Ballet Hispánico School Of Dance Announces Virtual Adult Flamenco Classes

Ballet Hispánico continues to offer virtual adult flamenco classes for dancers ages 18 and up, every Saturday from April 17 – May 29, 2021, 2 pm-3 pm ET.

Spend Saturday afternoons in Ballet Hispánico’s virtual dance studio. Flamenco lessons will help attendees get in shape, brush up on their dance moves and meet new friends, online!

Join JoDe Romano, “La Chispa,” who will transport participants to Spain over Zoom with castanet and movement technique, arms, muñecas, fan, palmas, inspirational music, and more flamenco fun without leaving your homes.

Come join Ballet Hispánico in their journey to Spain expressing this soulful art form. ¡OLÉ!

• Saturdays April 17 – May 29, 2021, 2pm-3pm ET
• Tuition is $120 for this seven-class series.
• Students are required to sign up for all seven classes to participate.
• Register by Thursday, April 15, 2021, at 11:59 pm ET at bit.ly/bh_adultflamenco.

“COVID-19 may be keeping us home right now, but it does not stop our desire to be creative and connect. We are excited to be able to offer our spring courses online, ensuring that our students, of all ages, stay connected, dancing, and learning,” said Michelle Manzanales, Director of the School of Dance, Ballet Hispánico.

Ballet Hispánico remains committed to continuing closely monitoring developments of COVID-19 along with the safety and health regulations mandated and suggested by our local, state, and national government. Plans are in the works and will continue to evolve as more information becomes available.

JoDe Romano “La Chispa” was a guest teaching artist & graduate of the High School for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas where she was featured in the Houston Grand Opera’s Carmen.

She also performed in the Franco Zeffirelli original production of Carmen, starring Placido Domingo and Maria Benitez at the Metropolitan Opera, attended by President Clinton, which was broadcast for PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center and toured Japan with the Three Tenors.

For over 20 years, Ms. Romano lived, studied, and performed Spanish dance in Spain and Japan, was soloist and choreographer for the José Greco Dance Company at The Joyce Theater, the Town Hall New York City, and toured the US and Spain.

She was also a dancer in The Charo Show in Las Vegas with Jerry Lewis, Joel Grey, and others, and taught a castanet workout on the Dr. Oz Show.

JoDe Romano choreographed the Broadway Workshop production of Rita Hayworth-Hollywood Goddess, numerous Zarzuelas, and the mixed media dramatic presentation, Picasso’s Guernica, at The Thalia Theater in New York. Ms. Romano has taught at Alvin Ailey and NYC public schools.

Currently, Ms. Romano conducts Spanish dance and castanet classes at the 92Y Harkness Dance Center and is a graduate of the 92Y Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) program.

She has been a guest teacher at Hunter College and co-developed and taught a DEL workshop at the 92Y. Ms. Romano also taught a master class and workshop at NYU for NYSDEA and at Fall for Dance at NY City Center.

She teaches at Steps on Broadway, Ballet Hispánico, the Joffrey Ballet trainees, and Joffrey summer intensive NYC, along with other locations throughout the NY metropolitan area.

Ms. Romano holds a teaching license from the Bureau of Provisionary School Supervision (BPSS) under the NY Department of Education. She has completed a series of instructional DVDs on castanet and flamenco movement techniques and produced and played castanets on her “Spanish Classical Piano and Castanets” CD.

The Ballet Hispánico School of Dance is a leading center of excellence in dance education—serving over 1,000 students and celebrating 50 years of dance and culture—and offers accessible, high-quality dance training to students of all levels ages 2 through adult.

Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance, it empowers students by offering a holistic approach to movement discovery, including pre-professional training and classes for the novice dancer.

Through its pre-professional program, the School trains eclectic, versatile dancers who stand out in a competitive professional environment for their mastery of the classical ballet tradition, contemporary techniques, Spanish Dance, and performance skills.

Dance training also goes beyond the classroom through cultural enrichment activities at venues across NYC, giving students a comprehensive view of the dance community at large.

Ballet Hispánico is the nation’s renowned Latino dance organization and one of America’s Cultural Treasures.

Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through innovative dance performances, transformative dance training, and enduring community engagement experiences.

Founded in 1970 by National Medal of Arts recipient, Tina Ramírez, the organization emerged during the post-civil rights movement on New York’s Upper West Side, providing a safe haven for primarily Black and Brown Latinx youth seeking artistic sanctuary during New York City’s plight in the 1970s.

The need for a place, both culturally and artistically, led families to find Ballet Hispánico.

The focus on dance as a means to develop working artists, combined with the training, authenticity of voice, and power of representation, fueled the organization’s roots and trajectory.

With its strong emphasis on dance, achievement, and public presence, the organization has flourished in its three main programs: its Company, School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnerships.

The organization serves as a platform for historically omitted and overlooked artists providing them with increased capacity, voice, and affirmation.

Over the past five decades, by leading with Latinx culture at the forefront of performance, education, and advocacy, Ballet Hispánico’s mission is a catalyst of change and possibility for communities throughout our nation.