TAMIU classical
Spanish ballet
(Laredo)—Aspiring dancers at Texas A&M International University, from first-timers to advanced, professional-level dancers, don’t have to travel to Southern Spain to learn the art of flamenco dancing. For the past eight years, students have been taking advantage of the Spanish ballet classes offered by TAMIU’s department of fine and performing arts.
“I think that the flamenco dance form’s popularity is based on the intense emotion that it embodies both as performer and as spectator. The seductiveness of the art form is followed closely by intense strength and skill required to perform . . . a challenge, to say the least!” said Bede Leyendecker, TAMIU assistant professor of dance.
Flamenco might evoke images of Andalucian Spaniards dancing accompanied by castanets. But it’s more complicated than that.
“Some people believe it is a word of Spanish origin and that it originally meant ‘Flemish.’ Another theory suggests that the flamenco is of Arabic origin taken from the words felag mangu, meaning ‘pleasant in flight’ or ‘fugitive peasant.’ Nonetheless, flamenco is the art form of the Gypsies or gitanos. It is the music, song and dance of an oppressed people and a means of telling their story—sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but always powerful” explained Leyendecker.
Originally, it consisted of unaccompanied singing that was later followed with the flamenco guitar or toque, hand clapping known as palmas, feet stomping also known as zapateado, and dance or the baile. Other percussion instruments such as the cajón, a box-shaped drum and castañuelas or castanets are also used.
New flamenco, or nuevo flamenco, is a recent variant of flamenco that has been influenced by modern musical genres such as rumba, salsa, pop, rock, and jazz. TAMIU’s dance troupe’s repertoire consists of a mix of classical Spanish dance, traditional flamenco and new flamenco.
“Spanish dance is totally encompassing. It requires the dancer to think, to listen, to feel, to express and to take the human body to a place that is surreal. It is one of the few dance forms where every body shape and age group is welcome! It is the dance of passion,” Leyendecker said.
Local children benefit from that passion. Every spring of even numbered years, TAMIU’s Classical Spanish Ballet class students perform a free concert that features costumed characters from “Cri-Cri: The Singing Cricket,” originally created by Mexican-born Francisco Gabilondo Soler. “Cri-Cri’s” characters are brought to life in a variety of dances that incorporate ballet, modern, jazz, tap and Spanish dance and teach some valuable lessons about life.
TAMIU has offered
Spanish ballet classes for eight years.
The group was honored with the Historic Preservation Award from the Webb County Heritage Foundation for their presentations of ‘Cri-Cri.’
Professional adjudicators enjoy the dancers’ performances too.
“They consistently merit the groups’ abilities, qualities and unique form and professionalism. They work hard in class, in rehearsal and on the stage. It does not matter if their audience is a gym full of local elementary students or fellow dance colleagues from across the region. They were selected as one of three schools to perform for the entire Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance delegation, which was a group of about 3,000 educators from across the state,” Leyendecker said.
The group also puts on a yearly benefit performance, “Encanto Español” that benefits student scholarships. The all-flamenco show features music, dance and Spanish poetry.
For the past five years, they have also hosted an annual two-day flamenco workshop taught by flamenco master and native Laredoan Rogelio Rodriguez. Rodriguez has danced most of his life and trained with such notables such as José Greco Sr., Nana Lorca and Luisa Triana. He also performed as lead dancer for Charo in Las Vegas and along with Jerry Lewis, Joey Bishop, Dom DeLouise and Jim Nabors.
Flamenco may be defined as the art form of the Gypsies, but the TAMIU Spanish
ballet students are revisiting that definition with powerful results. 