A Mercer University professor brought the world of flamenco to students in a weeklong lecture and workshop series.
The Flamenco Art Workshop Series was created by flamenco dancer and visual artist Elena Moro and brought to Mercer by Dr. Alana Alvarez, associate professor of Spanish. Moro presented a lecture exploring flamenco as an emotional language, expressed through music and dance, focusing on the emotions and cultural influences of flamenco. She also led workshops on storytelling through flamenco in photography, as well as a beginner level flamenco dance workshop. The series, held in January, ended with a performance by Moro titled “Hilos de Aire” at the McEachern Art Center, with student photography displayed in the building.
Flamenco is a dance, song and musical genre rooted in the Andalusia region of Spain, with Romani culture playing a central role, alongside Moorish, Jewish and local Andalusian traditions. It is defined by its use of “cante” (song), “toque” (guitar) and “baile” (dance) to create a style that emphasizes free-spirited expression, spontaneity and rhythmic footwork.
Dr. Alvarez said she was inspired to bring this project, created by Elena Moro, as part of a Culture at Mercer series as a way to make cultural immersion more accessible to students.
“Last summer, while I was in Seville, I met with Elena Moro,” Dr. Alvarez said. “She told me about her project, and I thought it would be a great idea to bring her to Mercer to create a new opportunity for students to experience culture. Her experience as a professional flamenco dancer, combined with her background in visual arts, made her the perfect person to lead the first iteration of a Culture at Mercer workshop series, the kind of interdisciplinary framework that is so needed in liberal arts education today.”
She said students were interested in different aspects of the series, with some enjoying learning about flamenco dance and theory through the lecture and others being attracted to workshops that included photography and dance.
Dr. Alvarez hopes the series is the first of many to come that will expose students to other cultures throughout the world.
“I think students need to engage in any or all opportunities possible to open their minds to new ways of thinking and expression,” she said. “I think a culture series like this one that brings non U.S.-based artists and scholars that are multidisciplinary is very important to give students a taste of what it would be like to study abroad. If we are an institution that thrives in diversity, we need to do that outside of the U.S. perspective.”
Moro, who lives in Seville and performs flamenco regularly at venues in the city, said being able to teach flamenco and help students discover their own voice through movement has been incredibly rewarding.
“Flamenco for us is not only legacy. It’s rhythm that flows through ‘cante,’ ‘toque’ and ‘baile.’ It’s not just about getting up on stage. It’s part of everyday life,” Moro said. “For many people, flamenco reflects a life rhythm, a sign of their identity.”
Evelyn Ullrich, a sophomore majoring in education, helped curate the student images from the workshop that were featured at the McEachern Art Center. She said she likes that Mercer offers opportunities for students to have experiences different than their own.
“Getting to see all the elements come together is magical, and I was watching the final performance kind of just in awe. It’s a beautiful art,” Ullrich said. “I loved the photography, and the workshop focused a lot on capturing moments of movement. I think it just reflects how flamenco is a very active, passionate, ever changing and spontaneous art form and type of dance.
