The dance of life

Cagayan de Oro – The first time I went to Madrid, I told myself to watch a flamenco show. Flamenco is stereotypically Spanish. Ask anyone beyond the Iberian peninsula anything Spanish, first things that come to mind – bullfights, running of the bulls, and flamenco. But ask any Spanish anywhere in the world, flamenco is a style of Spanish music, played especially on the guitar and accompanied by singing, clapping and dancing. Most see it as the dance of life – filled with emotions, rhythms, compassion, and true appreciation of the intricacies of the total being.

Here’s one popular video from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with the world famous flamenco dancer – Cristina Joyos.

Why the sudden reminiscing about flamenco?

Recently, I fell in love with someone whom I thought was mature enough for me. Brave enough. Strong enough. Someone I thought who would sweep me off my feet. Someone who would stand up and dance the flamenco with me.  Someone I thought who was the crème de la crème. As fate would have it, his flamenco expertise was only limited to the flimsy understanding of what life really is. His life experiences have not taught him the passion for love, the cadence of one’s being, the empathy and sense of obligation for others. His faithlessness doesn’t give justice to what life has afforded him all these years.

Flamenco may look like a solo dance number but it really is not. It’s a collaborative attempt at shared involvement called the dance of life.