Nancy Ballard, 1960
In either Spanish II or III, Linda Soderberg McKay and I, along with Mrs. Weins our instructor, cooked up a fun project that also included
Spanish culture. Mrs. Weins gave us extra credit for attending Spanish-language movies and writing brief summaries of them. One of the things we saw in the movies was Flamenco dancing. Since Flamenco dancing seemed very exotic and interesting, we schemed to announce that Flamenco dancers would come to our class and perform. First, Linda and I had to research classical Spanish guitarists to pick Flameno dance music. I believe we decided on Carlos Montoya with Mrs. Weins’ assistance. Then we needed to find costumes for these dancers. Luckily, the costumes included headdresses with lace veils, so our not black hair was covered. Also, these veils were instrumental in hiding our faces except for our eyes. We were able to find books on Flamenco dancing at the library and figured out how to do some of the heavy foot-planting, which was rather like stomping. The shoes that came with the costumes had metal taps on them, so that raising one’s foot then putting it down with some effort gave that effect. Linda and I practiced quite a lot, and even got down the off-rhythm clapping.
Mrs. Weins did a marvelous job of hyping the dancers’ visit to our class, and on the assigned day, we did arrive. The music was played with an introduction to Montoya and his fame. The dancers entered, put on an exhibition dance or two, then exited. The funny thing was, the class swallowed it hook, line, and sinker, until we came back into the class and removed our headdresses and veils. I remember this scheme more than Linda does; I do not think this is all a Nancy dream!
I do know that it was great fun, and that we learned a lot about the music and the dance culture of Spain. My memory of Mrs. Weins is that she wasn’t really the fun-loving jokester; however, she certainly was fun with this!
Does anyone else remember the Flamenco dancers’ visit?
Nancy, I wish I had seen this event! I can clearly imagine the two of you creating this event for your colleagues! You both had an appreciation for drama and fun! Too bad we didn’t have cell phones in those days. Video clips would be all over the web site!
I did take both Spanish II and III from Mrs. Weins but do not remember the Flamenco dancers. I do remember that Mrs. Weins was not a fun-loving jokester. Do you remember going out to eat dinner at a Spanish restaurant out on east Kellog with Mrs. Weins?