Dance Celebrated Through TAMIU's Young Dancers Program

Moving through space with strength and grace, a young dancer learns to express ideas and emotions through his or her body.

Laredo-area children and adults will have the opportunity to learn from respected masters of the art through Texas A&M International University's Department of Fine and Performing Arts Young Dancers Program and the Mexican Ballet Folklórico again this school year. (photo)

Registration for "Children's Combination Class," focusing on ballet, tap and flamenco, and the "Teen/Adult Technique Class," which can include ballet, pointe, flamenco, tap, hip-hop, Polynesian and jazz, will be Wednesday, September 1 and Thursday, September 2 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Center, studio 122. Interested persons should contact Bede Leyendecker at 326.2625. Classes will begin Monday, September 6.

Registration for "Mexican Ballet Folklórico" will be held Monday, September 6 through Friday, September 10, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Interested parties should contact Gabriela Mendoza-García, adjunct faculty, at 326.2654 during those hours. Classes begin Saturday, September 11.

Bede Leyendecker, assistant professor of dance, explained several different sessions will allow young students to explore the exciting world of dance.

"The children's class will be divided in four sections: two to four year olds, four to six year olds, six to eight year olds and nine to eleven year olds. Each will meet on a different day, and the sections will allow instructors to focus on each group's needs, working with the children's different developmental stages," she said.

For the "Teen/Adult Technique Class," Leyendecker explained students could select from the seven disciplines or a combination of the dance forms, as they will be held at different times and days. Students Enrolled in the Young Dancer Program perform in an annual Christmas program and year-end recital, she said.

Mendoza-García explained all Folklórico classes will be held on Saturdays, but different ages will meet at different times.

"The Folklórico classes allow boys and girls of all ages to learn more about the beauty and richness of Mexican dance," she said, "All Folklórico dance students will perform at the Las Posadas concert held in the fall and the Una Primavera Mexicana concert held in the spring."

For more information on the Young Dancers Program, please contact Bede Leyendecker at 326.2625 or e-mail bleyendecker@tamiu.edu.

For more information on the Folklórico classes, please contact Gabriela Mendoza-García at 326.2654 or e-mail gabym@tamiu.edu.

University office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.