Flamenco is not a dance for the faint of heart. You tap, twirl, and concentrate.

Virginia Esparza of Virginia’s Flamenco Dance Productions in West Austin teaches the Spanish dance invented by Gypsies. While coordination is a requirement, it's the stories behind the dance that you quickly fall in love with.

"They would do it outside castles to annoy the rolays [royals] and would get upset. Back then they were superstitious, so they'd give them the evil eye. So in flamenco, we wear a lot of polka dots to represent the eye. So if you're going to give me the evil eye, I'm throwing it back at you regardless of my direction. So it's like, 'You can't put a curse on me,’" Esparza said.

Originally though, flamenco wasn't something to watch.

"It originated with music. You can have flamenco music without the dancing, but you can't have the dancing without the music," Esparza said. "You're dancing but you're also part of the music. You're the percussionist, so to speak, because you're part of the rhythm. You can't just do whatever, whenever you feel like. For instance, when the singer is singing, you don't want to do the loud stuff because you drown them out. It's a conversation."

Learning that conversation will sharpen your mind and your muscles.

"The music is very inspiring, and the movement. And I like it because of the exercise and what I get from it," student Dana Cook said.