The Art of Flamenco | April 2023
In this Month’s Newsletter…
Student Showcase 2023 - Mayo 20th | 2 Shows | Mayo Street Arts | Tickets are Live!
Palmas Workshops - 3 Dates | Mayo Street Arts | Register
Learn about the extraordinary life and art of La Chana
Learn about the groundbreaking work of Manual Liñan
Student Showcase 2023
Come celebrate and be dazzled by the flamenco dance community of Maine.
Student dancers of all ages and levels will showcase what they have learned over the course of the last year, including traditional and contemporary flamenco pieces that highlight flamenco's beautiful array of styles, melodies, rhythms, language, poetry, and passion.
May 20th at Mayo Street Arts, Portland, ME
2 Shows: 3:30 & 7:30 PM
Flamenco Palmas Workshops
DATES: Mondays: April 24, May 15 & June 12
TIME: 5:30 - 7 pm
LOCATION: Mayo Street Arts
We will explore the art of flamenco palmas, the beautiful rhythmic clapping that is inherent to flamenco.
In these palmas workshops, we will look at proper palmas technique to learn how to create quality sounds, how palmas are used in flamenco, and the many different time signatures and polyrhythms that exist.
We will focus on the Flamenco Tangos Group as a first entry point to practice our palmas in context, going deeper into this group's styles in each workshop, to allow us to later delve into flamenco's more complex rhythms. In tandem, we will also learn relevant theory about the history, culture and language of flamenco.
No experience needed. All ages and abilities are welcome.
Workshops can be taken individually, but we recommend engaging in the full series for the ultimate palmas learning experience!
Tickets are available for $18 in advance and $21 at the door, or purchase a Series Pass for $50.00 (available through April 24).
La Chana, Documentary
With depth, humor and pathos, La Chana celebrates the charisma and flair of a self-taught Gitana flamenco dancer who in the 1960s-80s rose to international stardom and then suddenly vanished from the public eye at the height of her career. Peter Sellers saw her dance as a young woman and asked her to perform in the film 'The Bobo' in 1967. Hollywood beckoned, but that was not to be. In her baroque boudoir in Barcelona, La Chana continues to practice her art and reveals the reason her career came to such an abrupt end. Filled with footage of spectacular flamenco dance and music, this film brings us under the skin and into the irrepressible spirit of this eccentric woman with an uncanny gift for rhythm who, despite all odds, enjoys a comeback in her late sixties.
Manuel Liñan ¡Viva!
A beautiful video-portrait of the work, life & courage of Manuel Liñan, whose work ¡Viva! celebrates and highlights his identity and artistic voice as a queer person and artist in a culture that has traditionally been rigid in its understanding of gender and sexuality.
Quick Announcement
I will not be holding summer flamenco dance classes this year. I have decided to do other seasonal work through the summer to continue to allow my body time to recover from ongoing overuse injuries. Dance classes will therefore not take place June-July-August and will resume in September.
Thanks for your understanding!