Fiesta Flips the Script on
the Cusp of 100th Anniversary
This Year’s Spirit and Presidente
Break the Mold in More Ways Than One
By Camilla Barnwell | Photos by Fritz Olenberger & Ingrid Bostrom
August 2, 2023
See more of our complete guide to Fiesta 2023.
Have we entered some kind of post-COVID alternate universe? On the cusp of Fiesta’s 100th anniversary, the most hide-bound, traditionalist organization in town has given us our first male Spirit and our first openly gay Presidente.
One thing seems certain — nothing will ever be the same again.
A 19-year-old named Jack Harwood has made it cool for guys to be the Spirit of Fiesta.
A title held only by females since the first Spirit was named in 1949, it’s as if a big door just got blown off its hinges and now stands wide open for all comers.
On the day of the audition back in April, Jack won us over the moment he stepped onto the stage. His calm, confident style seemed to draw in the audience and put them at ease. The routine offered no dramatic flair or flamboyance, no colorful ruffled dress or props to distract, no quadruple turns or exhaustive leaps. It was just Jack … a tall, lean, single figure in black pants and gray matador jacket who at one point gently shrugged his shoulders, raised his brow, and broke into a smile — as if telling the crowd “Forgive me, I’m just having a bit of fun up here.” Slowly, steadily, he delivered the goods in the form of fine footwork and technique doused with the bravado of an orchestra conductor. His soft auburn curls were just icing on the cake.
He nailed the routine, stole the show, won the coveted Spirit sash, and changed history.
“Honestly, it was totally surreal. I think I blacked out for 20 minutes after,” Harwood said about the moment his name was announced. “For so many reasons, I never, ever, thought I would win. That’s why, as the first male Spirit of Fiesta, my message stems around inspiring and encouraging other boys to dance, breaking down walls and stigmas and stereotypes around male dancers, especially in the U.S. In Spain, it’s considered way more normal for guys to be flamenco dancers. I want other boys to be able to embrace who they are, and not be ashamed if they want to be dancers.”
The Old Spanish Days organization likes history and tradition. We all do. But this year, we’re learning that we can both hold on to tradition and shake it up at the same time.
As Old Spanish Day’s first openly gay leader, this year’s El Presidente, David Bolton, has been strategic about creating a Fiesta that is viewed as professional, inclusive, fun, and profitable. A shrewd and experienced executive director, producer, and event curator, Bolton has worked around the clock for months to deliver his own winning performance this Fiesta. He’s a multidimensional figure who made the bold decision, for example, to have a contemporary graphic design created for this year’s Fiesta poster. He has warmly and widely introduced his husband, Gonzalo Sarmiento, as the “Primer Caballero” to his “El Presidente.”
Juxtapose that with Bolton’s overtures to deep history and tradition. He’s the mastermind behind Friday’s historical reenactment of the 1542 arrival of Spanish explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo to the Santa Barbara Channel. Thanks to Bolton’s involvement with the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, on August 4 he arranged for a full-size replica of Cabrillo’s vessel, the San Salvador, to enter Santa Barbara waters and be greeted at sea by local Chumash in their replica of a historic tomol.
This spring, Bolton kicked things off by wowing attendees as they arrived at a sold-out private pre-Fiesta party. Signaling that he was stepping things up a notch, Bolton orchestrated a historic recreation of the Theodore Van Cina painting, “Fandango,” depicting a scene from the legendary 1835 wedding of Commandante Jose de la Guerra’s daughter, Anita, that took place over three days at the Casa de la Guerra. He also arranged for a professional stage to be installed inside El Paseo Restaurant for the performance that followed. Bolton chose an elder in the Chumash community, Ernestine Ygnacio-De Soto, as the Grand Marshal of Friday’s Desfile Histórico.
Along with serving as Old Spanish Days’ official historian, Bolton’s day job is serving as the CEO/executive director of the California Missions Foundation. In 2019, he was knighted by Spain’s King Felipe VI as a Commander of the Royal Order of Isabel la Católica.
For the record, Old Spanish Days has always invited both male and female dancers to try out for Junior Spirit and Spirit titles. The reality in Santa Barbara is that very few males participate in local dance studios. While a handful have tried out over the years, only one other male has ever won a title: Ryan Zermeño was named Junior Spirit in 1998.
Bolton points out that Jack Harwood’s win actually upholds tradition.
“We’re not changing tradition; we are keeping it by having a panel of anonymous judges select the very best finalist as Spirit. It’s a tribute to Jack that his many years of dedication in the studio, practice, trips to Spain … they’ve all paid off. This was a natural evolution of our tradition and truly a credit to Jack that his passion for dance was able to bring him to the forefront in the eyes of the judges.”
Isabella Ricci, 17, shed tears of joy when her longtime friend’s name was announced as the winner, right after her own name was called as the Spirit runner-up. She lashed out against a series of derogatory social media comments made after the competition, implying that Jack was undeserving and that our community expected to see a pretty female donning a white dress during Fiesta, not a dude. Other comments included “I thought that’s what Solstice was for,” as well as claims that having a male Spirit was “a very sad example of throwing women aside in the name of equity.”
Ricci wasn’t having any of those sour grapes.
“Just because we are women, we are not entitled to that Spirit title,” she said. “I’ve had friends come up to me and say, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen a guy dance like that’ and I say, ‘That’s because we don’t have enough diversity in the Fiesta dance community.’ Jack broke a barrier, and he was the perfect person to do it because he’s an amazing role model. I’m beyond proud of Jack and the path he is paving for us. Of course, I’m kinda biased. He’s my best friend.”
Jack’s longtime flamenco mentor and teacher, Manuel Gutierrez, arrived on the Santa Barbara Fiesta scene years ago as a singer, performer, choreographer, and composer, traveling in from Los Angeles to support local dancers, including Harwood, who was just 10 at the time. Gutierrez and his wife and two sons recently returned home to Córdoba, Spain, but he will be in town for Fiesta to back up his protégé, whom he endearingly calls “Joaquin.” Gutierrez also choreographed all of Harwood’s routines for Fiesta.
As a professional dancer, Gutierrez said he too has been on the receiving end of judgmental comments.
“All my life, when people ask me, ‘What do you do for a living? Oh, you’re a dancer? Really?’ and I say, ‘What do you mean by really?’ Thank goodness Jack is so confident and doesn’t let that get to him at all. For other boys, they deal with teasing and even bullying, and it can be a real trauma for them. That’s why Jack’s changing history is so monumental. He has hopefully opened the door for all of these young men who have never seen themselves represented up on that stage. Maybe parents will say, ‘My daughter, and also my son, can be part of this beautiful local cultural tradition.’ ”
Another of Harwood’s longtime teachers and mentors, Timo Nuñez, was one of the few boys to perform during Fiesta throughout his childhood growing up in Santa Barbara. Nuñez choreographed Harwood’s routine when he tried out for Junior Spirit, nearly 10 years ago.
“When he was still a young child, Jack set his sights on this accomplishment. To watch how his perseverance has paid off is so motivational,” Nuñez said.
Harwood definitely lives up to one label often ascribed to him. He’s a nice kid.
“My win as Spirit is really shared with Timo and Manuel and Ryan … all of the dancers who paved the path before me,” Harwood said. “Of course, none of this would have happened without my mom and dad.” (His parents are Riley Harwood, who retired from the Santa Barbara Police Department, and Dacia Harwood, the executive director of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. Jack’s younger brother Skyler is also a flamenco dancer.)
Gutierrez said it has been an honor to have a hand in Harwood’s growth as a performer:
“Jack Harwood is not a student anymore. He is an artist. He is Joaquin, and he is ready!”
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