By Amari Leiva-Urzua
Flamenco, a dance sub-culture from the south of Spain, has made its way into schools across NSW and the ACT through a cultural incursion program called FlamencoSI.
Established by flamenco artist Pepa Molina, it is a program designed to promote cultural diversity within the school curriculum.
Pepa Molina is a Spanish-Australian flamenco dancer, director, and choreographer with over 30 years of professional experience in Australia and Spain. In 2004, she founded her own company, Compañia Pepa Molina, and set out with a mission to make space for flamenco within the community and professional Australian dance landscape.
Through the FlamencoSI incursion program she aims to challenge students and their communities to immerse themselves into Spanish culture.
“FlamencoSI is a program to advocate for the Flamenco artform, it plants the seed in the curiosity of the artform and instils the pride that flamenco has within the Spanish community in Australia,” said Molina.
The incursion begins with an explanation of flamenco’s profound history and cultural significance.
“We provide the children with an understanding of the history, the rich traditions flamenco has, and all the influences from other cultures, all in a friendly, fun and nurturing environment,” said Molina.
As she speaks to the students, she traces flamenco’s history back to the 14th Century, pointing out the many influences from Arabic, Moorish, Latin-American, South Asian, Spanish, European and Christian cultures. In fact, since 2010 flamenco has been named part of UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The program then makes its way to demonstrations and live performances featuring a flamenco guitarist and singer.
The students are also encouraged to get involved through hands-on activities where they are able to interact with different elements of Flamenco: the castanets, fans and mantón (shawl).
This popularity of the program has increased as schools seek to diversify their curriculums encompassing the importance of cultural acceptance, understanding and respect.
Undercliffe Public School principal Helen Missiris said that “these incursions are important because it brings the community together, broadening their understanding of different cultures in the world”.
Maxine Acosta, a language teacher at Cheltenham Girls’ High, complemented the incursion saying that it gave her students “a chance to experience Spanish culture through flamenco,” with language being embedded in the lecture and performance.
“I thoroughly recommend this for any teachers looking for a piece of Spain to bring into their school and classroom,” said Acosta.
Today, the program has visited various schools in NSW including the International Grammar School, Broughton Anglican College, Cheltenham Girls’ High School, St Ives High School, and Radford College in the ACT.
Alongside the program has emerged a new need to inspire a new generation of diversity and acceptance, something vital within Australia’s multicultural landscape.
Featured image: FlamencoSI runs at schools all throughout the year. Photo: Pepa Molina