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Heat up your holidays with FUEGO FLAMENCO, a sizzling festival exploring the diversity and depth of flamenco, the passionate and time-honored Spanish art form that has captivated audiences worldwide. During this three-week festival, GALA will showcase different forms of flamenco through the works of two artistic companies featuring outstanding international, national and local artists, as well as offer a program of lecture demonstrations. FUEGO FLAMENCO is part of GALA’s ArteAmericA Series presented in collaboration with the Washington Performing Arts Society. All performances and activities take place at GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th Street, NW 20010.
FUEGO FLAMENCO opens with Ida y vuelta presented by Fundación Conservatorio Flamenco Casa Patas of Madrid, Spain. Choreographed and performed by Guadalupe Torres with musical direction by Luis Miguel Manzano, Ida y vuelta will be performed on Thursday, Nov. 20, Friday, Nov. 21, and Saturday, Nov. 22 at 8 pm, and Sunday, Nov. 23 at 3 pm. The festival continues with Flamenco en Familia, a free day of interactive demonstrations in flamenco footwork, fans, castanets and guitar on Saturday, Nov. 29 from 11 am to 4 pm.
The festival ends with the world premiere of Dos Mundos choreographed by Edwin Aparicio and performed by Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company. featuring the renowned artist, prom Spain, La Tati. Performances of Dos Mundos are Saturday, Dec. 6 at 8 pm and Sunday, Dec. 7 at 3 pm.
Lynne and Joseph Horning are Honorary Producers of FUEGO FLAMENCO. The festival is made possible with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Tivoli Partners Commercial, LLC, Fundación Conservatorio Flamenco Casa Patas, the Embassy of Spain in the United States, and Spain’s Ministry of Culture. Edwin Aparicio is the festival resident coordinator.
Ida y vuelta will feature flamenco dancers Guadalupe Torres and José Maldonado; singers Francisco Luis Trinidad Angel (El Trini de la Isla) and Jose Anillo; guitarist Luis Miguel Manzano; and saxophonist and flutist Diego Villegas. Casas Patas is a world-renowned Madrid tablao, hosting some of the best and most authentic flamenco in Spain. Famous groups and new talent sometimes share the same stage to create memorable productions. The Fundación Conservatorio Flamenco Casa Patas grew out of this club and today sponsors workshops, seminars, and exhibitions promoting the art of flamenco.
Guadalupe Torres obtained a degree in Spanish Dance from the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza de Madrid and has studied with Rafaela Carrasco, Eva la Yerbabuena, Rafael Amargo, Bélen Maya, Farruquito, La Farruca, and Aída Gómez, among others. She has appeared with Compañía de Nuria Pomares and Compañia Andaluza, with which she toured to New York, Boston, and Washington, DC. She has appeared in festivals throughout the world, and was awarded Second Prize for Choreography by Teatro Albéniz.
El Trini de la Isla was born in Cádiz, where he studied with master artist Manuel Soto El Sordera. He has worked at such renowned tablaos as El Cordobés in Barcelona and Los Gallos in Seville. He also has performed with flamenco artists such as Juan Ogalla, Rosario Toledo, Mercedes Ruíz, Andrés Peña, and La Chiqui de Jerez, among others.
Luis Miguel Manzano (Musical Director, Guitar) began studying guitar at the age of 16 with Aquilino Jiménez “El Entri” and made his professional debut at 19. A member of the Pelá family, his great grandfather was Tio Pelá, who played for Carmen Amaya; and his father was a flamenco guitarist and his mother the dancer Loli, La Pelá. He has performed with Merche Esmeralda, Domingo Ortega, María Pagés, Los Farruco and El Güito.
GALA’s free flamenco for all ages!
Flamenco en familia, will take place on Saturday, November 29 in two sessions: 11am to 12:30 pm, and 2 to 3:30 pm. Through interactive demonstrations, audiences will have the opportunity to learn about zapateo, popular classic Spanish dances, castanets, and guitar and to participate on stage with leading local artists and teachers. Directed by Edwin Aparicio, the program features bailaora Sara Jerez as the lead dancer/teacher, and acclaimed guitarist Michael Pérez, who will also provide guitar demonstrations. Although free and open to the general public, registration is required by calling 202-234-7174.
The third and final weekend of FUEGO FLAMENCO will feature Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company with the acclaimed artist “La Tati” from Spain. The company will present a new work, Dos mundos, on Saturday, December 6 at 8 pm and Sunday, December 7 at 3 pm. Aparicio and La Tati promise to raise the roof with their fiery foot stomping and dazzling musicality.
Edwin Aparicio is an internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer who has shared the stage with such renowned artists as Carmela Greco, Chuscales, and Silverio Heredia, among others. He studied flamenco in Spain with “La Tati” and Tomá de Madrid, and in 2001 made his flamenco debut at Casa Patas in Madrid. In Washington, DC, he studied with Ana Martínez and performed with the Washington Opera at the Kennedy Center in El Gato Montes (1997) and Don Giovanni (2003). Mr. Aparicio toured the United States with Reynaldo Rincón’s Romeria Flamenca, was the featured artist in 2002 and 2005 at the Chicago Flamenco Festival, and appeared at the 2004 and 2005 Flamenco in the Sun Annual Festival in Miami with Belén Maya, Pastora Galvan, Pedro Cortes and José Luis Rodríguez. In 2005, he also performed with Jóvenes Flamenco as a soloist and a company member at the Centro Cultural de San Bals in Madrid, Spain. Aparicio was the choreographer for GALA’s premiere production in its new theater in 2005 of Yerma by Federico García Lorca. For the past four years, Aparicio has been the coordinator and a featured performer for FUEGO FLAMENCO.
La Tati, known by many as “Madrid’s flamenco dancer”, began performing professionally at the age of 12 at the famous Tablao Zambra in Madrid, where she was introduced to artists of the purest flamenco traditions. At age 15, she toured Europe with Festival Flamenco Gitano and has toured to Africa, Asia, Australia, and the United States since. In the late 1980s, La Tati founded her own company and her productions have been praised for their wealth of ideas and innovation and the beauty of her interpretation.
TICKETS: Single tickets are $30 and Student Tickets are $20. A Discount Festival Ticket is $50. The Noche de GALA for FUEGO FLAMENCO is Friday, November 21. Noche de GALA tickets are $40 per person and $75 for couples and include the performance and post-performance reception.
FOR TICKETS CALL (202) 234-7174 or 800- 494-8497
or visit www.galatheatre.org
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