Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand August / September 2015 - Art & Education Issue | Page 22

Education

Carla Soledad Rivera
teaches flamenco

Education & The Arts
by Jessica Teal

22 WANDERLUST

Carla
Soledad
Rivera

Carla: “Art completely and directly
affects a child’s future, from character

Carla fell in love with flamenco for
its passion and emotion. She loved
the way the guitar, dancer, and the
cante—a style of song that speaks
of joy, love, pain—expressed core
feelings, the true sentiments of life.
Carla studied ballet, contemporary, jazz, and African dance in university. During her dance career,
she constructed her own costumes,
which inspired her to pursue a degree in Fashion Design as well. The result of her kaleidoscopic experiences
led Carla to form Soledad Designs in
2005. Since then, Carla has resided in
Bangkok, balancing her business with
teaching flamenco in Thailand.

PHOTO: Jessica Teal

E

verything around us is art. But in
this screen-saturated, fast paced
society, we often forget to stop
and smell the roses; and we risk forgetting to teach our children to be
mindful, appreciative, and observant.
Art is one way we can remedy the
disconnection between our minds
and bodies, between each other, and
between the world and ourselves.
Visual and performing arts guide
children toward becoming wellrounded adults by fostering critical
thinking, creative expression, material
organization, awareness, motor skills,
and nonverbal communication.
Whether its blending paint colors,
acting in a play, or learning how to
dance, there is no doubt that kids
(and adults) benefit from art.
In Bangkok, Carla Soledad Rivera,
a flamenco teacher, and Loni Berry,
theatre instructor and owner of Culture
Collective Studios, are two educators
on the same mission—to promote art
as a life skill. The following interviews
reveal how Carla and Loni are nurturing
artistic talent in young people and
why they think the arts are integral to
interdisciplinary education as a whole.

Wanderlust: How does exposing a
child to art such as dance affect his or
her future? How has art affected you?
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