Special Series: Dance in Spain Issue 3, Paige Edwards “Dancing from Texas to Spain”

Barcelona, Spain… where do I begin? The city provides many sites to see, events to attend, and people to encounter. Six weeks of immersion in the work environment and everyday life provides a challenging and exciting experience all in one.

During the first week of arrival, I spent most of my internship, Tuesday-Friday 13:00-18:00, getting to know to my co-workers (through broken English and Spanish or Catalan) and understanding my role as intern there, which includes the following:

• Find online sources for free advertising
• Recruit local & international dancers
• Assist with children’s dance camps
• Create an English publication for a dance magazine
• Translate fliers
• and of course my favorite: DANCE!

Paige’s internship placement, Varium Dance School

Located in a nice area of Barcelona, Varium dance school is settled within a quaint alleyway in the Sarria district. The studio is beautiful with open windows for natural lighting, hardwood floors, 2 large dance rooms with acrobat equipment, mirrors, and great sound systems. Varium also has 2 complete locker rooms with showers, bathrooms, and bench seating, and also a kitchen, and courtyard in the center. The people greet each other with smiles and a friendly, “hola”. I knew right away, this was a place I could love.
During the second week, I began researching online sources and figuring out how I was going to recruit students. I successfully listed their studio on a handful of sites, and continued to translate and research more outlets. Luckily most of my co-workers speak English very well, so we work great together while teaching each other more about Spanish and English. The second week, dance classes also began, so I attended the hip-hop and contemporary courses. Each class was intermediate and a new style to my body—locking in hip-hop, and sharp strong movements in contemporary. I really enjoyed both classes.

As the saying goes, “work hard, play harder”, and so I did. Within the first 3 weeks, I explored the town with a group of friends I met through the program. Mis amigos came to Barcelona for internships ranging from hospitality, advertising, to engineering. You will meet students from a diverse array of industries and parts of the world.

We explored Gaudi’s work, shopping areas, local food, Parc Güell, Castle Montjuic, The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, and of course—the beach!

During the night, we experienced the club scene on the beach, a flamenco show, Chupitos, and the Sant Joan holiday. It’s now week 4, and there is still so much to see and do!
As my internship continues, I am eager to experience more opportunities as a student, teacher, traveler, and explorer. Barcelona has so much to offer, and I have much to give! Performing Arts Abroad, is a great opportunity and I am thankful to have stumbled upon them.

Adéu a mis amigos y feliz viaje,

Paige Edwards

Performing Arts Abroad dance intern in Spain