Flamenco grows in popularity in Brisbane: Interview with Simone Pope

Simone Pope, one of the most famous Flamenco artists in the country. Photo by Mel Gregory

In the 18th century, in the Andalusia region of southern Spain, the Spanish folk music called Flamenco was created. Flamenco includes singing, guitar, dance and intricate handclapping or Palmas. In the beginning, Flamenco was only singing, but after some years, the musical style started to incorporate guitar and handclapping. Flamenco dance is associated with the Romani people of Spain. The Romani people, often called Gypsies, were nomadic people, who were spread across the whole of Europe and were heavily persecuted on the continent. The Gypsies used Flamenco as a way to externalize the hard times that they had been living in during the 18th and 19th centuries, transforming the art into a cultural expression of its people.

These days, this cultural expression is popular all around the world. Particularly in recent years, the style has increased in world-wide popularity and was declared by the United Nations as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Helping this style to grow in popularity in Brisbane, Australia, is Simone Pope, one of the most famous Flamenco artists in the country. She discovered Flamenco in Australia. “I actually discovered flamenco here in Brisbane, at a private party, where a flamenco dancer did a performance. I was hooked from that moment and went straight to ask her about classes. I had just start working full time and couldn’t make many classes, unfortunately, but eventually I went to Spain (in 1998) to study there,” she explains.

Simone`s experience in Flamenco has taken her to many music and dance festivals around Australia. Simone is also the director of the Flamenco Studio, where she teaches the art and hosts workshops about Flamenco.The Flamenco studio was opened in 2000 as a centre for Flamenco dance, offering regular general classes, workshops, student performance groups and private tuition.

“I’ve been teaching Flamenco for 15 years now and started my own business, The Flamenco Studio, in 2000. Since then I’ve been working fulltime in Flamenco. I offer dance classes and workshops, cajon classes and workshops and even singing workshops. We have a concert at the end of the year called Toma Flamenco, which is a bit of an institution now. All the students perform in a theatre and it’s quite amazing to see the transformation of students when they put on their costumes and go for it,” she added.

The Flamenco classes are available from beginners to advanced students, mixing upper body technique, feet and specific choreographies. The courses also combine the music – guitar and singing – with the culture and history of flamenco. Simone believes that Flamenco is for everyone.

“You need the hunger but it doesn’t matter how young or old you are. You can start at any age and you don’t need any dance experience. My youngest student is 10 years old and my oldest is 70+!! Flamenco is bigger than just the dance, it is an expressive and very rich art form, so even if you’re not dancing flamenco, you can still enjoy so much - listen to the music, learn the language etc. but the dancing for me has it all. It is engaging, challenging, beautiful, and passionate,” she concludes.

By Gringo Magazine