Learning Spanish!

Livemocha and Babbel are two fairly good websites that I can recommend for those of us wanting to increase our knowledge of Spanish past 'olé' (^_^)

Registration is free with Livemocha but to participate in lessons or courses, you have to purchase beans. During the course of learning, you also accumulate points which helps you move onto the next lesson. Native speakers (teachers, language experts) will leave reviews on your online exercises and I find this very useful for both written and verbal drills, and to distinguish between formal and informal speech.

Registration is also free with Babbel and a free first lesson is offered. In order to continue with lessons or courses, you need to register on a recurring payment plan.

Of course nothing beats learning with live native speakers. Edmonton Spanish Speakers and Spanish in Edmonton are two groups that are quite actively involved in helping others learn Spanish in a fun, casual environment!

Please feel free to share resources or other avenues that you can recommend to learn español!

Ruffles

No one can be a true Flamenco enthusiast without appreciating the beauty of Flamenco dresses, skirts and - RUFFLES! Having said that, I recently came across a lovely collection showcased in 2014 Mercedes-Benz fashion show. It's a fairly long video and while I'm unaware of the names of all the designers, I quickly fell in love with some of the more modern designs combined with traditional Andalusian aspects!

In this video, my favorite collections begins on or around 11:20 and continues through to about 22:20.

In the interest of not making this post solely about my personal appreciation of the designs, I wanted to ask if anyone, at any point, has attempted to create their own practice skirt - and if your answer is 'yes' - what ruffles do you prefer?

My knowledge of ruffles extends as far as circular ruffles, gathered ruffles and lastly continuous circular ruffles. It's hard to say which type I prefer the most because it all depends on how the ruffles are structured on the outfit.

There are also many ways to hem ruffles, such as using over-lock edge stitch, bias tape, cording (piping), trim or even fishing line!

Please share your preference or even lack thereof!

Tapas and Tunes at the Artery - Feb. 7

Tapas and Tunes - Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser 
featuring Flamenco En Vivo

An evening of Tapas, Flamenco Dance, Jazz and Latin Music. A Fundraising Event in support of Cystic Fibrosis Canada.

with
The Jazz Quintessential and Coba! Latin Fusion

Date: Saturday, February 7, 2015
Time: 7:30pm
Location: The Artery - 9535 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton
Price: $60 advance
(includes tapas catered by Edmonton Events Collaborative)
Information and tickets: at this link (www.theartery.ca)

Flamenco Classes - new session Jan 2015

The registration information for Jane's upcoming session of flamenco classes is now available.

Introductory level students
I am offering a One Day Introduction to Flamenco on January 30th to give new students a taste of my classes before the full session which begins on February 6th.

One Day Intro registration deadline - January 26
Full session registration deadline - February 2

Levels I and above  
Classes begin on the weekend of January 30th.
Registration deadline January 26th.

For more information please visit the website:

Flamenco Classes with Jane Ogilvie

There you will find information about my background, teaching philosophy, classes and the upcoming Spring classes.

Flamenco Metronome

Hello Everyone!

I wanted to share with you a handy application that I've been using for practice away from class. For Android (Google Play) the app is called 'Flamenco Metronome'; while it is available for free, I strongly recommend purchasing the PRO version only because it allows you to manipulate sounds. For example, cajon (heavy and light), palmas and pandereta (translates to tambourine). Have fun listening to variations of palmas and cajon. My recommendation: listen to the cajon alone; it sounds so cool!

The price for the app has gone up slightly on Google Play and is now just over $13.00 but it’s really worthwhile especially if you’re involved in Flamenco dance in one way or another.

For owners of Apple products, the app is called 'Doctor Compas'. I'm not sure if this is a paid app and I don’t know how much you can manipulate the sounds but if any of you end up using it, please share your experience by replying to this post!

For my part, the app helped immensely to learn Alegrias because it was such a new palos for me and I felt a bit intimidated at first but now all I want to do is the happy dance (no pun intended XD). I AM admittedly more comfortable with the compas but the dance steps still need improvement!

I give this app two strong golpes!