Was That Right? (Or Did I Just Get Lucky?)
Have you ever finished a piece of footwork and immediately wondered...
"Was that right?"
"Was I early?"
"Was I late?"
"Did I somehow finish on time?" 😅
It's one of those thoughts many flamenco dancers have, but few people talk about.
From the outside, it can look as though everyone else knows exactly where they are in the music.
Inside your own head, though, it often feels rather different.
You're counting.
Listening.
Watching the dancer next to you.
Hoping everything lines up 🤞🏼
When compás feels like guesswork
Many dancers start wondering whether they're just "not someone who can hear compás."
I don't think that's true.
More often than not, they've just never been shown what to listen for.
Traditional classes understandably spend a lot of time teaching choreography, technique and movement.
But the listening side of flamenco – the clues hidden in the music itself – is often left for dancers to somehow absorb over time.
Some do.
Many don't.
The missing piece isn't talent
One of the biggest improvements I see in dancers comes when they stop thinking so much about the counts and instead begin recognising familiar patterns in the music.
Suddenly, they're not guessing anymore.
They're recognising what's happening.
Instead of wondering, "Am I on time?"
they begin thinking, "Ah... I know exactly where I am."
That's a very different feeling.
You're no longer trying to work out where you are after the fact.
You know while you're dancing.
And that's a completely different experience.
Why I created Hearing The 12
I created Hearing The 12 because I wanted dancers to experience that moment sooner.
It's a practical mini-course that focuses on one very specific problem:
Helping dancers recognise where they are in the compás.
❌ No mystical secrets.
❌ No "just keep listening and it'll click eventually."
Just clear explanations and practical ways to train your ear so you can begin recognising the signals in the music for yourself.
Because once you can hear the 12, flamenco starts feeling less like survival...and much more like a conversation.
If that's something you've been struggling with, I'd love to help you recognise the clues that have been there all along 💙
Belinda
Hi, I'm Belinda
I help flamenco dancers understand how flamenco actually works.
Many dancers tell me after taking my lessons they suddenly think:
"Oh... now I understand what's happening."
That moment never gets old.
See here why my teaching is different.
