Flameco fire: Festival Flamenco Gitano comes to Redondo Beach
La Farruca will perform as part of the Festival Flamenco Gitano USA 2012 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts next week.
The Spanish word duende cannot be explicitly translated to any one English word. In fact, even Spanish definitions of the word vary from person to person, meanings ranging from “elf” or “goblin” to “magic.”
However, according to Spanish folklore and its usage in the Spanish arts, duende describes the mysterious, looming presence of heightened emotions in response to the raw, authentic, character of music or the spoken word. It’s a feeling or physical response that comes from inside a person when they hear a certain guitar chord or when a singer’s shrieks send chills down your spine.
Although all arts are capable of duende, it finds greatest resonance in flamenco gitano [pronounced hee-TAH-no, meaning gypsy], Flamenco’s most traditional and authentic form of dance and song. Originally performed in the homes and private gatherings of gypsies in southern Spain, flamenco’s raw character stems from the spontaneous creation of song and dance that tells stories about bygone eras of joy and sorrow.
“Flamenco gitano is the expression of cultural identity of the marginalized groups of Spanish gypsies. For them, flamenco is not a matter of putting on a show or performance, but rather an expression of who they are,” says Nina Menendez, founder and director of Festival Flamenco Gitano USA. “No choreography is required for a performance. There is an innate connection among the dancers and musicians who improvise and play off each other freely on the basis of a shared legacy and desire to find the spark of duende that transforms the environment.”
Starting Monday, Oct. 2, some of Spain’s most sought-after flamenco gitano performers will come to Redondo Beach’s Performing Arts Center for Festival Flamenco Gitano USA 2012. The four-day event serves to celebrate the rich legacy of Spanish Gypsy music and dance and its essential role in flamenco’s evolution. Festival-goers will experience flamenco at its most grassroots form, with performances from multigenerational groups of dancers and musicians, including La Farruca the living matriarch of the Farruco family – the first family of gypsy flamenco dance- and her son, El Carpeta, the 14-year old Flamenco prodigy.
“It’s astonishing as you watch a mother and son perform, but what’s even more exciting is that you get the sense that La Farruca sees in her son, strong characteristics of her own father,” says Menendez. “The biggest thrill is watching as El Carpeta, the representative of the legacy that’s been passed down through the Farruco family, embodies the character and dance of his elder, who was incredible in his own right. To see someone so young, performing with such emotion and vigor alongside the mature La Farruca, really takes you back.”
Among other performers in attendance at the upcoming festival is renowned flamenco guitarist, Diego Del Morao, who like his Farruco counterparts, carries with him a distinguished familial history of his own.
“Diego Del Morao represents one of the most important guitar traditions in Spain. As the direct heir to his father and uncle, the two main people who modernized guitar in the late 20th century, Diego Del Morao not only captures the essence of their legacy, but continues to build on it,” says Menendez. “His mastery is a result of all the globalizing influences he has been exposed to; however, his music is not a fusion of styles. Rather, Del Morao has taken from some of the influences, picking up certain traits and chord patterns and ultimately has invented his own new approach to flamenco guitar.”
“Flamenco is alive and well. All of the performers’ strong ties to flamenco’s cultural past provide a context for sharing a little bit about the cultural traditions of the gypsy people,” says Menendez. “This festival is a celebration of that and the roots of flamenco.”
Festival Flamenco Gitano USA 2012 begins Oct 1 at Hermosa Beach Community Theatre and continues Oct. 2 & 4 at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. For ticket info, see .kalakoa.com.