ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – As you walk down the hall at Mesa Verde Community Center, you might hear what sounds like rhythms of applause or Palmas echoing throughout. At the sight of noise-making shoes and patterned skirts, it becomes clear; that this is a flamenco class.
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In the front of the classroom is Huitzil Bennett Perez, the instructor guiding the group through the steps and movements she did when she was younger. An opportunity, she said, that’s been rewarding, “Seeing the kids’ faces light up when they start to understand a step or something. I remember I started dancing when I was young, and it was just so amazing to feel like my body is actually understanding what I’m doing,” said Bennett Perez.
The free program at the center has been in session since August but the National Institute of Flamenco said it’s just one of many outreach classes in its Flamenco in your Neighborhood initiative. “We’re trying to bring flamenco arts to kids all over the state, all over the city, and so we’re doing a lot of classes in community centers through the city of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County,” said April Goltz, Artistic Programs Director at the National Institute of Flamenco…