FLAMENCO FANTASY DANCE THEATRE
Presenting Denver would like to shine a Community Spotlight on Diane Lapierre and Flamenco Fantasy Dance Theatre!
Artist: Diane Lapierre
Organization: Flamenco Fantasy Dance Theatre
Website: reneheredia.com
Education: Pomona College, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Hometown: Loveland, CO
Presenting Denver: If you are not a native, why did you choose Denver?
Diane Lapierre: I moved to Denver for a job at the Denver Public Library and began dancing with René Heredia and the Flamenco Fantasy Dance Theatre in the mid-1990s.
PD: Do you split your time between dance/arts and another vocation?
DL: Yes. I also am a librarian.
PD: Give us a snapshot of a day in your life.
DL: I am the mother of two teenage boys, so my days are spent driving kids to school, sports and friends’ houses, working at the library, walking my adorable dog and serving as executive director and lead company dancer for the Flamenco Fantasy Dance Theatre. I never get bored!
PD: What is one way in which your work has positively impacted your community?
DL: The mission of the Flamenco Fantasy Dance Theatre is to bring the timeless beauty of authentic Spanish Gypsy Flamenco to diverse audiences across the Denver metro area. Through decades of teaching and lots of regular performances, many people in our region have been exposed to this truly beautiful and profound art form.
PD: Share your favorite motivational quote and tell us how this quote inspires you.
DL: Dance is the only art of which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made. — Ted Shawn. This quote is especially relevant to Flamenco where the sounds of the footwork, clapping, snapping and playing castanets create percussion and add to the musical experience, not just the visual form of dance.
PD: When the aging dancer body can’t train anymore, what is the next step in continuing to learn?
DL: Flamenco celebrates life at all its stages, ages and sizes. Unlike some other dance forms, Flamenco gives you room to explore the depth of emotions that can become more profound as you age. Even when my feet are sore and my body isn’t as flexible as it once was, I can continue to perform and grow through upper body movement, facial expressions and stylistic nuances that give me an opportunity to continue to learn and grown.
PD: What about this art form drives you?
DL: Flamenco is the result of many cultures blending, sharing and trading artistic elements over centuries to form something beautiful, profound and captivating.