The excerpt below is from a feature on Notre Dame Stories. A link to the full piece follows.
Leaving a restaurant in the city center of Málaga, Spain, flamenco artist Jaime El Estampio spotted a street musician unnoticed by the group of Notre Dame students and faculty—and he spontaneously began to dance.
Ellen Lavelle, a junior on the trip, says that as soon as El Estampio started clapping, a crowd of tourists and locals encircled the Notre Dame visitors and their local artist guide.
“Jaime’s energy was magnetic and his smile infectious,” Lavelle says. “Flamenco isn’t an exclusive dance; it welcomes everyone. It was born on the streets of Andalucía and although it has become very popular to perform on stage, there are deep roots connected to the dance that keep it a dance for all people.”
Flamenco invites participation and connection: between the dancer and the musician, and between the performers and their audience. Through hand-clapping, foot-stomping, and call-and-response, flamenco draws its participants into a shared experience, creating a community in which everyone is seen and heard. Over the last two years, flamenco has created connections between Spain and Notre Dame and between Notre Dame and South Bend, helping to build a community from neighbors.
Special thanks
This collaborative project would not have been possible without the many contributions, both financial and in-kind, of our supporters at Notre Dame and beyond.
Notre Dame Organizations
- The Nanovic Institute for European Studies
- Africana Studies
- Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures
- The College of Arts and Letters
- The Creative Writing Program
- The DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
- The Institute for Latino Studies
- ISLA (the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts)
- The Institute for Race and Resilience
- The Morris Inn
- Notre Dame International
- Notre Dame Office of Public Affairs and Communications
- The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures
South Bend community partners
- La Casa de Amistad
- The Music Village
- The South Bend Civic Theatre
- The Shein Trust
- Holladay Properties
- Hilton Garden Inn, Inn at St Mary's, and the Gillespie Conference Center.