Feeling the blues happens to even the most normal people. Life has so many ups and downs that staying happy 24/7 seems abnormal. I was not at all surprised when I woke up one Saturday morning with hardly any sign of life in me. I think I depleted myself of the happy hormones — serotonin and dopamine — that the body produces during an exercise workout, making one happy and energized.
My low mood could be the result of over-exercising. Last Friday, I jogged around the polo fields till I was out of breath, (that must have been five kilometers, according to my trainer), rested a bit, then went to the gym and lifted weights, got onto the stationary bike and did the other machines recommended by my trainer to firm the arms, the abs, and the butt. Did I think I was wonder woman? Sometimes, I forget my limitations and get carried away when I am in the zone. I stretch my energy level to the max till fatigue sets in.
I did not languish in bed allowing the blues to get the better of me. I did my usual morning rituals — 30 minutes of prayer and meditation, some stretching, and taking a healthy breakfast.
A call from flamenco teacher Cecile de Joya inviting me to join her rumba-flamenco class lifted me out of my doldrums and soon I was on my way to the private studio of flamenco patroness Tereret Liboro.
Dance is the universal language of movement. There is something about dance that fills me with so much joy. The learning process is for me just as enjoyable as the complete knowledge of a dance. Considering the number of dance enthusiasts among my friends, I know that I am not the only one who feels this way about dance. It is also a relaxing way of exercising because it is so much fun and exhilarating moving to the beat of great music.
Cecile has been a dancer all her life. She was into ballet from childhood (under different teachers) to adulthood under National Artist for Dance Leonor Goquinco Orosa. She decided to join the Bayanihan Dance Troop, of which she was one of the founding members. As a member of the Bayanihan, she danced her way around the globe, promoting Philippine culture and tourism.
While in Madrid, she got her first orientation to flamenco dance when her group was invited to a flamenco show. This started her undying passion for flamenco and the challenge to attain perfection in this dance will always remain in her. She took up immersion classes in Granada, Spain, and still does it on a yearly basis, enrolling under flamenco masters who come to Manila to give dance workshops.
“Flamenco involves not only the body but the spirit as well. A whole gamut of emotions — joy, love, jealousy, bitterness, sadness — name it, flamenco encompasses all of these. As a dancer, I find it challenging to perfect the sapateados (footwork that involves a lot of stomping) the castanets, the fan, and the manton (long shawl with fringes, which is used in a lot of their dances). I also find it an excellent outlet to get rid of the stress and ill feelings of the day. For example, if something or someone is bothering me, my students can sense it because I stomp harder,” she says with a grin.
Joining her class that day was really good therapy for me. I have been off flamenco for two years now and reviewing the use of the castanets is a challenging exercise for the two broken fingers in my left hand. Reviving my knowledge of the sapateados honed my rusty memory as well. A doctor told me that exercise of any kind is beneficial to the brain because the body pumps twice as much blood into the brain than usual. The volume of blood increases the activity of the brain nerve growth factor, which scientists suspect may be responsible for neurogenesis, the formation of new nerve cells.
* * *
For mothers who are looking for summer activities for their children, teacher Cecile offers beginner classes every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday (M-W-S) from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Centro Flamenco (of which she is one of the founding members) at 8463 Kalayaan Ave., Makati City (near Rockwell). She also has classes for adult beginners every M-W-S from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon. For inquiries, call or 828-9690, 994-9925 or SMS 0921-2818514.