Flamenco and Ballet Español
The UTRGV Ballet Español Program intertwines dance and music studies. With interdisciplinary support from the Center and development opportunities at events. The Flamenco program will focus on the three components of Flamenco: the study of flamenco guitar (guitarra), flamenco dance (baile), and singing flamenco (cante). Other instrument studies that can be incorporated into Flamenco studies include: percussion, flute, and violin. Future goals are to create an inclusive program that collaborates with other faculty and artists to focus on increased enrollment at UTRGV and recruiting new students from local school systems in south Texas and Latin America.
The current Ballet Español program provides students the opportunity to study a great range of Spanish dance styles, including bailes folkloricos representing different regions of Spain, flamenco, the art of the Roma (“Gypsies”) of Spain such as Alegrias, Tangos, Solea, Bulerias, Siguiriyas and Escuela Bolera, a classical style from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that combines classical ballet principles with typical Spanish arm movements, castanets, and flamenco footwork. The Ballet Español presents formal public concerts and school concerts every spring and smaller events on campus and for the community throughout the year.
Flamenco and Art of the Spanish Americas in Spain, Summer 2023
The CLAA sponsored the UTRGV Dance Department to travel to Madrid, Spain, to visit Flamenco school and attend workshops. This opportunity allowed them to study and research with professional Spanish dancers, enhancing their skills and advancing the trajectory of their Ballet Español program.
A la Musica Flamenco concert in Edinburg, February 13-14, 2023
The Center for Latin American Arts hosted a Spanish flamenco concert series and student dancer workshop titled 'A la Música 2023: Influencias,' featuring Spanish artists Daniel Caballero and Nerea Carrasco from Madrid. The live flamenco music by José Cortés, Francisco 'El Yiyi' Orozco, and José Manuel Alconchel. The event also showcased performances by the UTRGV Ballet Español students. This event was co-organized with Sonia Chapa Gómez of the Dance Department, who is the director of the Ballet Español program, and received generous funding from winning grants from the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation.
