Flamenco dance course to be offered this summer

Caption: Karina Montemayor, a current Laredo Community College dance major, poses in a Spanish-traditional Flamenco outfit. Montemayor will be one of several dancers who will participate in LCC's Flamenco Beginner Technique Course.

Whether you're aspiring to dance professionally or to simply use it as an exercise routine, Laredo Community College will be offering a Flamenco dance class during the first summer session beginning Monday, May 31.

"This course is only offered once every two years and usually fills up pretty quickly," Alicia McKinnis, LCC dance instructor, said. "The purpose of this course is to have students explore Flamenco, the best-known Spanish dance form outside of Spain."

The Flamenco Beginner Technique Course, DANC 1353, will cover classical Spanish-style dance movements using a wide array of body movements, and students also will be introduced to castanets, an instrument used in Spanish dances.
"This particular percussion instrument is very popular in Spanish music," McKinnis said. "They're held in a hand and used to produce a rapid succession of clicks for rhythmic accents while dancing."

The class will be taught by McKinnis, who has been an active Spanish-style dance instructor at LCC and the Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts for the past two decades.

Throughout her career, McKinnis has taught hundreds of students the art of various Spanish dances, including Ballet Folklorico and Flamenco, and has performed popular Spanish works, such as "El Amor Brujo" by Manuel de Falla, and Georges Bizet's "Carmen."

"Flamenco and other Spanish-style dances have always enlightened students because it not only serves as a appreciation for art, but also makes them aware of the Spanish culture, and boosts their self confidence to higher levels," McKinnis added.

The four-week intense course will take place at the LCC Performing Arts Department dance studio from Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For more information on the beginner's Flamenco course, contact the LCC Performing Arts Department at 721-5330.

Advising for current and new students will continue from May 24 through May 27, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.