Fall of 2016 to Today….
Classes Every Wednesday 6:30pm @ Whitney Community Center, Boise Bench with Boise City Parks and Recs Classes taught by La Ishi Click here for more info
Yesterday….2012 Returning from Spain 5 months into my pregnancy, was an act of courage. As artists, we would have been advised to move into an area that has a market for someone as renown as Luis. But we felt certain that we were going to stay close to family here in Boise. The window for me to find work closed in on us quickly.With a baby on the way,we were going to have to go hand in hand, into the unknown to face uncertainty together. All we knew was that TOGETHER was the word that was going to propel us forward.
So 5 years ago, with zero overhead in the bank to rent a space, we began teaching classes inside our kitchen at the Alamosa Street house. My father added mirrors along the North facing wall and the doors were opened. We gave palmas, dance, cajon and guitar/cante advise. I danced all the way through my pregnancy to the very day Miguel was born, finishing a class just hours before going to the hospital. You can see the blog I wrote called ‘Babies por Buleria’ about it here.
Through Dayo and the Global Lounge organization,we were invited to join the family at Boise International Market. We performed and taught classes on that stage until the very day of it’s tragic fire. The fire left us without a ‘studio home’ again. Separated from our friends and family at the now dispersed Market, we now had to take hold of each other’s and little Miguelito’s hands, moving forward to face the world again with only one certainty: togetherness. Moving forward, even if we had to build from the bottom up once again.
Then, my clever father brought home an old office mobile structure that he did not use anymore. His original plan was to turn it into a chicken coop. But seeing that Escuela Flamenca really needed a dance space, he reassembled it with insulation, then he let us paint it, add mirrors and electricity. Now, it is our ‘little dance studio with a big heart’. It’s tiny walls hold 4 people at most. I have always been in love with tiny useful spaces, and while this studio seems to have a heart that beats loud and clear, having the space to spread out is important for growth. So…..
In early spring of 2016, I decided that giving to the community would do my heart some good. I did so by volunteering to teach intro Flamenco dance class. It was this class that led me to two travelers, who had visited Spain to walk El Camino de Santiago, Sil and Ruth. It so happens that Sil teaches fencing with Boise City. It was Sil that helped arrange a meeting with the Director–Clay. Clay and the staff at Boise City have been nothing short of supportive, encouraging, and a source of inspiration. My heart is once again filled with gratitude for the people that I have encountered and to the City of Boise for putting these public programs in place. It is a huge bridge for us small arts businesses. I hope that this story inspires you to come and try a class with us. Let’s dance through 2017 together!
Classes are held every Wednesday 6:30 at Whitney Community -Follow this link for info- To Contact Boise City Park and Rec call 208 608 7680 let them know you would like to try your first class for Free!
I feel that we do more than dance in this class. We have been cultivating a place where we can nurture ourselves and each other. Pull our thoughts away from work, from the never ending ‘to-do’ list, from negative feelings and the dark places in this world-it is a place where we cultivate energy in goodness, in joy, in dance movement.
Escuela de Ritmo Flamenco 