LINDA VARGAS’s experience is extensive. She is an author, lecturer, pioneer in multicultural relations, motivational speaker, dancer, dance teacher, international dance examiner, choreographer and producer.
Linda has been a university lecturer for 11 years. She lectured languages at the University of KZN https://www.ukzn.ac.za/ and Cultural Diversity at Durban University of Technology https://www.dut.ac.za/ She holds a Masters Degree in Education (full dissertation, cum laud) as well as B.A. Honours in Drama. As part of her M Ed research, Linda devised a course of dance for primary school learners which addressed issues of diversity in the multicultural classroom. Please see the link for Linda’s publication “Flamenco Dance in Primary education” http://ersc.nmmu.ac.za. She subsequently conducted numerous professional development workshops for NAPTOSA https://www.nac.org.za/ to assist school teachers to teach dance in a way that encourages social cohesion and holistic learning in the multicultural classroom.
Linda is the founder of STAMP which aims to encourage people from a diversity of backgrounds and cultures to engage with one another in a way that encourages social cohesion and transformation. During her many years of research in schools in South Africa, Linda encountered some of the educational, social, and health challenges that many teachers are facing in the multicultural classroom. As an outcome of her extensive research, Linda devised STAMP dance to help address some of the educational and social challenges in multicultural education. Linda has been devising, teaching and modifying STAMP dance in schools since 2008. http://www.grgs.co.za
While lecturing Cultural Diversity at DUT, she felt inspired to write a book to help her students understand the nature quality and quantity of mental conditioning so many of us carry. To this end she wrote her book Did you Pack your bag: a checklist for mental baggage which can be purchased from Amazon.
Linda has had an extensive career as a professional dancer. Her dance qualifications include the L.I.S.T.D. (Imperial Society of teachers of Dance-London) and Enrico Cecchetti Final Diploma (I.S.T.D.-London), P.D.B (Spanish Dance Soc). Linda is one of the co-founders of the international flamenco dance organization Alianza Flamenca and served as a member of its Board of Directors for 25 years. Linda served on panel of International Examiners for S.D.S https://www.spanishdancesociety.org/ and Alianza Flamenca as well as their Syllabus Committee. https://www.alianzaflamenca.com/
She founded the Linda Vargas Flamenco Dance Company and is the director. Linda and Company have presented numerous dance productions in collaboration with thePlayhouse Companyhttps://playhousecompany.com/ as well as at independent organisations and theatres. Linda has performed for SABCTV, the Spanish Embassy in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and has been invited to perform as guest artist both nationally and internationally. www.facebook.com/LindaVargasFlamenco. Linda has choreographed and performed in a variety of dance productions for NAPAC, PACT and CAPAB, including opera productions, La Traviata, Amal, Faust, Salome and Carmen.
Linda and Company have also performed with world renown musicians at the UKZN Jazz Centre https://music.ukzn.ac.za/facilities/centre-for-jazz-and-popular-music. The Linda Vargas Company celebrated its rich contribution to dance in South Africa in their 35th Anniversary Gala production held at the Sneddon Theatre in July 2018.https://www.sneddontheatre.co.za