Cyrena Huang
Flamenco Dancer and Instructor
“Cyrena’s deep passion and magnetic charm are clearly manifest on stage. Her professional career as a musician upholds her mastery of the music and rhythms of flamenco.”
Cyrena has been teaching young children for twenty years, and is a positive, articulate and engaging instructor who is passionate about flamenco. She welcomes children of all ages, shapes and sizes to join in!
A truly well-rounded devotee of flamenco, Cyrena is a dancer, singer, and flamenco cellist. She has studied dance most extensively with Oscar Nieto and Kasandra “La China” but has also learned from an impressive list of some of the most well-known flamenco dancers in the world including: Isabel Bayon, Adela Campallo, Domingo Ortega, Juana Amaya, Pastora Galvan and Concha Jareño just to name a few. She has performed with Mozaico Flamenco Dance Theatre and the Raices y Alas Flamenco Project, and has appeared in a number of prestigious festivals such as the Vancouver International Dance Festival, the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival, and the Victoria Flamenco Festival. She is also a regular performer at Vancouver’s Chai Lounge and Kino Café.
As a flamenco musician, she has studied with renowned flamenco violinist Bernardo Parilla and was the recipient of a BC Buds grant in 2011 to choreograph and compose a work for cello and flamenco dance. In addition to her many festival performances, she collaborated on a project with Gaspar Rodriguez, composer and guitarist for Spain’s Nuevo Ballet Español.
Teaching Style
Her flamenco teaching style has evolved from years of experience teaching Suzuki cello. In the Suzuki Method, children as young as the age of four learn to play the cello through games, imaginative play, repetition, ear training and continued parental involvement. This concept carries beautifully into teaching dance.
In flamenco class, children learn to move with joy and confidence through dance-oriented games and repetition. Flamenco classes foster independence, coordination, cooperation, concentration, respect for other students and respect for the art of flamenco. The studio also provides a cooperative, non-competitive environment where children can discover the joy of dancing. Kids have so much fun they often forget how much they are learning!
The kids’ curriculum comprises of all the basic elements of flamenco: braceo (arms), torso movement, zapateado (footwork), floreo (finger movements), jaleo (shouts of encouragement), palmas (hand clapping) and understanding rhythmic patterns. Through dance, children learn to connect with their bodies, gain a sense of rhythm and feel confidence in movement and self-expression. Students are encouraged to perform in costume at the annual student recital, which adds extra excitement to the class.
