PORTRAITS

Conte De Loyo

LIKE FLAMENCO USE!.! DE Loyo embodies the passionate and the spiritual. Capturing the eternal soul of the dance with an exuberant vuelta, de Loyo defies the boundaries of time.

White de Loyo’s pivots and turns are a popular, colorful sight at local festivals and concerts, national audiences can now see her shattering stereotypes with the click of her heels in Kellogg’s newest commercial for All-Bran. Featuring real people over 50 who personify the cereal’s slogan, the commercial acknowledges that de Loyo can and does “Do it all!”

“It’s all in the attitude,” says de Loyo who came to Dallas in 1982 as a marketing executive with a skin care company, her dance career on hold following an accident. But with time and characteristic esprit, de Loyo was soon back in her flamenco shoes, performing in locar concerts. She also teaches flamenco to students who range in age from 8 to 72. Beginners to professionals, these devotees share thespirit of the flamenco, which began in 15th century Spain as a synthesis of the music of the persecuted peoples, blending the sounds of sounds of Moors, Jew, and gypsies.

“The whole thing is about communicating with God through me,” de Loyo explains when asked about her passion for the dance. “Flamenco is the ultimate expres-sion-from the deepest sadness to the greatest joy. It can all be said in flamenco. It’s a celebration of life!”