| Flamenco is celebrated on-stage at BAM Fisher for the first time as FLAMENCO VIVO CARLOTA SANTANA presents ANGELES/ALMAS, the company’s Spring 2015 NYC season, May 19-24 at Brooklyn Academy of Music’s BAM Fisher Building, 321 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, New York.
Founded in 1983, FLAMENCO VIVO CARLOTA SANTANA is one of this country’s longest-established flamenco companies, dedicated to promoting flamenco as a living, evolving art form. During its week-long BAM Fisher season, the company will present two programs featuring the world premieres of three works by contemporary Spanish dance artists, accompanied by live music.
The first world premiere is Angeles (Program A) choreographed by Ángel Muñoz. The New York Times praised Muñoz’ previous Flamenco Vivo commission, A Solas (2012), as “impressive for its compositional finesse” (while describing Muñoz himself as “singing with his feet”). Angeles portrays angels in myth, music and motion; building off of an earlier solo piece selected for the Festival de Jerez and London Flamenco Festival, the new work features Muñoz with a cast of nine more dancers and musicians.
The second premiere work, by Enrique Vicent and Antonio López is Martinete-Seguiriya (both programs), named after the flamenco form and rhythm featured in the piece. Seguiriya is one of the oldest flamenco forms where the serious, almost tragic sound of the music gives the dancer a chance to express sorrowful feelings, while the martineterhythm said to derive from the workers in the forge, from the word martillo,meaning hammer. Vicent and López were commissioned as part of a new collaboration between Flamenco Vivo and Madrid’s El Certamen de Coreografía de Danza Española y Flamenco, one of Spain’s most prestigious dance competitions.
The third premiere is Ausencia (Program B): Guadalupe Torres, a two-time winner of the Madrid Certamen, reveals the soul of flamenco in a new solo work created for her US debut performances. The engagement also features other company repertory including A Solas (2012 – both programs) a work by Ángel Muñoz showcasing the soleá por bulerías style; Mujeres (2009 – Program B only), choreographed by company associate artistic director Antonio Hidalgo, which offers a modern take on the traditional elements used by women in flamenco (the castanets, fans, shawls and dresses with bata de cola trains); and De Milonga (2003 – both programs), also by Hidalgo, which celebrates Latin American influences on flamenco.
Flamenco Vivo’s BAM Fisher season features a cast of accomplished dancers and musicans from Spain and the US, including company dancers Antonio Hidalgo, Charo Espino, Isaac Tovar, Eliza Llewellyn and Alice Blumenfeld; guitarists Gaspar Rodriguez and Pedro Medina, singers Pedro Obregón and Felix de Lola, flutist Diego Villegas and percussionist Jose Moreno; and guest artists Ángel Muñoz and Guadalupe Torres.
Performances are May 19-24, 2015, (Tuesday-Saturday, 7:30pm; matinees Saturday-Sunday 2pm) at BAM Fisher, 321 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, New York. Tickets range from $20 – $59 and can be purchased at www.flamenco-vivo.org. Tickets for the company’s First Night Fiesta on May 19, including premium seating and a post-performance reception with the artists, are $100-$250; for more information, call 212.736.4499 or visit www.flamenco-vivo.org. Flamenco Vivo will also offer a post-performance artist talk following the Thursday, May 21 show. Performance schedule:
Program A: Angeles, Martinete-Seguiriya, A Solas, De Milonga
Tuesday-Thursday, May 19-21 at 7:30pm
Program B: Ausencia, Martinete-Seguiriya, Mujeres, A Solas, De Milonga.
Friday-Saturday, May 22-23 at 7:30pm; Saturday-Sunday May 23-24 at 2:00pm
Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana’s Spring 2015 season at BAM Fisher is made possible, in part, through support from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Rockefeller Brother Fund, the Harkness Foundation for Dance and the Consulate General of Spain. ANGELES/ALMAS is presented by Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. BAM house and ticketing policies may not apply. All programs and casting subject to change.
About Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana
Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana is one of America’s premier Spanish dance companies, dedicated to the belief that the universal spirit of flamenco, a multicultural art form, has the power to build bridges between cultures. Founded in 1983, the company tours extensively across the country (appearing at some 71 venues in 26 states over the past 5 seasons), and serves New York audiences with an annual home season, supplemented by intensive arts education programs in a dozen or more public schools each year, and an annual “Flamenco in the Boros” tour which brings free flamenco performances to new audiences around the city. Flamenco Vivo also operates the Center for Flamenco Arts, one of only two New York City dance studios dedicated to the specific requirements of flamenco, and produces the New York State Flamenco Certamen, a competition for pre-professional dance artists; the finals for the second annual edition of the Certamen will be staged at Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium on the evening of Friday, October 9, 2015. In 1996 the Company established a second base of operations in North Carolina and since then has provided extensive arts education programming and community engagement performances across the state.
Program description and key artist background attached.
For more information, contact:
Michelle Tabnick, (646) 765-4773, [email protected]
FLAMENCO VIVO CARLOTA SANTANA
Spring 2015 NYC Season at BAM Fisher
May 19 – 24, 2015
Season Repertory and Key Artist Background
SEASON REPERTORY
Angeles – World Premiere
Choreography by Ángel Muñoz
Original Score by Gaspar Rodriguez
Dancers: Ángel Muñoz, Antonio Hidalgo, Charo Espino, and Isaac Tovar
Angeles builds off of a solo piece developed by Ángel Muñoz, in which he reflects choreographically on the contradictory meanings of his first name: angel of light, dark angel, guardian angel, fallen angel, avenging angel. For the new production, Muñoz will use all these symbols as points of departure for a series of solos, duets and ensemble movements, accompanied by 6 live musicians.
Angeles was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and Spain Culture New York – Consulate General of Spain: member of the network SPAIN arts & culture.
Ausencia – World Premiere
Choreography by Guadalupe Torres
Dancer and choreographer Guadalupe Torres, a two-time winner of Madrid’s prestigious Certamen de Coreografía competition, reveals the soul of flamenco in a new solo work developed especially for her first-ever appearance in New York.
Martinete-Seguiriya – World Premiere
Choreography by Enrique Vicent and Antonio López
Dancers: Antonio Hidalgo, Isaac Tovar, Eliza Llewellyn, and Alice Blumenfeld
The martineterhythm is said to derive from the workers in the forges and from the word martillo, meaning hammer. Seguiriya is one of the oldest flamenco forms, where the serious, almost tragic sound of the music, gives the dancer a chance to express sorrowful feelings. The heaviness of the music allows a chance to work with complex rhythmic patterns.
This choreography was made possible by a partnership between Flamenco Vivo and the Certamen de Coreografía de Danza Española y Flamenco of Madrid and supported by Spain Culture New York – Consulate General of Spain: member of the network SPAIN arts & culture.
Mujeres (2009)
Choreography by Antonio Hidalgo
Dancers: The Company
Mujeres demonstrates flamenco traditions within a contemporary context. The work highlights the traditional elements used by women in flamenco dance – the castanets, fans and shawls and how the bata de cola (dress with a train) is used in both traditional and contemporary flamenco. This traditional costume was once only used as stately attire, but the modern female dancer uses this costume in new ways: as a partner, as defense/offense against the male dancer, and as a “toy” to play with and express humor and lightness.
Mujeres was made possible by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts
A Solas (2012)
Choreography by Ángel Muñoz
Dancers: The Company
Originally choreographed for five women, A Solas was first performed during the Flamenco in the Boros tour in New York City in 2012. In early 2013, the men’s parts were added to this soulful piece, exemplary of the soleá por bulerías style.
A Solas was made possible by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts
De Milonga (2003)
Choreography by Antonio Hidalgo
Dancers: Antonio Hidalgo or Isaac Tovar and Alice Blumenfeld
This work is an excerpt from Bailes de Ida y Vuelta and celebrates the Latin American influences in the flamenco art form.
KEY ARTIST BACKGROUND
CARLOTA SANTANA is an internationally renowned Spanish dance artist and educator, and the founder (1983) of Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. She was designated “The Keeper of Flamenco” by Dance Magazine in recognition of her commitment to creating new works and developing young artists and in 2013, the Spanish Government awarded Ms. Santana with La Cruz de la Orden al Merito Civil medalfor “all the years of passion, excellence and dedication to the Flamenco art.” Ms. Santana has produced many major performance programs, presented nationally and internationally, toured extensively, developed and implemented Flamenco Vivo’s curriculum-based arts education programs and created numerous community partnerships and residency programs. A member of the Dance Panel for the New York State Council on the Arts, she has also served on the panel for the National Endowment for the Arts. Ms. Santana is on the faculty of Duke University, has taught at Long Island and New York Universities and participated in the creation of the NYC Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts.
ANTONIO HIDALGO (Associate Artistic Director, Dancer, and Choreographer) was born in the town of Lucena (Córdoba) Spain, and has worked with many various companies throughout his professional career. These include the companies of Jose Antonio, Paco Romero, Jose Greco and Antonio Gades where he danced the principal role of Escamillo. He has collaborated with companies such as that of Maria Benitez, Masamy Okada and Yolanda Gonzalez as well as various flamenco-fusion groups such as Kon-raza and Arickytwon. Hidalgo has appeared on Spanish television and theatre having worked with directors such as Miguel Naros, Salvador Tavara and Antonio Molero. In partnership with Inmaculada Ortega, he directs the Company Aroma Flamenca. He has received commissions from the New York State Council on the Arts for his acclaimed pieces “Mano a Mano” and “Bailaor/Bailaora” and “Imagenes Flamencas,” which toured nationally and premiered in New York at The Joyce Theater in 2001 and 2002 and 2006 respectively. Named Flamenco Vivo’s Associate Artistic Director in 2013, Antonio also serves rehearsal director and performer with the Fundación Antonio Gades whose mission is to preserve the legacy of this famed Spanish choreographer.
ANTONIO LÓPEZ (Choreographer) was born in Málaga, Spain. He obtained his diploma in Spanish Dance in Málaga and has studied with many top professionals such as: Trinidad Santiago, Maribel Gallardo, Isabel Bayón, Domingo Ortega, Rafael de Carmen, Africa Moreno, Ramon Martinez, Alfonso Losa, La Talegona, Rafael Campallo, Jose Porcel, Aida Gomez, Javier Palacio, Alejandro Granados, La Yerbabuena, Mercedes Ruiz, Antonio Najarro, Marco Flores, Manuel Liñan, Maria Juncal, Miguel Canas, Antonio Reyes, as well as David Paniagua. Antonio has toured in Germany, Italy, France and Holland as well as tours in China and North America. He has received awards and honors such as the first place in “Málaga Crea,” “Certamen de Danza Escenica Ciudad de Alcobenas”, and champion of Europe in the “Clásico Español.” Antonio has performed with Carmen Mota, Ballet, Clásico Español de Isabel Marquez, Sala Flamenca El Tano, Tablao Los Tarantos, Compañía Mercedes Ruiz, Compañía Susana Lupianez “La Lupi,” Compañía de Flamenco Jose Porcel, Compañía Sara Baras, Compañía Cecilia Gomez, Nuevo Ballet Español. Currently, he is performing with the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía.
ÁNGEL MUÑOZ (Choreographer, Dancer), born in Córdoba, began his studies with Inmaculada Luque and as a student of the Conservatory of Dance, and began performing with Javier Latorre’s Company Ziryab Dance. From there he has traveled far and wide with many international artists winning the prize “La Mejorana” in 1994 in the National Contest of Flamenco Art in Córdoba. He was first dancer with the companies of José Antonio, and María Pages in Spain and with María Benitez in the USA. He is the first dancer and guest artist with Paco Peña with whom he has been working for many years. Ángel has created choreographies for his own company and in collaboration with the guitarist Victor Monge, “Serranito” and Juan Manuel “Cañizares,” with whom he has released a record. He was in the movie Callas Forever directed by Zeffirelli, performs often in London, America and throughout Europe. Ángel first worked with the Flamenco Vivo in 1996, and returned in 2012.
GUADALUPE TORRES (Choreographer), born in Madrid, trained in Spanish dance and flamenco at the Royal Conservatory for Professional Dance, in Madrid, specializing later on in flamenco. She has performed as a solo artist in flamenco festivals such as La silla de oro, Suma flamenca, Tío Luis el de la Juliana (Madrid), Larachí Flamenca (Seville and Paris), and Corral del Carbon (Granada). In 2007, she received the Best Choreography award for “A miedos, colores” at the Madrid contest of Spanish Dance and Flamenco. In 2009, she first performed “Momentos” together with David Coria and Jonatan Miro, which they took to the festival Veranos de la Villa in Madrid. In 2010, she received the Best Solo Choreography for “De los Rincones” at the Madrid contest of Spanish Dance and Flamenco, finalist at the contest Cante de las Minas de La Unión. In 2011, she showcased her first solo project, “De los Rincones” (From the Corners) with special guest Marco Flores, during the season “La otra mirada del Flamenco” in Madrid’s Teatro Pradillo. She has worked in important “tablaos” (flamenco venues) including “Casa Patas,” “Las Carboneras,” “Corral de la Morería” and “Villa Rosa” in Madrid, “El Arenal” in Seville, “Tablao de Carmen” and “El Cordobés” in Barcelona and “Tablao el Flamenco” in Tokyo. She has given both courses and classes in Spain and around the world, including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Italy and Japan.
ENRIQUE VICENT (Choreographer) was born in Málaga, began his training in the Professional Conservatory of Dance in Málaga and continued his studies with instructors such as Betty, Paco Romero, Domingo Ortega, Maribel Gallardo, Africa, Isabel Bayón, La Talegona, Beatriz Martin, Antonio Najarro, Mercedes Ruiz, Rocio Molina and David Romero. Company credits include Ballet de Isabel Marquez, Ballet Alhamar, Carmen Mota and “El Tano.” After concluding his studies, he began his career as a choreographer and director. Enrique has received numerous awards such as champion of the “Clásico Español,” third place in “Ribarroja Del Turia” and first place in “Málaga Crea.” Presently he directs Company EvalDanza and his own Academy. He was in residency with Flamenco Vivo having received this prize at the Certamen de Flamenco in Madrid in December 2013.
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