Dance classes in Telde, Gran Canaria: how to start from scratch

If you live in Telde or the surrounding area of Gran Canaria and you have thought about learning to dance flamenco, you are in the right place. The Rocío Pozo Dance School has been on Calle Obispo Verdugo since 1994, and a good part of what we do is helping people take a first step they have been putting off for years.

This guide answers, in order, the questions we get asked most on WhatsApp before someone comes through the door.

Do I need any experience?

No, and most people have none

Our beginner and level 0 groups assume nothing. You start with posture, with palmas, with learning to count a compás. Nobody is going to ask you to keep up with a group that has been dancing for three years, because you will not be in that group.

The most common fear we hear is not about the steps. It is about being the only one who cannot do it. In a beginners' group, everyone is the one who cannot do it. That is the point of the group.

What happens in the first class

Come, watch, try, decide afterwards

The first class is a trial and it is not charged. You come, you see the room, you meet the teacher and the group, and you dance. Afterwards you decide, with no pressure and no commitment.

Bring comfortable clothes you can move in and a closed shoe with a bit of a heel. Nothing else. Do not buy flamenco shoes before you know you want to stay — we would rather you spent that money later, on shoes you have chosen properly.

Which group will I be in?

By level, and by age for children

Adults and teenagers from 12 go into flamenco or sevillanas depending on what they want to dance, and into a beginner or advanced group depending on where they are. Children from 4 to 12 go into children's dance, split into three age bands.

If you are not sure, message us and describe what you are after. We would rather place you well from the start than move you in November.

Flamenco or sevillanas?

They are not the same thing

Sevillanas are Spain's social dance: four fixed coplas, danced in pairs or in a group at ferias and romerías. They are learned quickly and the goal is to enjoy yourself at a party.

Flamenco is a discipline. Footwork, compás, arm work, choreography by palo. It takes longer and it asks more of you, and that is exactly why people stay for years.

Many students do both. If you want the short version: sevillanas to have fun at the feria, flamenco to learn to dance.

How much time does it take?

Two hours a week, and what you do at home

Most groups meet twice a week for an hour, or once for an hour and a half. That is the commitment. What separates students who progress from students who stall is not talent — it is whether they listen to flamenco between classes and spend ten minutes marking a compás at home.

What it costs and how the year works

No surprises

Flamenco is €50 a month, sevillanas €40 and children's dance from €45. Registration is a one-off €20. The year runs as ten monthly payments from September to June, and enrolling holds your place for the whole year. You can see the full list on the prices section.

Ready to try?

One message is enough

Write to us on WhatsApp at +34 615 66 85 16, tell us what you would like to dance and roughly what times suit you, and we will tell you which group fits. The first class is free and there is nothing to sign.