“The BEST thing about the 2019 Flamenco Retreat at the Oregon Coast was learning a totally new skill/art that I've always loved, but never had the chance to try. The whole group was fun-loving and non-critical, and Laura did a great job of managing all the different skill levels. Also, she is so generous with sharing what she knows, even after the class ends -- love the website -- is it chock-full of resources. Laura is talented, generous and even-keeled, and I would TOTALLY recommend this experience because it was awesome!” - Leanne Giordono
…
"You are an amazing teacher. I'm a beginner and you made me comfortable amongst such seasoned flamenco dancers. Thank you…besitos" - Ali Fragola
...
"Thank you so much for creating such a marvelous experience...I really liked the variety of the exercises we did at the opening reception right through to the warm ups and choreography in the studio. I feel a lot more confident in my palmas and my ability to hear the rhythms...Everyone was so supportive and non judgmental" - Harriet Stiller
...
"THANK YOU LAURA! I love my Portland flamenco family, and I always know that we are going to have a great time together. Once again you organized a unique event which included friends, family, food and of course fabulous flamenco... in a fun and festive location! Bravo mi amiga!" - Jackie Villegas-Maclin
...
"What a great week-end of flamenco and fabulous women! Couldn't have been better. You did a great job teaching, and I love that choreography. Thank you Stefani and Laura for putting it together. Great sharing of stories. I look forward to the next retreat!" - Becky Poynter
...
"Loved the weekend, you're such a patient teacher. Can hardly wait 'til next time! Loved seeing you again; you're so fun to be with. And of course the dancing is fab. Thank you! " - Gay Abdon
...
"I’ve now done Laura's flamenco retreat at the beach twice, and I have thoroughly loved both experiences. I am new to the flamenco world as I've only been dancing for a year, and both times I've been to the workshop I've very much been the one with the least experience. Flamenco is a beautiful art form and there is so very much to learn that I was incredibly intimidated when I first started to learn the art, and I cannot put too fine a point on that. :) However, it was at Laura's first workshop that I actually felt myself relax and go along for the ride. Yes, I was still nervous, because dammit, I want to learn this and I want to learn it right! But Laura has an ease about her and she truly made the classes fun. Who cares if I was the new kid, or I was stumbling over the footwork like nobody's business? Laura oddly got me to scoot those fears aside and sing and clap and move and smile and have a wonderful time -- both times. I am grateful for getting a chance to learn from her, and also for getting to meet so many other great ladies who are there for the same reason that I am. Laura herself is a beautiful dancer with beautiful technique, and she has an amazing ability of teaching others not only to dance, but also to love the beautiful art of flamenco. I learned a lot in the workshops and I have noticed myself become a better dancer from the experience. I also appreciated learning two whole dances, both bulerias and tangos, rather than bits here and there. It helped in understanding the form. Thank you so much!!" - Tonya Edgren
...
"I am still recalling the wonderful Flamenco Retreat, especially late at night. To echo Carol from Seattle, I just can't stop thinking about it! As soon as I settled in my seat back to Chicago, I started to practice the palmas section and went over the beautiful tangos choreography in my head. The weekend was a nice balance of studies and down time…Meeting a new flamenco community was the highlight of the weekend. Everyone in the group was so kind and fun. Plus, your patience and organization created an ease to learning, with no pressure. I sure hope to participate in more of your events. Palmas, cante, and baile.....I'm in deep and just want to keep on delving to hopefully build confidence…Bottom line, I am so happy I joined your retreat and danced with some mighty fine flamencas." - Liz Roman
...
"Laura, you made it happen! It was such a fun weekend. Loved the classes. It's all of you fabulous ladies that made the whole thing such a great experience. Loved all of you and I too hope to meet everyone again soon," - Bella Riley
...
"The trip was FABULOUS! It’s a wonderful setting, and Laura is such an awesome teacher. She is nice, very giving, and she really wants you to get it." - Linda McCoy
...
"It was a wonderful weekend with a great group of women I had just met. Our passion for Flamenco dancing and music brought us all together! I just love it! Thank you again Laura, and I look forward to our next workshop!" - Carol Carrillo
...
"I enjoyed your flamenco retreat tremendously! From the beginning I was impressed with the setting – a picturesque, quaint, and sleepy beach town with very friendly people. I loved our hotel and the views of the ocean. Last time I stayed so close to the water was when I was camping on the beach. Very good choice for accommodations. The cultural center where you held classes was very cute and cozy and the dance studio is very beautiful...the class itself was the best part, of course. I loved how you organized it and how you adjusted it to all the levels of the dancers. You simplified the steps for those of us that needed it and challenged the more advanced dancers with more complicated steps. One thing I really appreciated is the upper-body work you did. Your technique is beautiful! I enjoyed working with the arms and trying to coordinate them to the steps…I liked how you also had palmas, singing, and jaleos rolled into the workshop – a little bit of everything! I also liked how you explained how the letra and the cante and parts of the dance that you taught can be used in an improvised setting – how the remate and the llamada and the marcajes – how all that works with the cante, and how we, as dancers, can use bits of what we learn in different settings – like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. I appreciated that lesson a lot! I am very glad to have had the opportunity to come down for such a lovely experience…I intend to come again next year, and I would love to be able to join you on one of those trips to Spain in the future. You are a very good teacher and you have very positive energy which I liked and appreciated a lot. And I liked the community that you created in Portland…I like what you do. And I’m grateful I got to be a part of it! Thanks so much for everything, and I look forward to seeing you again in the near future." - Alina Coman
...
"As a child, I studied ballet, tap, jazz, and acrobatics. When I arrived at Laura’s retreat I hadn’t taken a formal dance class in over 25 years, and I knew nothing about Flamenco. For me, the weekend was an opportunity to return to beginner’s mind. It wasn’t about getting it right, but letting go and moving in a different way than I had for years. It felt amazing to dance again. I'm now inspired to explore different types of dance and figure out which one is right for me at this point in my life," - Melissa Gregory Rue
By the way, you never know what might come of a flamenco experience like this. Melissa Rue is a local filmmaker who said this a year after her time on the retreat, "Laura Onizuka has another amazing Flamenco retreat coming up at The Oregon Coast. I went to one last year, and it inspired the short film I'm in pre-production on now. Try something new. Life is a dance!"
...
"THANK YOU for putting this weekend together! Sure we all hit our walls today - but we pushed through and left with wonderful memories!" - Seana Yee
...
“Thanks for the wonderful weekend arrangement and teaching. The BEST thing about the Flamenco Retreat at the Oregon Coast was meeting nice open people of same interest and learning a whole dance. Laura is graceful, genuine, and patient.” - Eun Kwak
...
" Laura I had so much fun and enjoyed the retreat location, classes and spending time with flamenca friends. Loved it and can't wait for the next time. Sign me up!!!" - Debbie Bent