BROWNSVILLE — Belem Nicolau starts by showing students at her flamenco classes the moves they will be performing just moments later.
They pay close attention to her footwork, how she moves her arms and how it all flows together with the song she is singing.
Then they perform it with her, slowly. And again. And again. Finally, she has them try it on their own. She sings, and they dance to the rhythm.
There are some smiles and laughs when everyone gets through the next step. And everyone is ready for more.
“It is a pleasure and an honor to have her here. We hope we can have more of these kinds of workshops more often,” said Julio Fuentes, a folklorico instructor at the Carlotta K. Petrina Cultural Center. “That’s what we want to do more of: exposing culture to the children.”
Fuentes was dancing right alongside the students Saturday morning.
Ameyali Uriegas dances folklorico and wanted to try to learn something slightly different. Flamenco is similar in movement, she said, but more serious.
The center provides every child with a chance to learn something different, she added.
“They can learn things like art, piano, how to sing, how to dance or how to paint. … They learn how to express themselves and might even find their future career here,” Uriegas said.
Nicolau has been a flamenco dance instructor for 10 years. She is from Mexico City but has performed in Brownsville before. She was a dancer last year at the Paella Festival.
“For me, it’s a gift and an honor to teach and to help other people. It also helps me, because I learn from my students,” Nicolau said. “We share together.”
Bringing the lessons to the children offers a more personal way of learning, unlike seeing it on a tablet or phone, Nicolau said.
“It’s important that the children have a chance to learn about culture. They can imagine. They can feel it. They can make it a personal relationship,” she said.
