People have been asking me, “Why dance Flamenco?” It has been hard to find a logical explanation. The only thing I could come up with was “I don’t know, it’s something that I’ve found and can’t give up”. Today I have the answer. I discovered flamenco ten years ago by attending a few live shows in Vancouver and Barcelona. A computer engineer by education, I have spent all my working life in the fast-paced world of IT. Dancing has been a hobby, just like skiing, kayaking, hiking, cycling, travelling, but it wasn’t a serious one. However, after those shows, an inexplicable attraction towards flam ..read more

From The Dance Centre Blog: https://thedancecentre.ca/story/kasandra-la-china/ Our Discover Dance! series is back this month with Mozaico Flamenco, streaming online April 15-28. We sat down (virtually) with Artistic Director Kasandra ‘La China’ to find out more about her work. When and how did you discover flamenco? I was actually a classical violinist studying at the Vancouver Academy of Music with the brilliant artist Gwen Thompson, who had a flamenco lesson with Oscar Nieto. She thought I could use a flamenco dance lesson to help with the violin expression and get into my body. So I did. I ..read more

What is the Future of Flamenco in 2021? As the world nears the one year anniversary of the COVID pandemic, I am convinced more than ever that everyone in the world should be dancing flamenco. 2020 presented many challenges for me personally as a flamenco dancer and leader of an entire community. For the first time, I had to consider perhaps changing careers. Canada shut down all events, theatre venues and even stopped our classes twice. I was able during this downtime to study another passion though, energy. I became very knowledgeable about our energetic chakra system. A year later, I am conv ..read more

I’ve been thinking a lot about how flamenco and my work were so intricately intertwined. I truly believe I could not have lasted 17 years working in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside if I wasn’t dancing flamenco. Colleagues were often surprised that I worked so long in the DTES, as most workers seemed to hang in there for 7 years on average. It is a difficult community to work, with the rate of burnout and vicarious traumatization high. My job as Associate Director of Community Programs for Crabtree was right up there in terms of stress levels. We worked with the vulnerable, “at risk” women and fa ..read more

I have done various kinds of dancing my whole life, but I started learning flamenco a couple of years ago because I love the combination of feminine flourish and fiery passion that it contains. As I learned more about it I really came to appreciate the depth of cognitive, kinetic, and musical skill-building that it takes. Just when I think I am starting to get it, I realize how much more there is to learn but rather than despairing this gives me a sense of comfort – I will be a lifelong student of flamenco. Last fall I started taking classes with Mozaico, first in the Burnaby studio and then d ..read more

Last week I danced The Crown Chakra “Sahasrara” and what a journey that has been. This is known as the violet chakra (or sometimes some identify it as white) and this is my 7th blog on dancing the chakra energy system. The Crown Chakra resides at the top of your head as a spinning energy vortex that connects the physical body with your higher self, your soul, your life mission, the universe, God and celestial energy. Whatever you believe, this is the entry way to seeing yourself in a different way, accessing your spiritual self and awakening. It is responsible for our connection with the unive ..read more

When I moved to Prince George BC I knew that while I was moving to a beautiful place, flamenco classes did not exist. So I decided to offer classes myself. Through a well known dance studio I started to teach courses that were well received because they added a Spanish flair to Northern BC. I taught for 5 years. I learned so much from teaching flamenco. First, I learned how to break down steps from a dance and explain it to my students. This helped me become more in tune with the music, compás and baile. Time with my students gave them appreciation for Spanish culture, the gitano world view an ..read more

This week I am dancing “Ajna” also known as the Indigo Third Eye Chakra and this is my 6th blog on dancing the chakra energy system. The Third Eye resides up between the eyebrows and perhaps this is the most famous chakra, as people talk about it widely. It is responsible for our vision, intuition, imaginations, dreams, psychic powers and is associated with higher or even altered states of consciousness. Clairvoyance? Clairaudience? Hmmm, I don’t know! I am anticipating having some trouble with Third Eye and Crown Chakras. They are very “otherworldly” and spiritual. Pre-pandemic, I didn’t spen ..read more

Think back to your very first dance class, in which you were probably a hopeful ballerina wearing your very first pair of pale pink slippers. Remember the tall, awkward girl who was always half a beat behind the rest of the class and who was always placed at the back and a little out of sight for performances? That was me. Flash forward 50 years: the gangly child is now a robust Señora, the dance is flamenco and the class takes place over zoom. I wasn’t planning to take another dance class in this lifetime, but when my friend Cynthia mentioned that her flamenco classes were moving online becau ..read more

This week I was challenged to dance the Throat Chakra, Blue! With great anticipation, I am dancing my way up the chakras! The upper chakras are Blue Throat Chakra, Indigo Third Eye Chakra and Violet Crown Chakra. I feel like I live my life in the lower chakras and for some reason, I think I need some extra help. So having some free time, I went to the gem store and found some stones here, Lapis Lazuli (blue beads) and Labradorite (iridescent blue egg). As I am learning more, I realize that the ancient study of stones is a rich and intriguing art form as well. Stones at have always been known ..read more