Of course there's the theatrical aspect. I know there are dancers who truly feel the appropriate sentiment for the palo they are dancing, but they don't always show it on their face. Although I am an experienced performer myself, I don't know any particularly good advice to tell up and coming dancers about facial expression.

Take acting classes, perhaps. Not that you're acting onstage--well OK, if you're dancing night after night it's a challenge to get yourself in soleá mood again and again. But when I think about it, in a way it's a good thing to take an acting class or at least read up on it.

I remember taking a Dance 101 class in college. I was a music major of course, and out of all the choices for the arts part of my general education it seemed liked the most interesting. Besides the class was in the performing arts building so it was practically down the hall from my music classes anyway.

Over the course of a semester, we spent a week or two learning the basics of various dance forms. Yeah, we did ballet for a few weeks and I was actually conversant in the lingo from battement tendu to develope en croix etc. Another week we'd do jazz dance. Then we did some tap and another week we'd do modern. Truthfully, I forgot most of what I learned especially the stuff I had to memorize for the quizzes like terminology and history. But what I did walk out with that I still use to some degree today is a more keen awareness of my body and the surrounding space.

I'm not a dancer, but as I'm onstage or walking the streets or sitting down at a restaurant or in a cafe, I'm aware of the straightness of my spine, whether I'm slouching or not, if my chest is out or not, the angle of my legs if they're crossed, whether I'm taking large strides or slow strides etc.

So how does this help me as a performer? Well for one thing, I'm also aware of my surroundings which is very very important when you're onstage. It's a dangerous place with cables and wires and things you can step on or trip over, or bump into in the darkness or dim lighting of the theatre (or tablao). I study pictures of myself--well not really study but shall we say "I take notice" of how I look in photos so I get an idea of what my body language says when I'm onstage. Even though I'm not the main focus visually--it's the dancer most of the time--I am still an important part of the visual "message" that we're trying to communicate to our audience.

As a dancer when you're providing palmas and jaleo for your fellow performer, are you aware of how you look? Or if you're simply standing on stage as the guitarist plays a very delicate falseta or if the singer does his temple, are you looking around or chatting with your fellow dancers onstage? Might not seem like much, but when you are onstage, even if you are just the "window dressing" so to speak, you still have to "be on."

OK, anyway, just something to think about.

It's 11:29am and class starts at 12:30pm. Cool this gives me just enough time to hop on the metro, and grab a quick bite near the studio. As for tonight, I'll be at Tapeo with dancers Ginette Perea and Claudia. See you there!