the sounds they were creating. As dancers we are trained to be able to hear all the beats in the music, composition, sound, etc in order to be able to dance to the music. If you can't hear the music then you can't feel the music and then your performance suffers whether you're not on time with the music or not transmitting anything to the audience. It is an essential part of it so I hear beats in everything whether it is considered trivial or not. The fan in our room in Pension makes a beat every time it squeaks, whether it's Ramon (the ghost) doing it who knows haha but I hear it. I have an appreciation for any kind of movement and the way it is performed with music or acapella creating beats with their bodies or objects. I also did tap dance in school where we had to create our own beats or many times create rhythms that matched the songs so I'm constantly creating my own rhythm with my hands, feet, or in my head.

That's why when we went this past week to see Mascletas in Alicante, I was able have a deeper appreciation for the sounds of the fireworks themselves. It was fascinating to watch. I was able to hear the beat in the fireworks/firecrackers that the pyrotechnics produced, which to most people would probably be considered just noise. The pyrotechnics didn’t only create the fireworks for the sake of visuals. The purpose of it was the sound and to have it increase as it neared the climax but not only did they do that but also created a rhythm with each explosion. I felt like I could see it on a sheet of music where there was bass and treble notes. While the loud bass notes were the most evident, I could still hear the treble notes in the background. The contrast of those elements made the rhythm clearer. I felt the beat in my chest, literally, and as it got closer, I could also feel in in my feet and my entire body. That made the experience that more enjoyable. The whole thing was 6 minutes and though it was loud, I wasn't bothered by it. The streets served as the stage and also the "seats" where the audience can watch the spectacle. 

The pyro technics obviously have to practice it somehow before the actual event especially since they are competing, they want to be able to display the best show. It made me think of the process they go through to create it; the rehearsals before the big show. I know as a dancer the process we go through before getting ready but fireworks are so much more grand and obviously loud that it must make it hard to conceal. Like dance, the pyro technics created a choreography through space using sound, similar to the movie Bodas de Sangre with the added element of movement. I'm really glad I got to see the movie and then got to experience Masceltas because it rejuvenated even more that aspect of me that has been a bit dormant since I haven't been able to perform in awhile. I think I will take this opportunity while I am here to go to a dance studio and take a dance class and take Flamenco, something I've been wanting to do for a long time. Flamenco has the elements of loud and soft sounds and movements, which are now in my constant thoughts ever since this past week. I think it will help me learn better and perform the movements better. I've always had an obsession thinking about the movement through space, which I often think about while designing, and also when I choreograph, which I often do whenever I hear a song. This has increased my obsession with not only movement but also music and sound.

by Alessa Guerrero