This past weekend, the Florence J. Gillmore School of Music at Westminster University presented A’Lante Flameco, a company based out of Ausitn Texas run by Isai and Olivia Chacon. This particular show was called Amor Flamenco, and was a love letter to flamenco. Oliva Chacon, originally from Texas, the artistic director, choreographer, and dancer, has been immersed in flamenco for twenty years, and spent five years studying and performing in Seville and Madrid, Spain, places that have rich flamenco history. Isai Chacon, the musical director, singer and guitarist, is originally from Mexico, but also lived for a time in Madrid, Spain accompanying many of the world’s best flamenco artists.
Photo by Doug Carter.
I am hardly well-versed in the world of flamenco, however I did spend a year in college living in Granada, Spain, which is another epicenter for this art form. I took flamenco dance lessons while I was there, and fell in love with the passion, intensity, and musical complexity of this form. I will never forget watching my first performance; I sat front and center in an outdoor venue, unable to take a full breath the entire night. I was utterly transfixed, and so was then curious how I would feel twenty five years later, sitting in Salt Lake City, Utah watching flamenco. For me, it was equally as powerful, and this was a well programmed performance showcasing talent, artistic maturity, and a range of human emotion.
The first piece of the night, Ni de Aqui, Ni de Alla combined musical influences from Mexico, Cuba, and Spain, which spoke about the various cultural identities represented, and what it means to belong and honor immigrant stories. When vocalist Celia Corrales Sellers began singing it was impossible to not feel the sadness that can arise from complex situations, whether they be lost love, displacement, or mortality. The dancers added to the musical landscape by clapping and hitting their bodies, in between the rhythms created by their feet and the swirling and twisting of their torsos. They created a beautiful community on the stage, each performer seamlessly going in and out of the spotlight, like a long braid being formed before our eyes.
In Cuando Yo Me Muera, Sofia Hurtado dances the somber seguiriya using the manton de Manila, which is an ornate shawl. She twists and turns with the fringed fabric, creating movement trails and pathways that long surpass her own limbs. Her facial expressions are serious and at times pained, which is common to see in this form where it feels like the audience is gifted a glimpse into the performer's deep emotional, and more often than not, sad storytelling.
Spain, composed by Chick Corea and Paseando por La Havana (Guajiras), choreographed by Bianca Rodiguez and arranged musically by Isai Chacon and Jose Manuel Tejeda, both explore lighter experiences of the human condition. Rodriguez coyly incorporates a fan, and playfully dances around herself, the fan opening, closing and obscuring various parts of her body in conjunction to the beats of the music.
In the final piece of the night, Hacia la Mar la Vela (Cantinas) Olivia Chacon dances one of the most popular styles of flamenco, which is the Alegrias de Cadiz. She dances with her bata de cola, which is a long ruffled red train. It extends several yards behind her, creating a visual of red waves lapping against the shore. When she wants to display her footwork, the zapateado, she gathers up the train in one hand and throws it over her shoulder, like a backpack. The long train is her partner, giving more visual interest to the dance, and also creating logistics to explore and solve. This piece was a wonderful ending to a wonderful night, and what a treat it was for Salt Lake to be visited by this company.
Erica Womack is a Salt Lake City-based dance educator and choreographer.