The Minneapolis-based Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theater will present “Echoes of Spain” at Gustavus Adolphus College at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12 in Alumni Hall. The show is part of an eight-stop tour sponsored by the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theater was founded in 1982 by Susana di Palma, and is one of the few American Spanish dance companies that presents both traditional flamenco programs as well as original theater flamenco works. The company is comprised of an ensemble of international artists, dancers, and musicians who are renowned for bringing the power, passion, and virtuosity of the art of flamenco to American audiences.
“Echoes of Spain” is a concert of vibrant traditional flamenco dance, guitar, and singing featuring an ensemble of masterful performers. Inspired by the avant-garde revolution in Paris in the early 1990s in which the glamour and fire of Spanish dance ignited the art scene, this performance will present songs, music, and dances that echo the past while bringing forth contemporary spirit and virtuosity. The performance will feature di Palma directing master gypsy guitarist Chuscales, powerful flamenco singer Vicente Griego, and dancers Jesús Muñoz, Deborah Elias, and Colette Illarde.
Flamenco is a folk art form unique to Spain, composed of cante (singing), toque (guitar playing), baile (dance), and palmas (handclaps), which developed over centuries and is still in change today. As the narrator of Carlos Saura’s acclaimed documentary, Flamenco, reminds us, flamenco music is Andalusian history: “flamenco came from Andalusia, a mix of Greek psalms, Nozarabic dirges, Castillian ballads, Jewish laments, Gregorian chants, African Rhythms, and Iranian and Romany melodies.” In its original form, Flamenco was only voice, a primitive cry or chant to the rhythm of a wooden staff or cane. Flamenco, as we know it today, was born in private gypsy gatherings during the 18th century. The mysterious music and stimulating dances soon became popularized with the proliferation of music cafes or café cantantes where gypsy performers amused bourgeois audiences who watched in fascination.
This event is free and open to the public and is also sponsored by the Gustavus Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. For more information about this event, contact Gustavus professor Ana Adams at aadams3@gustavus.edu.
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