In 2017, María del Reyes returned to her hometown of Waskom, Texas, after ten years studying flamenco in Seville. She held a single class in the Waskom Community Center, unsure whether anyone would show up. Eight people did. Today, her studio, Corazón del Sur, draws dancers from Marshall, Shreveport, and Longview, anchoring one of East Texas's most unlikely cultural outposts.
What Is Flamenco?
Flamenco is not merely dance. It is a conversation between movement, music, and voice—an unscripted dialogue in which the performer and audience share every breath. Developed by Roma, Andalusian, and Moorish communities in 18th-century southern Spain, the art form channels joy, grief, defiance, and longing through rapid footwork, sweeping arms, and the raw cry of the cante.
At its core, flamenco demands duende—a term the poet Federico García Lorca used to describe the mysterious power of authentic emotional expression. You cannot fake it. You must earn it.
Learning the Art in Waskom
Corazón del Sur, located in a renovated storefront on West Texas Avenue, now offers classes five nights a week. Del Reyes teaches alongside guitarist Tomás Herrera, who relocated from Albuquerque in 2019, and cantaora Elena Vargas, a Dallas native who trained in Granada.
"We get everyone here," del Reyes says. "Teenagers who saw flamenco on TikTok, retirees looking for something new, and oil-field workers who need a release after twelve-hour shifts. The floor doesn't care where you come from. It cares whether you show up."
Classes range from absolute beginner (iniciación) to advanced (técnica profesional). Students spend months mastering the rhythmic structures (compás) before adding arms or footwork. Del Reyes insists on cultural immersion alongside physical training: her curriculum includes Spanish caló vocabulary, the history of Roma persecution in Spain, and the regional differences between Sevillian and Granadan styles.
Community and Performance
Waskom's flamenco scene converges at two annual events. The Festival del Fuego, held each October at the historic Strand Theatre in nearby Shreveport, draws approximately 400 attendees and features student showcases, master classes with visiting Spanish artists, and late-night juergas—improvised gatherings of dancers, singers, and guitarists.
In spring, Noche de Tablao transforms Corazón del Sur into an intimate performance space. There are no microphones, no stage lights, no separation between artist and audience. "You can smell the rosin on the guitarist's fingers," says longtime student Deborah Chen, a pharmacist from Longview. "It's as close to a Seville tablao as I've found in the United States."
These events have ripple effects beyond the studio. Local restaurants report increased traffic on festival weekends. The Waskom Independent School District now offers a semester-long flamenco unit in its high-school world-music program, funded in part by a 2022 Texas Commission on the Arts grant.
Preserving the Flame
Looking ahead, del Reyes and her collaborators are pursuing concrete steps to secure flamenco's future in the region. Corazón del Sur has partnered with Kilgore College to develop a for-credit flamenco survey course, expected to launch in fall 2025. The studio also runs a youth scholarship program, currently supporting four students from low-income families with free tuition, shoes, and costumes.
"We are not Seville," del Reyes acknowledges. "We are a railroad town of two thousand people. But that is exactly why this matters. If flamenco can live here, it can live anywhere—as long as someone is willing to work for it."
Experience It Yourself
Whether you step onto the dance floor or simply pull up a chair at the next tablao, Waskom offers a rare entry point into an ancient art form. No passport required.
Corazón del Sur is located at 312 West Texas Avenue, Waskom, Texas. Class schedules and Festival del Fuego tickets are available at corazondelsurwaskom.com.
