At the center of Santa Barbara’s Old Spanish Days Fiesta lies flamenco dancing. Each year since 1949, organizers have named Spirit and Junior Spirit of Fiesta dancers.

This year, Santa Barbara City College freshman Jenna Ramirez and Our Lady of Mount Carmel School fourth-grader Penelope “Penny” Hernandez were chosen as the 2026 Spirit and Junior Spirit of Fiesta, respectively. 

The two flamenco dancers competed and won their titles last month at a sold-out Lobero Theatre.  

Colin Hayward, the Old Spanish Days 2026 El Presidente, said each year, dozens of local dancers compete for the Spirit and Junior Spirit titles. They are graded on technique, showmanship, rhythm and timing, difficulty and costume.

 That number is whittled down to 10 finalists, who are also interviewed. 

Hayward said they want to find dancers who are “comfortable being interviewed… and have poise when all attention is focused on them.” 

Three anonymous judges chose the two dancers to keep the competition as far as possible, Hayward said. 

The Spirit dancer serves as an Old Spanish Days Fiesta ambassador. She opens the festival by performing at Fiesta Pequeña at the Santa Barbara Mission and leading the Historical Parade. The full Fiesta schedule can be seen here.

Ramirez, 19, started dancing ballet at 3 years old. She began flamenco in the second grade.

Her mom was the one to initially put her into dance classes but as she got older, the art form became a part of her, she said. 

“As I got older, I really immersed myself in the culture and I’ve learned how beautiful and how much goes into flamenco dancing,” Ramirez said. “That’s why I think it’s so special to me, there’s so much culture and emotion and passion behind it.”

This year, she had the opportunity to travel with her dance studio to Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, where she took dance classes in what is widely considered the birthplace of flamenco. 

While she did not go to Spain simply for her performances as Spirit, it helped that those opportunities fell on the same timeline. 

“To me, (flamenco dancing) not just for fun, it’s an art form of mine and it’s something that I’ve spent so much time in,” Ramirez said. 

For the competition, Ramirez danced a Guarjiras-style “Fronteras del Tiempo,” outfitted in a bata de cola (the traditional long dress or skirt), fan and shawl. 

Her goal was to make the dance look as easy as possible, despite how challenging it really was, she said. 

“For me, when I see a really beautiful Guarjiras, you can see them breathing and it could be the hardest dance, but they make it look so easy and beautiful and almost whimsical, but strong. I really wanted to have that when I was dancing,” Ramirez said. 

Ramirez has attended the Old Spanish Days festival every year. She said her family has been going since before she was born.

Now, she has a real stake in it. 

“For me, (Old Spanish Days has) just been something that’s in my life. It’s something that I’ve grown up with, I don’t know any different from it,” Ramirez said. “Now that I’m able to represent Old Spanish Days on a different level, it means so much to me. When I think back, I think back of our family and our traditions.”

While the festival is celebrated with food, music, parades and, of course, dancing, it’s designed to highlight the cultural interconnectedness of Santa Barbara, which is Ramirez’s favorite part. 

She said she feels incredibly grateful to be named the Spirit of Fiesta and is excited to add to the unique cultural fabric of Old Spanish Days.

“It’s the biggest honor that I’ve ever gotten… Being able to be named a Spirit of Fiesta, that’s just so crazy to me. These dancers are so talented and they have left so much impact on me,” Ramirez said. 

She hopes that, during her time as Spirit, she will inspire younger dancers in the same way the dancers before her did and that her passion for flamenco dancing shines through.  

Like Ramirez, 10-year-old Hernandez was also quick to honor the dancers that preceded her. 

When she found out she won Junior Spirit of Fiesta, the first thing she did was give the 2025 Junior Spirit a big hug, she said.

After watching Spirit of Fiesta competitions over the past few years, Hernandez knew she wanted to try out this year.

She loves the dancing that comes with the festival. She has been involved with the festival her entire life, but her favorite Old Spanish Days memories involve cracking confetti eggs on her friends’ heads after long days of dancing.

She has been dancing for seven years now, she said. While flamenco is her favorite genre, she also likes hip hop. Combined with her love of her colorful performance dresses and of seeing people smile, she felt like she put on her best performance during her audition. 

“I love seeing all the colors on my dresses and it encourages me to dance even harder. Dancing builds my confidence, too,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez chose a Bulerías-style “Le Pido Al Tiempo Que Vuelva” to compete with, outfitted in a blue shawl, although the thought of tripping on it made her nervous. 

“We listened to the music and then thought of what props to use and what color my dress would be. Once it came all together, I really loved how it turned out,” Hernandez said. 

She is most excited for her performance at Fiesta Pequeña to kickstart the celebrations. She said she owes it all to her dance teacher and friends. 

Hernandez, like Ramirez, also wants to inspire younger dancers. She said she would tell them “to work really hard.” 

“If they want to be Junior Spirit of Fiesta really badly, just have a bunch of confidence and know that you’re a great dancer and that no matter what happens, you’re still amazing,” she said. 

Old Spanish Days will be held Aug. 5-9 this year with some events earlier including the first-ever Fiesta Dog Parade on May 16.