We recently connected with Katie Sheen-Abbott and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, thanks for joining us today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

I moved to Spain in 2014 to study flamenco dance full-time at a school called The Cristina Heeren Foundation. Admittedly, I was a little naive regarding how intense and difficult the experience would be. But I’m glad I didn’t know beforehand, because if I would have known, I probably wouldn’t have done it.

I was 38 years old when I arrived in Sevilla and most of the other students were in their early twenties or even late teens. So I was much older than many of them. I knew that going in that might be the case, but I managed to put that out of my mind because I didn’t want to confront that fact until I arrived. I engaged in a bit of willful ‘self-deception’ to maintain my courage to move to Spain and study flamenco.

The school was a very serious affair. It was a full-time courseload with three hours of dance technique, one hour of flamenco history and music and one hour of improvisation or ‘Tablao’ technique every day. It was exhausting and unbelievably demanding. I came home with battered and blistered feet and a bruised ego all the time. I had studied flamenco in the United States for several years, but this was different. This was high-level dancing at a breakneck speed in a language that I barely understood. The classes I had attended in Utah were recreational, not very serious, and not physically demanding in the way these were. Needless to say, I had jumped into the deep end and I was treading water and barely staying afloat.

However, there was one teacher, Luisa, who helped me succeed at the school. While the other instructors were very skilled dancers, sometimes their demeanor was a bit cold and aloof. Since I was the oldest student (and also incidentally one of the least experienced) I had tremendous anxiety about staying in the program. I was enrolled in the Intermediate program and I was determined to make it work. I could have switched to the Beginner program, but I wanted the experience and level of technique that was available to the intermediate dancers. I was only able to stay in Spain for one year and I wanted to make the most of it.

While the other instructors were extremely professional, they were somewhat distant and I was struggling with self-doubt and anxiety. I desperately needed a friendly face and Luisa was that face. She smiled at me everyday and was incredibly encouraging when I couldn’t get the steps as quickly as some of the other students. I began recording what we did so I could go home and practice. I was not a quick study, but I was determined. Luisa could see that I was working hard and I began to slowly make progress. At the end of the first trimester she told me I had improved tremendously and she was so kind and encouraging to me that I knew I could continue my pursuit of becoming a professional flamenco dancer.

I am eternally grateful to her and to the lovely spirit of kindness and generosity that she shared with me while I was in Spain. I think about her often and I will always emulate her genuine kindness and thoughtfulness in my classes. Some people think teaching flamenco means you have to be mean, or very stern at the least, but I know that’s not the case thanks to Luisa.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was always someone who never quite knew what I wanted to do with my life. I was a good student and so I was encouraged to pursue science and medical school, even though I showed little passion for either. I wanted to please my family so I caved to that pressure and pursued a career I had little interest in. I was completely uninspired and somewhat miserable with a career in Environmental Policy – which was what I eventually pursued in graduate school.

Throughout my college and early adult life I was passionate about dance and I took as many classes as I could. Tap, hip-hop, jazz, ballet, and then one day I took a Sevillanas class (a flamenco-inspired folk dance) and completely fell in love. I took recreational flamenco classes for five years in the United States and then I had the opportunity to move to Spain to pursue flamenco professionally and I jumped at the chance.

I know this is an amazing gift I was given, of finding my passion and having the resources to pursue it. I am forever grateful for the opportunities I’ve had and for the chance to pursue an artistic career after many years of struggling to find my purpose.

Since I struggled for many years before finding flamenco, I take my pursuit of flamenco very seriously and I take my job of teaching others very seriously. While my classes are light-hearted of course, I do want people to realize they can attain whatever level of skill they choose. Regardless of their life circumstances, if they want to pursue flamenco at a high level, I will help them do that. I don’t believe that we have to know where we’ll end up or what we’ll do with an art form in order to pursue it.

If you have passion and a dream, go after it regardless of the perceived roadblocks in your way. You’ll never regret pursuing something that gives your life meaning and purpose.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think everyone is creative, whether it’s through cooking, the interior design of your space, or just how you look at the world, I think everyone has an artistic side and sometimes they just need help acknowledging it and accessing it.

Being creative is a vulnerable and unsure path at times. If I choreograph a piece for my students for example, it’s never existed before and I’m presenting it to them and if they don’t like it, that can be a very scary thing. Additionally, as a performing artist, I may think something looks one way, but it could look very different in the moment of performance or different than my conception of it. Even though everything won’t be performed perfectly every time, it shouldn’t stop me from expressing myself. I think acknowledging the vulnerability of these creative pursuits is important.

We should acknowledge this vulnerability in others, but we should also acknowledge it in ourselves. Maybe you want to experiment with fashion or music or cooking, but don’t have the courage because you think others may judge you. Just know that we all experience the same doubts and misgivings, but we try to push that aside and pursue our passions anyway. We’re all in a similar situation at the end of the day and we should try to add a little artistic beauty to our day-to-day lives.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think being supportive to those that are trying something new or different is really important. With YouTube and social media, we’re exposed to a lot of experts and high level artistry, but sometimes we need to support the journey that many artists take to attain that excellence. If people are learning a new skill or art form we should support that endeavor. Rather than saying: “You’ll never be a professional;” “What’s the point?” “How are you going to make money?” etc. As a society we should support the journey and the exploration, rather than focusing on the outcomes.

I also believe we should support different levels of artistry, from the adult learner, to the late bloomer, to the pre-professional, these are all valid forms of artistic self-expression. Too often we focus on child prodigies or the absolute best in their field, rather than acknowledging the dreamers and hard workers that get up everyday and pursue a random or obscure art form with little recognition.

I admire all of the unique individuals out there who are pursuing something that speaks to their soul, even though others may not necessarily reward or recognize it. Often times we can’t explain why something speaks to us, it just does. Sometimes we can put it into words and sometimes we have to express ourselves in other ways. I think we need to celebrate and encourage all of those ‘callings’ that people have. For me, flamenco is a calling; it doesn’t feel like a choice. It feels like something that speaks to me so deeply that if I didn’t pursue it I would be ignoring a huge part of myself. To quote Cristian Perez, a Spanish flamenco dancer, “Flamenco trapped me.” Flamenco also trapped me and I’m forever grateful that I’m able to pursue that passion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.flamencodellago.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flamenco_del_lago/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamencodellago
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-sheen-abbott-b99879141/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfVqehJ3ttSuPr8Fkd9jYiA

Image Credits
Chris Blackburn – Blackburn Studios