In Milan, the flamenco It doesn't just live on in festivals and performances, but also in the daily work of those who study and transmit it with dedication. In a city that, over the years, has built an increasingly concrete relationship with Spanish culture, the role of the teacher becomes crucial. Valeria Guatta Tell us what it means to teach today flamenco In Italy, between technique, responsibility and stage presence.
Milan has learned over time to dialogue with the flamenco in a less episodic and more conscious way. Milan Flamenco Festival It is the most visible proof of this: an already recognizable event, capable of bringing big names in dance to the city, from cante and the guitar, and at the same time foster a more mature perspective on an art form that continues to exert a profound fascination in Italy. Other initiatives, cultural institutions, study tours, and educational spaces also gravitate around this event, contributing to its development. flamenco a real presence in the Lombard territory, far beyond the brief time of the show.
But flamenco It's not measured only in theaters. It's also measured in the rehearsal rooms where you rehearse, fail, listen, and start again. It's built in the repetition of a measure, in the awareness of weight, in the quality of an arm movement, in the relationship between the body and the music. Outside of Spain, where the flamenco He who teaches still runs the risk of being perceived as mere image, suggestion, or pure temperament.peña an essential role. It doesn't just transmit a technique. It transmits a language, a discipline, a culture of rhythm and presence.
The work of Valeria Guatta, Italian dancer, choreographer and teacher who for years has been developing a path of study, research and teaching linked to flamencoIn Milan, he teaches and collaborates with the school of flamenco Phoenix Studio Dance, a space where this discipline has found continuity and roots for over fourteen years. Its profile is especially interesting because it unites two dimensions that in the flamenco They should never be separated: the experience of the stage and the responsibility of pedagogy.
We have asked him some questions to understand what it means to teach today. flamenco In Italy, what are the most real difficulties and what kind of truth does this language still demand of those who practice it?
– What is the flamenco for an Italian dance teacher?
– For an Italian teacher, the flamenco It is, above all, a responsibility. It cannot be reduced to a technique to demonstrate or a series of choreographies to learn correctly. flamenco It is a very precise language, with its own rhythmic, musical and expressive grammar, and whoever teaches it must find a way to bring students closer to that complexity without oversimplifying it.
For me, the flamenco It's a true school, especially from a technical standpoint, because it doesn't allow for shortcuts or a merely "adequate" expression. If the weight isn't properly distributed, if the rhythm isn't internalized, if the arm movements don't truly originate from the core, it's immediately noticeable. But it's also a true school on a human level, because it forces you to cultivate presence, poise, character, and the ability to listen.
In Italy there is also another important aspect: many times it gets to flamenco through the image, the power of the gesture, the skirt, the shoes, the idea of an intense and immediately recognizable energy. The teacher's job also consists of guiding the student beyond that initial fascination. Making them understand that the flamenco It is not just intensity or temperament, but also construction, rigor, musical timing and quality of movement.
"I believe that teaching flamenco In another country, it demands a great deal of honesty and also the awareness that it is not one's own art form. One must avoid picture-postcard folklore, but also the opposite attitude, that is, thinking that studying the form is enough to understand the substance.
– To what extent is it difficult to expand the flamenco, understood as Spanish art, in a country other than Spain?
– It's difficult, especially because the flamenco It is not a neutral vessel. It is born within a history, a language, an imaginary world, a way of experiencing music and the body that cannot be automatically transferred elsewhere. Outside of Spain, the risk is remaining on the surface, focused on what seems most seductive or immediate.
I believe that teaching flamenco In another country, it demands great honesty and also the awareness that it is not one's own art form. Therefore, it is essential to know it thoroughly and try to transmit it in the best way possible. One must avoid both superficial, picture-postcard folklore and the opposite attitude—that is, thinking that studying the form is enough to understand the substance. The teacher's task is to guide students within a language that must be respected in its depth. It is not about imitating a culture from the outside, but about engaging with it with humility and awareness.
That said, distance isn't the only obstacle. Italian students, when they study seriously, tend to bring great discipline and a genuine willingness to listen. They don't take anything for granted, and that, sometimes, helps. flamenco It can also grow outside of Spain, but only if it's accepted that simply reproducing its image isn't enough. It takes time, and it takes a genuine connection with the music.
– What do you manage to convey most about flamenco technique?
– I would say the relationship between the body and the rhythm. It's the aspect I return to most often, because everything else depends on it. Many people associate flamenco technique primarily with footwork, but the foot alone isn't enough. If the body isn't coordinated, the footwork loses its meaning and becomes just sound.
In my classes, I emphasize the axis, support, coordination, centering, marking, and quality of movement. Even with beginners, I try to make them understand that no element is isolated. Arm movements aren't decorative, turns aren't just for show, and footwork isn't just about power in and of itself. Everything must have a clear relationship to the rhythm and the intention.
I prefer a clean, well-placed, and musically coherent opening to a long but confusing phrase. For me, technique isn't about accumulating, but about making each gesture legible, necessary, and sustained.
– What is the most difficult thing to convey about flamenco?
– The most difficult thing to convey is the internal time of flamencoI'm not just referring to counting beats, but to the way of being naturally within the rhythm, without forcing it or chasing it. It's a quality that can't be explained once and for all. It's built in the body, in the ear, and through practice.
At first, many students want to control everything. They want to do it well, be precise, show intensity. That's understandable, but the flamenco It doesn't become true when it's forced, but when one begins to inhabit it, when one understands that a pause can be worth more than three gestures, that a call needs weight and not just volume, that a finish truly arrives only if it has been prepared.
Another difficulty is conveying sobriety. From the outside, the flamenco It may seem like a language that's always fiery, always full, always dramatic. But in reality, it's also about measure, waiting, silence, the ability to contain energy and release it at just the right moment. I often tell my students that they shouldn't be in a hurry to look like experienced dancers, because first they have to learn to be within the structure, to breathe in the music, to feel when a gesture is truly necessary. Maturity is born there, just like the soul of dance, and it requires a great deal of patience.
"To future Italian students, and to those from all over the world, I would say: don't look for just one model to copy. Look closely, listen closely, let yourselves be captivated by different artists, because what's important is not imitating a style, but understanding where its truth comes from."
– How much has traveling to Spain helped you to broaden your knowledge of flamenco?
– It has been fundamental, not only for studying better, but for understanding better. In Spain, the flamenco It ceases to be an isolated subject and becomes a living environment again, a concrete presence, a way of listening and perceiving time. Even a single class, or an essay viewed closely, can teach you details that risk being completely missed from afar.
For me, traveling has been important above all for sharpening my ear and putting everything back into perspective. When you study outside your original context, you sometimes tend to focus on what's most visible. In contrast, direct contact with Spain forces you to value more what truly underpins the dance: the cante, the dialogue with the guitar, the quality of the rhythm, the measure of the gesture.
For those who teach, returning periodically to that source is essential, not to seek external validation, but to continue questioning. Each journey can shift something in the way they feel and transmit the teaching. flamencoAnd that, in a pedagogical work, is something very valuable and, I believe, fundamental.
– Which big names in the flamenco Are you inspired?
– Inspirations change over time, and I think that's right. There are artists who, at one stage, teach you construction, at another, rigor, and at yet another, freedom. For me, figures like Matilde Coral, Merche Esmeralda, Manolete, Eva Yerbabuena y Maria PagesEach one of them opens up a different world.
But for those who teach, it's not enough to just watch the great flamenco dancers. They also have to listen carefully to the... cante And the guitar; otherwise, the dance risks becoming self-contained. To future Italian students, and indeed to those from all over the world, I would say precisely that: don't look for a single model to copy. Observe a great deal, listen closely, let yourselves be captivated by different artists, because the important thing is not to imitate a form, but to understand where its truth comes from. ♦
