A caña with castanets
A record of the class on 7 May 2026 at 13:00, Japan time. Choreographic progress and plans refer to that stage of learning.
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On Thursday, May 7, in our 1 p.m. class, we continued developing a choreography in the caña flamenco style, incorporating a very special element: castanets.
At BG Flamenco Academy, we work with different accessories in our classes because each one helps develop a different aspect of dance. In this caña, castanets have been playing a very important role from the beginning of the choreography.
We have been choreographing the opening “ay” vocalizations, the llamada—the danced cue that signals a transition—and the first section of the sung verse with castanets. In that day's class, we reached almost the end of that first section, and the process has been beautiful.
The students are not only learning to play castanets. They are also learning to coordinate the sound with their arms, their bodies, their intention, and the rhythm. When playing castanets, the body needs to be more alert, more organized, and more attentive to musical timing.
This work helps enormously with understanding flamenco from within. It is not simply about making an instrument sound, but about feeling how that sound emerges together with movement.
For me, this class also has a very special significance. Working with castanets brings back vivid memories of my time dancing with a company, when I performed classical Spanish dance and castanets were a natural part of our stage work. Being able to pass that experience on to my students in Japan now is something I deeply enjoy.
At that point, the idea was to continue using castanets until we finished the first section of the sung verse. Then we would set the castanets aside for a while to work on the choreography through arm movements, skirt work, and bodily expression.
Further along in that process, we would see whether the castanets returned at the end of the choreography. We were still finding our way, and that is another beautiful part of the process: gradually discovering what the piece needs.
Every class reminds us that flamenco is not learned through the feet alone. We also learn through our hands, our arms, listening, memory, and the joy of continuing to grow.
You can watch the work from this class at the following link:
Would you like to learn flamenco through rhythm, movement, and expression?
At BG Flamenco Academy, we teach flamenco step by step, adapting each class to the students' level and giving careful attention to both technique and understanding the dance.
You can find information about our classes, schedules, and trial lesson options on our official website.
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