Interview with Rosa Elena Flores
by Mishiko García
Rarely can our greatest passions come together. Generally we place our big dreams towards the horizon and various circumstances push them away. One does not discard others, one simply becomes more powerful and stands out. But if we choose well, we can create various connections between them. At the end of the day, we are the owners of our own lives. It is the only thing that belongs to us until the last moment.
And today, in this space, I have had the great fortune to combine three of my greatest passions: fashion, writing and flamenco dance; in addition to having the opportunity to interview a woman who is an inspiration for many people and who lives to the surface the great values that characterize Regina Romero: strength, independence, elegance and, above all, going after her dreams.
Rosa Elena Flores is a flamenco dancer, choreographer and CEO of Tauro Flamenco, a dance academy certified by the Andalusian Flamenco School. Having interviewed her is not a fortuitous choice, since we must not ignore the fact that there is another universe where shoes also play a fundamental role: dance. At the beginning of the interview, Rosa Elena told us that she did not know the brand, but with the impetus that characterizes her, she looked for information about it and was enchanted by its story.
Mishiko: At Regina Romero, women's work, women themselves, is highly valued. That is why we are doing a series of blogs that exalt the values that we share and saw in our founder. They are independent, very valuable women who go after their dreams. The moment I found out about this project, I thought of you, because you are going after that life line. You are independent, you have made an entire career in flamenco and you are just the type of Regina Romero woman.
Rosa Elena: Thank you very much! How beautiful.
Mishiko: I would really like you to tell me, who is Rosa Elena and how did she arrive and decide to stay in flamenco? How come you choose it as a way of life?
Rosa Elena: Rosa Elena is a woman who has always loved art in general; but especially dance and music. When I was little, I thought I would gravitate towards music. In high school I took dance courses and then I took theater classes for a while and even basketball. They were always things that had to do with the body, with movement. At eighteen, when I entered university, I found a Spanish dance workshop and fell totally in love with flamenco. On the day I entered university, I don't know exactly why, there was a live flamenco show and that inspired me. Although I was in the Bachelor's Degree in Communication Sciences, there was always something in me that made me say: I want to dance. I quickly started looking for classes outside UNAM, with more teachers.
Mishiko: We are UNAM! (laughs )
Rosa Elena: Yes! I don't know if you remember, but in '99 a very strong strike began within the University. So, I wanted to look for a job. Although my parents were against it for fear that I would not finish my degree later, I looked for everything, until I found a job as a receptionist. In that company I proposed creating a communications area and, as they accepted my project, I began to scale quickly. And despite this, I didn't get used to it. I lacked movement. I faced a lot of indecision: I was still in flamenco classes, but I started looking for more music classes. Finally, I left my job and found one in flamenco, where I already had more roles and danced a lot more. When I finished my degree, I entered a much more formal job and moved up, while continuing in dance and having many more contacts. There came a time when I felt divided between my professional career, with a job that promised much more for me, but also my artistic career, which pushed me to professionalize it.
Mishiko: The paths diverge, what happened next?
Rosa Elena: I had to make a very strong decision. It was a transcendental decision in my life. I decided to leave a job that represented a dream for any of my career colleagues. He was 23 years old. I talked to my parents and asked them to give me the opportunity to dedicate myself to flamenco for at least a year. I still lived with them and I faced their surprise, because they saw dance as a workshop, not as my career. They had done everything to give me and my brothers professional studies. And I had decided to leave that behind. In the end they agreed, taking refuge in the idea of my youth. That's how I started teaching classes. That changed my life even more, because I not only taught classes, but also took them. And in one of my solo preparation classes, I met the teacher who would become my husband. Each one worked on their own thing. I wanted to go to Spain and he wanted to start his own academy. So we founded Tauro Flamenco. It was more for him and we achieved everything. Yes we went to Spain, which was what I wanted, but this is now our life project. And, curiously, I began to think about how to involve my career — the one I had put on hold — with flamenco.
My first big project was a website, the “flamenco México website”. That helped me get to know all of us who were doing flamenco at that time. That positioned me a lot. I even did interviews with artists from Spain and various reports, notes, dissemination, etc. That project lasted until 2011, then I got married and had my first child. It was already difficult for me to balance my mother's work, flamenco and the website project. I had to stop it, but now that I'm talking to you, it doesn't seem like a bad idea to go back to it.
Mishiko: How incredible! I see that you have created a very large community; there is teaching and dissemination. Something that I really like about this community is that you have many women teaching classes; There is a lot of female empowerment. But I really want to ask you, how do you balance your personal life with flamenco?
Rosa Elena: Look, it's complicated. This profession is very jealous. I think that many women who dedicate themselves to this even decide not to get married or have children. I am blessed to have a husband who also works on this. As a result of becoming parents, we reduced our time to teach and take care of the children, but my parents also helped me. But now that my children are a little older, I see that they need me more and that I must be more present. That is why I have now dedicated myself much more to teacher training. I know that I want to accompany my children in their stages. I think it is essential to always have a support network, that is how I have never stopped dancing. Many of my colleagues have stopped doing it, but I believe I am the core of all this, I wanted to turn this into a company. I always wanted to professionalize my training.
Mishiko: I just want to ask you, how did they become the headquarters of the Flamenco School? of Andalusia in Mexico? They are transcending internationally.
Rosa Elena: I always want to do more. I created a flamenco career project even before my first child was born. but later I wanted to seek validation for the program that my husband and I taught and, finally, I found the EFA. They admitted us because of our experience and for having a previous project. So many things have happened! We have been there for eight generations and I am in charge of the EFA in all of Mexico.
Mishiko: Now that you mention it, I think that sometimes it is very difficult to grow in the cultural and art sector in Mexico. What do you think about it?
Rosa Elena: Yes, it is difficult. But I think that one must make the decision to be serious and professional with what one does. It is important to start and finish all projects. That's what really opens doors. From just teaching classes, we have given conferences, conferences, festivals and other activities. It is also important to go out, dare, talk to people, never be left without movement. Plus, when you connect with other people, you realize that they need that too. We must not forget that there are also many doors that close, but we must continue. At the end of the day, at some point, it will turn out for the best.
Mishiko: What is the biggest challenge you have faced and what learning did it leave you in this great career?
Rosa Elena: I think I'm about to live it. I have delegated the knowledge to new teachers. I see that my work transcends and multiplies. This way I will go much further than I could have gone alone, but letting go of that part has been very strong for me. Giving in has not been so easy, but it is important to continue growing. My biggest challenge is letting go. The training of these teachers and, therefore, of the future students, falls on my shoulders.
Mishiko: Wow! I'm impressed. But tell me, what motivates you to do this? Beyond dedicating yourself to flamenco, it is obvious that you have transcended it and that there is a great passion in you.
Rosa Elena: Thank you very much! Look, I've always wanted to do something that goes beyond what I can do. It is always important to want to give more. I continue to form my artistic part, I continue dancing, but there is always more. My big push is for others to see that they can also train and grow. I think that the people who are with me can not only take classes, but have enough one day to form their own school. Whoever wants to see flamenco as a model of life, like me, can do so. Being able to dedicate yourself to what you are passionate about and like is the greatest achievement in life.
Painting by Perla Fuentes
Mishiko: I listen to you and I see a great diversity in what you do, from managing, dancing, teaching, creating... I can't help but associate that diversity with flamenco itself. Flamenco has its own personality, it is complex, it has its own voice; It is authentic, like the people who dance it. Each dancer gives it their own personality; Furthermore, the music travels from the deepest pain to the most radiant joy, from the sadness that exists in a soleá or a farruca to the liveliness of the alejas and the guajiras. Tell me, what do you transmit to us with each dance?
Rosa Elena: I think that is the great quality of flamenco, that is what it has. It gives you the power to be free to express what you really feel; in fact, it demands it of you. Flamenco must come from within (Rosa Elena touches the heart) and has a wide range of possibilities and emotions. Whoever dances it, must release them. I think it is a dance to which you cannot be indifferent: either you love it, or you hate it. Many people can see it and think that it is even grotesque or too strong, very loaded with gestures. But even that feeling of rejection has generated an emotion in whoever watches it. You always feel something. When you see someone dance flamenco, you cannot be secretive. The feeling I have is of total liberation, it is a catharsis. And I see it on stage and off.
instagram @rosaelenafloresflamenca
Mishiko: As you say, flamenco has a lot of authenticity and a strong personality. You notice it even in the locker room. Everything seems to be accentuated. The shoe design in this dance is not far behind either. What are you looking for in flamenco shoes?
Rosa Elena: First of all, I look for the comfort and efficiency of the shoe. Shoes in flamenco, beyond being footwear, are an instrument. I like that a lot. You know, we make music with our feet. The shoe should fit you well and should make you feel free to create that music. I must always feel comfortable and safe while creating this sound. For me, the shoe is the most important thing. Oh! It's good that you told me that... I hadn't thought about it... it's the most important thing in the outfit. You can wear anything, but you can't dance in just any shoe. And much less that it doesn't fit you.
Personal collection of Rosa Elena Flores
Mishiko: I also think that the most important thing for dancing flamenco is the shoe. By percussing, you create the fusion of singing and music... but tell me, in your daily life, what do you look for in the shoes in your wardrobe?
Rosa Elena: Same! A lot of comfort. If I'm honest, as a dancer, it's very difficult for me to walk in heels. I love sandals and flat shoes for my daily life.
Macarena model
Mishiko: I'm really impressed with everything you've told me and I wanted to ask you, besides flamenco, do you have any other dreams? Something you haven't done yet.
Rosa Elena: I want to go to Spain for a longer period of time, where this story began for me. I want to study more. But I'm still planning it.
Seville
Mishiko: Well, you definitely couldn't have danced anything other than flamenco. All that passion!
Rosa Elena: Yes, I see it and I know that I was born for this. And the most important thing is to professionalize it.
Mishiko: I know. In some ways, I have been close to this growth. I remember when the first Tauro Flamenco academy was in the center of Coyoacán. Now they have headquarters in Polanco and Coyoacán, although in another location.
Rosa Elena: And the best thing is that now they work without Jorge and I being there all the time. All of the new teachers are focused on growing the school. We do not abandon it, but we grow in this community. And now that I see my parents, it feels very good that they see that I am still in flamenco, but that I have also done all these things. My parents never limited me, but they were surprised that I put aside my degree, because they gave everything of themselves so that I could do it. Now they can also see that it is possible and that I have been able to balance everything. And, of course, I never stop studying.
Mishiko: It's a long race. This year, Tauro Flamenco turns 18 years old. It is a very extensive career for which I reiterate all my admiration and I thank you for allowing me to have this space. It's not easy to meet someone who can unite all their passions like you have done. I also want to tell you that, this year, Regina Romero turns 40. And as a woman who brings together our values, I want to give you a gift from all of us.
Rosa Elena: The work that Regina Romero is doing is beautiful. Now that we've talked, I realize that I connect a lot with the importance you give to feet and shoes.
We prepare a special surprise for Rosa Elena
Mishiko: Exactly! When you mentioned comfort, believe me, that is one of Regina Romero's pillars. We seek to have models that are comfortable, practical, elegant and, above all, that do not age. And again, I relate that to flamenco, because it is a dance that you can dance at any age. You don't age. There are from girls to 70-year-old women.
Rosa Elena: That's right! It's a great relationship. I have, precisely, a 70-year-old dancer. There are teachers who dance at 80. Flamenco empowers you.
Mishiko: That's amazing for women! I am very grateful for the words you dedicate to Regina Romero. Women have been overshadowed in history, but I see that a woman like you will never be. That characterized our founder. And today we want to recognize you for it. Enjoy your gift very much!
Rosa Elena: I am delighted to belong to the Regina Romero family.
Rosa Elena receives her shoes. He chose, with the help of his daughter, the Tamara model. Funnily enough, this is my favorite sneaker and we were able to wear it together.
Rosa Elena and I wearing the Tamara model
This interview was wonderful for me. I think that in flamenco, the earth itself, that which lives inside us, resonates. I must say that the first time I saw Rosa Elena dance was on my twentieth birthday, in a tablao. At that time I had already started studying flamenco, which I later had to abandon. When I saw it, I also knew that this would be one of my big dreams. In this year, that I have taken classes again, I am proud to belong to your school and take many of its ideals for my own life, in addition to hoping that it inspires all of you as well.
Photographs from the interview: Armando Flores
Instagram photographs Rosa Elena Flores and Tauro Flamenco
Jorge Antonio Noriega
Excelente entrevista y sobretodo motivadora para aquellas emprendedoras que luchen por sus sueños .
06/05/24