Nancy Has Fling at Flamenco, Says You Have to Start Young

A blushing Nancy Reagan gamely tried the fancy footwork of a Spanish flamenco at the Royal Theater today but decided “you have to start very young” to learn the steps.

The First Lady appeared surprised when a young male student of the School of Dramatic Arts and Music, in tight black pants and white shirt, approached the side of the stage where she, Queen Sofia and Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez’s wife, Carmen, were watching flamenco students perform.

Smiling, laughing and blushing, Mrs. Reagan first tried to remain a wallflower but then gave in to the teen-ager’s invitation to dance.

Following him to center stage, the First Lady began imitating his footwork and moving with the music. She looked a bit more apprehensive as she tried to imitate the stylized arm movements that characterize the flamenco. But she smiled like a trouper throughout her minute-long lesson.

Complimented on her performance later, she said, “Oh, no, no, no. I think you have to start very young.”

The queen, who prefers classical dancing, and the prime minister’s wife, an accomplished flamenco dancer, grinned broadly through the brief performance.