Subject Practice WK. 3 (3/20-3/26) #9

I had the opportunity of interviewing my subject before we got to take her pictures and we chatted the day away. I asked her my questions and was surprised by her witty, wise, and at times hilarious answers.

• At what point did the “this is what I want to do for the rest of my life” moment hit you?
  
  
  I have been in love with flamenco ever since I was 3 years old. My mom  always tells stories about me being a tiny toddler and loving the sound of my flamenco shoes tapping on the ground. Maybe that is the hook that stole my heart away, and is the reason I love flamenco so much. But I don't think I was keen on teaching flamenco until I turned about 15. I loved being the teacher's assistant in my flamenco class and sometimes I would come to class an hour early so that I could sneak in to the class before mine and learn from my teacher all the do's and don'ts that any teacher, (be them dance or school), ought to know. I loved seeing the girl's faces light up when they understood a step or got a difficult step right. It was definitely the deciding factor that made me think about it as a serious career, one that I really wanted to explore.
• Were you afraid of the hardships you’d have to endure in choosing this profession?
  
  
  I was definitely unsure of just how much success I would muster if I opened up a flamenco academy, and knew that location was a huge part of my success. Luckily my family rents a stand-alone building in Coral Springs and we have a preschool by day and a flamenco studio by night. I think that since I had my entire family behind me at all times and the support of so many of my peers, I wasn't as afraid as someone who maybe wasn't as lucky.


• Is there ever a moment when you feel like you’ve learned all the steps you could learn and don’t need any more workshops or classes yourself?
  
  I don't think I could ever learn everything I could possibly learn. I think that specially in dance, us as teachers have the serious task of learning and continue learning and transforming with the world and all its innovations. I think that if a teacher gets too comfortable and looses interest in learning new styles, they are in some ways failing their students in preparing them for the many types and styles of dancing flamenco.
• What is your favorite thing about teaching this art form to others?
  
  My favorite thing has to be the day after a show. When we've combated through all the tough situations that come with show week and can relax a bit. Plus, we always have a little food party after a show, and who doesn't love food. But yeah in all seriousness, I think that my favorite thing is seeing all of my students cry with tears of  joy after we finish a show and beat of all the demons that come with learning new steps, long night  rehearsals, and costume stress.
• What difference can you say is the biggest between your teaching methods and those of your peer teachers?
  
  The biggest difference between my way of teaching and that of my peers is that I have always tried to encourage my students to strive to goals they think are unreachable. Like when choosing songs to perform in all of our recitals, we all sit down as a group and choose the song together, and if it happens to be a style of flamenco that is unknown to them or really fast and difficult tempo, I don't let that stand in their way and we work together as a team to beat through that misconception built up for flamenco dancers, that if you haven't danced  'Sevillanas', you can't possibly dance 'Bulerias', well my academy and I are living proof that not only can you do so, but you can do it with grace and style. It blows my teacher's minds when I tell them of how long my students have been dancing with me. I mean we opened our academy about 4 years ago and most of my students have been dancing for, if not 4 years exactly, only a few months. So I think my approach to teaching flamenco is not the most orthodox, but aside from it making my girls happy, it teaches them that they are capable of so much more than they are even aware of. It sends the message that together we can achieve anything and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I always advise new-coming teachers and even my own to try out my style of teaching, maybe it'll open up a whole new side to teaching that could surprise and delight them.
• How many hours a week do you dance flamenco?
  
  I dance flamenco 22 hours a week, not counting rehearsals that might come up around performance times, and also not counting any workshops I may attend.
• Have you any shows coming up?
  
  Yes we do! Its almost here actually. I remember the first rehearsal about this show that we had back in December, and can't believe how fast time has gone by and how close our show is from arriving. Its May 6th and my girls and I have never been more ready to steal the show.
• What is your show about?
  
  Our show consists of many different genres of dance, intertwined with flamenco. So we have samba with flamenco, tambores (a Venezuelan folk dance) with flamenco, tango with flamenco, hiphop with flamenco, and one traditional manton dance, which is one of the styles of flamenco dancing. I am so amazingly proud of my team and can't wait to blow the roof off the place with our incredible message, "Dance is the language that unites the world. Can you feel its rhythm? Can you hear its beat? It is there inside you, thumping deep."
• Do you have any tips for brand new flamenco students?
  
  I don't feel wise enough to be giving out tips yet, I don't think. I'm only 24, so what do I know? You know? but I can say that I never would have found my passion and sole purpose in life, if I wouldn't have gone to a flamenco class at the age of 3. Though I'm aware that most flamenco students reading this won't be toddlers, I encourage any aspiring flamenco dancer to follow their dreams and to not let anyone tell them what they're capable of, only they can decide, and the strength to overcome obstacles that may stand in their way comes from within, so I advice to dig deep and find the courage to embark on this such fulfilling journey, through the mesmerizing cities of Andalusia, Spain.
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
  
  I see myself as CEO of Rebeca Reyna Flamenco Co. (she says with a big laugh) No but, I see myself owning many other academies and teaching students from all over the world. I know that whatever I propose myself to achieve, I can indeed achieve, so I will definitely have this goal in mind for the next 5 years, and so it will be. I also hope that by sharing my teachings and all I have and will learn, others will use and adapt them to inspire an even bigger revolution of flamenco dancers, giving flamenco an even better presence in the dance industry.