Flamenco - the Bata de Cola Kick

The bata de cola is a flamenco dress with a long train which is difficult to manoeuvre - and the bata de cola kick causes more trouble for dancers than any other aspect of handling it.

There are two situations where you need to kick the cola:

• when it's in front of you and you need to get it out of the way, and
• when you want to pick up the train and dance holding it in your hand.

The reason many people find this "kick" difficult, is that they think they should be able to kick the train into position in one beat and step out on the next. To make a heavy train move that quickly, you'd need to give it a hefty kick with your whole body behind it, and that would look pretty ugly. However if you give yourself more time, you can use a smaller kick and then allow the train's momentum to carry it the rest of the way.

When you're starting out, it's always best to avoid letting the train wrap around you. It takes real confidence to get yourself into a "merengue" and get out of it again without falling flat on your face:

Now let's look at the other situation where you need a "bata de cola kick" - when you need to pick up the train and dance holding it in your hand. Basically, you kick up the cola with your heel in a semicircular movement, reaching down with your hand at the same time. Once again, this is difficult to teach and is a knack that you will only get through practice, practice, practice.

There are ways to avoid this kick altogether. If you can choreograph your routine so the cola is already in the air - such as at the end of a turn - you'll find it much easier to grab.

Of course, it helps if you have a well-made dress. In the clip above, notice how the dancer is able to pick up her train without bending over at all, because the ruffles come so high. I'm not convinced it's the most elegant way to pick up a train, though!

Mastering the bata de cola takes patience, but do persevere - it can look fabulous when you do!

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If you like this article, read more at my flamenco website, Dress for Flamenco.

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This article copyright Marisa Wright. Photo thanks to Andrea Balducci.