The origins of the modern flamenco dress trace back nearly two centuries to Seville’s Feria de Abril, where gypsy women wore inexpensive calico dresses accentuated by layers of ruffles. As flamenco moved from the original gypsy communities and into Spain’s cafés cantantes in the second half of the 19th century, its costumes became more extravagant. Today, flamenco…
Arte y Pasión Bring Back ‘Flower in the Crossroads’
Premiered last November at Luminaria, Arte y Pasión’s original production Una Flor en el Cruce (A Flower in the Crossroads) returns with a trio of performances hosted by three distinct venues. Artistic director Tamara Adira leads an ever-evolving cast of dancers and musicians in a multidisciplinary performance juxtaposing flamenco with classical and modern dance. Since…
Arte y Pasión’s ‘Algoritmos’ Lands at Jump-Start
There will be an unlikely meeting of minds this weekend when Arte y Pasión presents Algoritmos, a multidisciplinary, collaborative project that “juxtaposes” flamenco with modern dance, and yes, opera. In this latest work, artistic director Tamara Adira leads an ever-evolving cast of dancers, musicians and vocalists as they stretch the boundaries of an ancient genre while attempting to…
Arte y Pasión comes full circle
In the year since Arte y Pasión premiered Angel of Gravity, an experimental project that paired modern dance, flamenco, and classical Spanish dance, the collective has continued to embrace multidisciplinary collaborations and performances. Out In SA spoke with dancer and artistic director Tamara Adira as she reflected on their upcoming production, Algoritmos. “Everybody gets criticism…
A’lante Flamenco debuts “Prophecies” at the Tobin
January 10 and 11, Austin-based A’lante Flamenco will debut “Prophecies” at the Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater in the Tobin Center. Set to flamenco choreography, “Prophecies” is a modern-day adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s classic prose poem “The Prophet.” I spoke with Olivia Chacón, choreographer and artistic director of A’lante Flamenco, who shared her vision and enthusiasm…