Clive - My Flamenco Guardian
23 July 2026
Such a kindhearted, generous and lovable soul he was.
I didn’t know him until I joined the committee of the Peña Flamenca de Londres in 2013. Back then, the representative figure of the Peña was Vera, who was the chair person at that time. Despite my regular attendance in their events, I was hardly acquainted with other individuals behind the biggest flamenco organisation in London, apart from Caroline with whom I used to dance together in classes. I quickly learnt how passionate Clive was for flamenco and Spanish culture. As an aficionado, he had a keen eye and ears, and clearly preferred traditional styles.
Around 2015, Vera, who had dedicated and devoted herself to working for the Peña for 18 years, decided to step down from the chair position. Clive was voted to take it over. He was not the type of leader who brought himself to the centre of attention. He was more like our caretaker who provided the solid foundation to organise the monthly event. He arranged the church hall hire, drove in every month in his car loaded with lots of food and drink to cater for our guests.
My role as a committee member started off as kitchen staff and I used to deliver homemade tortillas. Along with Clive and his wife (then girlfriend) Ladan, we prepared tapas plates together. I enjoyed working with them in the kitchen every month, chatting over things like how we had been, what we thought of the invited artists of the month, how our families had been, how much he was looking forward to his holiday in San Sebastián, and so on. After my role shifted from inside to outside the kitchen as a ‘barmaid’, our monthly conversations reduced. Instead, I would shout to them ‘a beer please’ numerous times, which made Ladan or other volunteer staff (figuratively) run towards the fridge to fetch the drink. Clive would kindly watch over us, sitting in a stool at the back with a friendly smile.
He seemed fond of my dancing, and always gave me a (sometimes exaggerated) compliment when I performed at the Peña. Every year he kindly invited me to his birthday party in Brighton to provide flamenco entertainment. Over 10 years he had been so generous to arrange a nice room in a seafront hotel for both me and my husband, so we could enjoy the whole weekend along the Brighton pier. The party was literally his family gathering - he had such a big family and everyone was always friendly, just like Clive himself. He openheartedly included us in the special event where we always shared a wonderful time with his extended family as well as his close friends.
Since the ‘flamenco entertainment’ was always programmed between the starter and the main dish, it became my enjoyable routine to finish the starter quickly then apply lipstick before going on the dance floor. Clive and I once discussed the possibility of bringing live musicians over from London to accompany me, but I would normally use recorded music for practicality. I had creative fun choosing a song and formulating choreography especially for this party. Clive’s encouragement and generosity definitely contributed to cultivating my artistry. Aside from my flamenco dancing, the party was always full of music, with his family singing together, led by his pianist son John Crawford. It was always heartwarming to see how much Clive loved his family, and how much he was loved back by his children, as well as grandchildren.
Although I don’t remember exactly which year, he once asked me to teach him Sevillanas, and we practised in his office after work for a couple of weeks. He was even revising the steps in the Peña kitchen once, while Ladan was watching us smiling. We could only complete the 1st copla, but Clive managed to showcase the result of his effort at one of his annual parties, which made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
He was always one of the core figures in my imaginative audience when I prepared for a gig. Whenever I rehearse in a studio, I would picture if he would like my choreography and if my performance would please him, whether he was in the actual audience or not. Having him as my guardian was one of the biggest factors that has pushed me forward.
Clive - thank you so much for your warm support. Without you, my flamenco life would never have been the same…
