teaching

Phyllis Akinyi teaches a variety of flamenco classes, from barefoot afro-flamenco to master classes to lab sessions with contemporary dancers. She has been teaching for two decades, starting as a young teenager teaching modern dance and hip hop to kids. Over the years she has developed a flair for meeting her students where they are in their journey, pushing them lovingly, and helping them become more individual in their expression. She believes that it is important to understand the roots, history, and cultural context to flamenco, and therefor doesn’t just teach steps or choreographies. Most times you’ll find her talking, singing, laughing, and shouting in class, demanding attention and awareness from her students - regardless of it being a beginners class or an advanced master class.

Akinyi also believes in sharing experiences, and have gone on to mentor some of Copenhagen’s up and coming flamenco artists; sharing with them the embodied knowledge she has accumulated over the years in Spain, and is often seen discussing flamenco codes with young dancers for hours and hours - starting in the studio and ending over a glass of wine. Flamenco style.