History of FAHK
In 2008, maestro Oscar Nieto first visited and conducted flamenco workshops in Hong Kong. It was the first time the flamenco form known as “por fiesta” (PF) was taught in Hong Kong with any pedagogical consideration. It was the first flamenco workshop in Hong Kong with live cante, and certainly the first time flamenco students in Hong Kong danced to live cante. It was also the first time PF was explained and demystified. For the first time, Hong Kong flamenco students saw a little light in the dark lining of how things work within the flamenco “cuadro” (members of the fiesta: singer, dancer, palmista and guitarist). After the 2008 Oscar Nieto Flamenco Bootcamp, Hong Kong flamenco students were once again left in the darkness of flamenco mystery. In 2011 Oscar returned to spread his flamenco gospel. Once again, Hong Kong flamenco students were able to grow in the light of that dark lining, which was slightly brighter the second time the maestro visited. After Oscar’s second trip to Hong Kong, Flamencoholics Anonymous Hong Kong (FAHK) was created (a page on Facebook). Even though FAHK was created in jest, the primary purpose was to create a platform for bootcamp participants to stay connected, share information and discuss flamenco issues regularly. Of course, as with many things, intentions always far outweighs actions. Since FAHK was formed in 2011, there had been virtually no meeting or sharing to sustain the maestro's teaching.
In June 2014, with flamenco guitarist Gerardo Alcala’s visit to Hong Kong to demystify por fiesta for guitarists and musicians and explain the relationship between cante, guitar and dance, many more flamenco enthusiasts were able to enjoy the light, which is now even brighter... in that dark lining. With Oscar’s third visit later that year, Hong Kong flamenco enthusiasts were able to enjoy an actual working cuadro in fiesta form. For the first time, we had cante, baile, guitarist and palmista working together, with even the occasional jaleo in between. It was a very rocky working-together but together, we worked. It took a grand total of six years before we understood how to put the cuadro together, a long journey but… those who endured were able to reap the benefits of that long, arduous journey. Now that the maestros are gone, we are on our own. What happened to all that knowledge? Has it all but disappeared? How bright is that light shining in the dark lining? Since the maestro’s last visit, FAHK has not had any activities or even discussions. Still, the occasional posting on Facebook would bring us all together albeit in spirit only, and probably only for just a few of us. We have learned to appreciate the cuadro but… we have not practiced what the maestros taught us. And sadly, that is the Hong Kong trend. Once the masters are gone, we go back to where we were... even though we have been slightly more enlightened. |
Why an FAHK Manifesto
At the time of writing(30/5/2015) , there were no less than eight masterclass flamenco workshops that have been announced in Hong Kong in 2015 alone. Eight in ONE YEAR!! One must wonder, what exactly is our market size? Can the city accommodate that many masterclass workshops? What is everyone learning? And where has all this knowledge brought us? With this many masterclass workshops, we should be FLYING by now! But… our community is divided by cliques, jealousies, and territorial struggles that not only tear our community apart but won't let us grow as enthusiasts in this art form. In artistic and technical capabilities, we lag far behind our regional neighbours. We do not study and we do not practice. We worship superstar teachers and follow them blindly without considering whether or not their material is suitable for our own development. We take classes much too advance for our own technical capabilities. We spend our hard earned money on fancy dresses and pretty shoes. We revel in public performances that we are ill-prepared for. We not only are in self denial, but we cheat the under-educated audience as well. So many times, we think we get away with an audience that doesn’t know flamenco! We yearn for choreography but know nothing of theory and form. We pay for exorbitant masterclass workshops but learn only steps. We are running our own community into the ground! Maestros come to Hong Kong and see our very “unable” and “disabled” - although very well dressed and equipped - flamenco students and never want to return. Others return only to be disappointed year after year by students not progressing at all. Worse still, some return repeatedly, see our inability to progress, and stop caring!! For those maestros, we are an income generating machine because some of our students never say no to masterclasses, even when they are not suited for them. Our community has been a very unhealthy place for artistic development for quite some time.
We should be embarrassed and ashamed of our own shortcomings rather than be proud of how many masterclass workshops we attend. As students of an art form, we are impatient, complacent, lazy, blind, uneducated, uninformed, over ambitious, self-absorbed, narcissistic and in deep denial. When flamenco is a passion for so many of us, how did we let it come to this state in just a few short years? And what can we do about it ourselves? In an attempt to wrangle ourselves from an abysmal downfall, the FAHK Manifesto was created to set guidelines for healthy artistic development by going back to the basics of regular training and learning. We want to create healthy learning habits so that our craft can grow and develop deeply and with meaning. In addition, we advocate information sharing and helping each other. We are our own "mantle of experts” (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantle_of_the_expert) and we can help each other grow and develop. We have the ability to develop and progress on our own. |
Penned by Margaret Cheung
30/05/2015
30/05/2015