Ensemble Español Coming to Marshall Street Elementary School

Students in 3rd- and 4th-grades at will witness “Tales of Spain” in conjunction with the school’s Young Arts Explorers series on Friday, Feb. 18, from 10:15 - 11:15 a.m.

Performers from Ensemble Español will present the music, songs and dances of Spain in a variety of innovative ballets, traditional folkloric suites and fiery Flamenco dramas from medieval times in Iberia to twenty-first century Spain. 

Through these performances, students are introduced to professional dance-class experiences and develop a combination of visual, auditory and kinesthetic skills using analysis, memory, and techniques. Teaching methods include the use of storytelling, question and answer periods, visual and auditory stimuli, dance demonstration, and group evaluation. 

The musical instruments that accompany Flamenco – castanets, cajón (a percussive box), tambourine and the hand-clapping (palmas) – are introduced.  Dancers are authentically costumed with shawls, fans and toreador capes appropriate to the three styles of Spanish dance – clásico español, folkloric (regional) and Flamenco.

The program is open to school and family audiences as well as the general public. The Norristown Area School District would like to thank Brent H. Woods, Assistant Director of Cultural Affairs at Montgomery County Community College, for his efforts on behalf of the students of NASD.