Thursday, October 1, 2026
With long, flowing skirts, flowers in their hair and fans in their hands, nine young girls are learning the art of flamenco at Circulo de la Hispanidad on West Park Avenue.
Long Beach residents Eileen Ambroise and Deborah Arden began dancing flamenco together six years ago and recently decided to introduce the Spanish dance to children between the ages of six and 10 at weekly classes.
“These are kids that wouldn’t ordinarily take to a flamenco class because it’s not on their register,” said Ambroise, who has been involved in dance since she was a child. She explained that flamenco is a dance that is more passionate than the traditional styles of dance that young girls take, like ballet and tap.
“Flamenco is very dramatic,” said Ambroise, who grew up taking Irish step dancing. “It’s gratifying to see very shy children come to the class and come out of their shell.”
For 7-year-old Francesca Macchia, flamenco was a style of dance that she became excited about, unlike ballet, tap and Irish step dancing. “She didn’t like either one and lost interest in dance,” said her mother, Mary, who is a friend of Ambroise. Macchia urged Francesca to take the class with her best friend, Stella, Ambroise’s daughter.
“It’s something so off the beaten path,” said Macchia. “She’s really enthused about it.”
Macchia believes her daughter’s involvement in the dual language program in the Long Beach School District helps foster her interest in flamenco. Ambroise uses dance terms in Spanish to teach the children correct terminology. Macchia added that she thinks her daughter enjoys the rhythm of the music along with the clapping and stomping.
“I love it because she’s a big tomboy and this is her soft thing to do,” said Macchia.
While Francesca has no Spanish roots, 7-year-old Oriana Aponte’s mother, Flor Villazan, hails from Venezuela, so she feels a special connection to the dance. “She loves the fashion and the drama,” Villazan said of her daughter. “She loves it.”
Unlike Francesca, Oriana loved her ballet classes and easily took to flamenco with its use of long flowing skirts, clappers called castanets, heeled shoes and lace fans.
