As the lights slowly dim, a man and woman walk to the middle of the PAC stage. They are Paco and Yolanda, a husband-and-wife Flamenco duo, with Paco on guitar, and Yolanda singing and dancing; they blend into a rhythmic harmony with notes spilling out of her voice and his instrument. Then the dancers come out, wearing flowy, bright red, black, and orange dresses adorned with tassels and patterns embroidered all over the top, and white, ruffled skirts that dance alongside them. The Flamenco dancer opens a fan spread out like the tail fin of an iridescent fish. The talent, the passion, and the emotions radiate from the stage. This is what it felt like to watch the Flamenco on-campus field trip.

On April 16, the sixth grade, Middle, and Upper School students were invited to an on-campus field trip at the PAC to watch a performance by the Flamenco Arroyo dance company. The performance lasted for about one hour during H block. 

Before the show started, Upper School Spanish Teacher Dr. Jessica Perez del Toro taught the audience words of encouragement in Spanish that can be said during the performance: Olé, Anda, Venga, Dale, and Guapa/o. It consisted of six different dances, half of which were group dances, and the other half, solos. There were different styles, too. Some were fast-paced and upbeat, while others were slow and dramatic. Yolanda also performed a routine with castanets, a handheld percussion instrument made of two concave shells with a string joining the back part together, which are clicked together to make noise.

Flamenco Arroyo visited Westridge for the first time in 2017. Dr. del Toro said, “It was a very wonderful opportunity for students to learn more about the dance and the music that is very popular in southern Spain.” Though Dr. del Toro was disappointed that Westridge has not had an opportunity like this in nearly a decade, she is pleased to see it happening again.

Paco and Yolanda Arroyo, a married couple dance team from Barcelona, Spain, operate the dance company Flamenco Arroyo, based in Glendale. The couple met in 1977 at a Flamenco tablao, a venue for Flamenco performances with wooden floors designed to enhance the sound. After they moved to California in 1986, Paco continued his passion as a Flamenco guitarist, while Yolanda continued as a dancer and singer. “I started dancing when I was three years old in Barcelona, Spain. All of my family are singers and dancers, so I grew up in a family where music was very normal, and my husband was the same,” Yolanda said.

Together, they have traveled and performed all over, bringing the enriching culture of Flamenco around the globe. Along with their dance team, Paco and Yolanda have performed at many venues and universities in Los Angeles, such as El Cid, Alex Theatre, Royce Hall, UCLA, USC, and UCSB. Flamenco Arroyo has also performed internationally in Japan, France, Mexico, and Venezuela. In addition, Flamenco Arroyo offers dance and guitar lessons at their studio to aspiring artists.

Alyse L. ’29 said, “It was really interesting hearing about the culture for background, and also seeing the costumes and the colors and the movement used in such an expressive way.” 

A big part of the Spanish curriculum at Westridge is learning about the culture. “You can’t learn a language without learning about the culture… It inspires students to really take their language journey seriously,” Dr. del Toro said. “An important part of language study is to also absorb the culture, learn about the culture, learn about the history, learn about the music, and that just enriches your language learning experience… And I think that just makes for stronger global citizens.”

“Learning the history, like how at least in my class we read a lot of articles on history and culture, helps me get more immersed in the language,” said Jadyn M. ’27.

Flamenco is an expressive art form that tells a story. Yolanda said, “Flamenco is a lot from your soul. It is not just from your brain, and it’s not just an automatic thing. It’s something that you feel. So I hope all the students feel that Flamenco is pain, happiness, and many things at the same time.”