Magdalena, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear how you think about where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

It is not a comfortable thing for me to ask for help, period. The same goes for work, but unfortunately I must on occasion ask for assistance. This can cause some blurry boundaries between students who often become friends. I don’t have a budget for administrative tasks nor do I particularly like them or know how to do them! So I often ask students for help with flyers, etc. This has gotten me into some tight spots, for example if there is a deadline… or if there are edits.

Sometimes I wish there was a magic wand (perhaps an app? :) that I could turn on and just have flyers made, cards ordered, events created, whatever silly little thing I need, exactly when I need it. Often this is last minute which adds to the frustration.

The place where I did feel it was OK to ask for help was in furnishing my new studio which we opened last January. It’s always the same parents who offer to pick things up, transport second hand shelves, give others rides, order costumes. Well those parents rallied once again and got me through the first few months. I had donations of lamps, shelves, a microwave even. It was glorious and I was happy to not be buying new for both financial and ecological reasons.

Magdalena , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a native New Yorker who at a very early age was exposed to foreign language and culture, and for this I am grateful. After college, while inadvertently working toward a career in social services, I had the chance to study Flamenco a few blocks away from my office. The rest is history. I was hooked from the first class.

Fortunately my background was in education, sociology and Spanish. Everything fit together like a puzzle! Once I started training intensively, I also started teaching my craft to make ends meet. That’s when I fell into a rhythm of traveling to Spain for a few months at a time and then returning to NYC to perform myself, run adult classes and produce recitals for my students,

What I feel makes me stand out as a Teaching Artist is my commitment to the learning experience of my students, whose ages now span 4 to 64. I had a very unique situation. For the first few years I did not go to a dance school in Spain per se, but instead I trained in the home of a dancer named “la Farruca”. Rosario Montoya is the daughter of El Farruco, one of the most legendary Gypsy /Roma flamenco families, universally known for their “puro” style, intensity, and legacy

I lived bi-culturally for many years, often feeling as if my body and mind were split straight down the middle. In Sevilla I was able to stroll down the street with my “chucho” – street dog- and talk to all the shop keepers on my way to the market or between classes. My zap of energy became a glass of gazpacho prepared by the wife of a local bar owner. (He would bring in a potent blend of it from “el campo” each morning, and pour it over tall glasses of ice.) Socializing at night went late which meant I had to constantly choose between an evening of silly small talk (“cachondeo”) through clouds of smoke -or a lonely night in my apartment watching dubbed CSI.

All of these memories, interactions, and of course those endless hours of practice in the studio are what still feed me as a an artist. I trained in 3 of the 4 components – cante (song), cajon (percussion) and of course baile (dance) – never studied guitar. But it was my living there and the dual existence I maintained for so many years that gave me my perspective on the art form. The wealth of knowledge I am able to share with my students goes far beyond dance steps, which is an unfortunate standard for teachers living in the U.S., and especially the East coast. Flamenco is a way of life, a language, a culture unto itself rich in tradition. What I feel sets me apart from the other teachers in the area is this commitment to teaching holistically. Each step can have a story, one which I share with my students to help reinforce the importance and relevance of what they are learning.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I lived 4 blocks away from the Twin Towers when I awoke to the massive explosion blasting from the World Trade center on 9-11-2001. That day was the end of one life and the beginning of another; I left my building and never quite returned. I used the emergency government funding – which was meant to incentivize residents to stay in the area – for a one way ticket to Madrid. I had no plans other than to stay with a friend and see where things went. The freedom was a blessing and a curse. By moving abroad I lost work and family connections. I even left my very first gig dancing at a bar called Xunta in the village, a weekly show I started with some compañeros, which ended up lasting decades. (Perhaps naively, I thought once I was back in town the “substitute” dancers would give me my gig back.)

Those first few months in Madrid were spent acclimating to a very solitary life going between the dance studio and my apartment. I built friendships in those spheres, none that felt particularly meaningful. At least now when I felt alone I could just dance.,.. study, dance some more. Then in April of 2002 back in NYC my Dad died suddenly of a heart attack. I will never forget that phone call I received in the internet cafe. With the help of my friend I managed to get on a flight back to NYC… to do whatever one does when their parent dies. Suffice to say it was another blow, even more personal, and again so very scary.

After many months mourning the loss of both my Father and what seemed like my young adult life, I went back to Spain, again with an open ticket, but this time to Seville where I knew I would be distracted and able to immerse in all things Flamenco, sometimes 24/7. Time passed. I made weekly calls to a therapist and took classes all day. My only downtime was during the mandatory siesta when the world shut down for 3 hours. I can still see the empty canopied streets of the Centro, where stores sat quiet and where foreigners watched the clock, wandering aimlessly.

I was broken, but I knew I just had to keep letting time pass. Flamenco held my hand the entire way.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Commercial real estate in Northwest DC has been cost-prohibitive. Since moving to DC from NYC I have held my classes in over a dozen improvised spaces from yoga studios to church basements, to students’ living rooms, (and of course on line due to the pandemic.) None of these venues were suitable long term for various reasons. Business arrangements did not last as I am often in direct competition with the studios that rent to me and there is no incentive for them to help promote my classes.

There are also many concerns around noise level and floor preservation. Most dance studios want surfaces scratch free to accommodate their most popular customers (ballet, modern and yoga for example). A solution such as a roll of thin marley flooring to roll out for the dancers with shoes (Mexican, Irish, Tap, and of course Flamenco) is considered inconvenient and cumbersome. The same is true for our noise! Flamenco footwork, singing, castanets, and percussion make for very limited options in a modern city scape such as Washington D.C.. Unlike Manhattan where you can find something for everyone, DC is difficult to navigate as an artist and an unwelcoming landscape for innovation.

Just when I thought I had finally run out of options I came across the space where we are now – the top floor of a fitness studio in Tenleytown. It gets wonderful natural light, is conveniently located, and provides me with much needed autonomy. I have a considerate landlord who has worked with me for a year now, having been pivotal in the growth of my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.danceflamencodc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danceflamencodc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanceFlamencoDC
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/ytxy1cv97n8
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADux3VXigNIo