Flamenco and art history. June 3, 2006
Miguelito and Ginette Perea. June 3, 2006 1:49pm (photo by Monica)
Did a school show at the Andalucía Restaurant yesterday (Saturday) that went rather well. Ginette was the dancer. First off, we had a very well-behaved audience, so I didn't have to expend extra effort to keep them quiet during my lecture.
So we opened up with Sevillanas to grab their attention--applause, applause--then I talked about Andalucía, how it is geographically located in the perfect spot to interact with so many different cultures around the Mediterranean. Then I asked the students to name some of the countries on the Mediterranean. TIP: if you have a small enough group (this one had 50) include some interaction because it keeps their attention and it's also good for filling up time for those moments when you are thinking of what to talk about next.
Then I asked them to name the musical instruments that Ginette used in the Sevillanas. This is a good one cuz of course they'll yell out the obvious: castanets. But then a couple of the sharper ones will say "Her feet" or "Her hands." Whenever someone gives a correct answer I reward him/her by asking the audience, "Very good. Let's give her/her a hand." This usually brings out a smile from that student.
Throughout the lecture I stop and recap, "OK, so far we've learned a few new words today....castanets which are also called what?"
The students shout "Castañuelas!"
Then I continue down the list with other terms like zapateado, jaleo, olé etc. Teachers love this as I'm giving them something they can quiz their students on when they get back to the classroom and tie-in my presentation with their curriculum.
Anyway, I'm not going to give out everything that I cover as it has taken me years of experience to develop a smooth-running lecture and speaking style. But I will give credit to Ziva and also to the Spanish Dance Society both of whom gave me tons of experience in these school shows when I first arrived in DC. These kinds of gigs pay well, but you gotta have your presentation skills up to par.
OK the easy part was out of the way, but for this presentation the restaurant asked me to give a lecture on Spanish art history...
Picasso's Guernica
A few years ago I read a book about this one work by Picasso which is frequently described as the most important painting of the twentieth century. It so happened that the restaurant had a small reprint of Guernica hanging on the wall so I decided that would be the subject of my lecture--I know that sounds kinda risky but I just can't work with a script without sounding robotic--oh well, so much for my chances to get into acting. :-)
But here's the challenge: with a room full of 50 or so kids, how do I talk in detail about Guernica when I don't have an overhead data projector with a Powerpoint slide of the painting? (Actually we do have a projector, but it wasn't connected to the computer--bad, bad, bad. Always check on the setup of your presentation tools!) Anyway, since this was a lunchtime presentation, I gave the students some time to enjoy their meal while I thought of a solution. As I saw the waiter deliver the plates of paella to each table, an idea came to me: I should do the same thing. In other words, I should go from table to table and "serve" the painting.
As I held up the framed reprint so that everyone at the table could see, I said: "Hola. This is the painting I'm going to be talking about in a few minutes. Take a moment to look at it and think of one word that describes how this painting makes you feel."
I think these young adults loved the fact that an older person, me, was asking them their opinion instead of lecturing them what they should think.
Hehe. I stole this idea from the many school group tours I followed when I used to go the National Gallery almost everyday in January. This was ingenious cuz as I went around, the students from the other tables looked in my direction wondering what was going on. When I approached the next table, they were all ready to give me their attention. Nice!
I continued, "There is no right or wrong answer. I want you to think about what you think this painting means to you."
Truth is I was prepared to just give the textbook version of the facts about this painting: artist was Picasso, painted in 1937, dimensions are 11 feet six inches high by 25 feet eight inches wide...blah blah blah. But when I asked the students to give me their feedback, it helped me fill-up more time in the presentation. But more importantly, I wanted to get them to think instead of sit there idly as I basically went down a list of boring facts.
Everything was going just fine, until I realized I didn't plan a conclusion. Uh-oh, relax. In my mind, I was saying, "Think of something. What's the point of all this? You're an artist so just tell them what art means to you."
So my closing words: "Art apprecation is about the communication of ideas not the recitation of facts that you memorize from a textbook. When you see a painting for the first time, keep your mind open and stop for a moment to take it all in. Allow yourself to enter the artist's view of the world and enjoy it. That's all you need to do. Welcome to the world of art appreciation. End of lecture. Thank you!"
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