¡Flamenco! Santa Barbara brings the Universal Language of Flamenco to the Historic Bellosguardo Estate

“El flamenco es un lenguaje universal.”  Flamenco is a universal language. So says the website of the legendary flamenco dancer Farruquito, one of the mentors of Timo Nuñez, a local dance legend and director of Timo Nuñez Arte Flamenco. 

History, beauty, and flamenco combined to create another memorable night on Tuesday, August 4, at the Bellosguardo Estate, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Left to the people of Santa Barbara by Huguette Clark to be “a home for art, music, history, and culture,” Bellosguardo (“beautiful view”) is now on the Fiesta week calendar of must-attend events.

This is the third year a grand Fiesta event has been held at Bellosguardo. The dream team of Dacia Harwood, executive director of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum; Jeremy Lindaman, president of the Bellosguardo Foundation; María “La Chacha” Bermudez, artistic director of ¡Flamenco! Santa Barbara, and Nuñez created a magical evening. 

Before the flamenco show, authentic Mexican food was provided by Rudy’s Catering of Santa Barbara, while Mariachi Jalisco of Oxnard presented delightful music as guests enjoyed the scenic grounds and delicious food.

The heart of the event, of course, was the spectacular performance by the internationally acclaimed, award-winning musicians and dancers of ¡Flamenco! Santa Barbara, one of the most sensational flamenco companies on the West Coast.

The musicians — Latin-Grammy-nominated Maestro Andrés Vadín on guitar, internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, singer, and percussionist Manuel Gutierrez singing and playing cajón, internationally acclaimed flamenco singer José Cortés, and internationally renowned artist Maestra María “La Chacha” Bermudez on palmas and vocals — prepared the space with a mellow piece in the Tangos palo before the dancers took the stage.

The opening dance piece, “Tiempo” (Time), performed by the young artists of ¡Flamenco! Santa Barbara (FSB) is a new contemporary choreography in Bulerias palo by Nuñez, Gutierrez, and Bermudez, set to newly composed music by Vadín and Gutierrez. It is a show-stopping piece, in which the dancers constantly change formations, at times featuring soloists or small groups, conveying deep passion, their thunderous, precise footwork alternating with elegant poses.  

According to Jack “Joaquin” Harwood, the theme of Time, as explained by Nuñez, pays homage to Fiesta — the time commitment it takes to prepare for performances, various elements of time in our lives, and the need for a time to slow down and enjoy the moment. In one section, Harwood dramatically marked time with a bastón (cane), passing it to other dancers before placing it on the side of the stage.

As I wrote about the dancers of FSB previously, their feet sound like a single pair. Their precision, artistry, and emotional portrayal keep improving every year. This year’s company features several Spirits of Fiesta, including Jenna Ramirez (2026), Jack Harwood (2023), Isabella Yturalde (2021), First Runner Up Emilio Gonzales (2026), with Íntimo Jóvenes dancers Noelle Gerthoffer and Araceli Sagastume, and many previous and current Spirit and Junior Spirit finalists. Having been mentored by dance legends Timo Nuñez, María Bermudez, Manuel Gutierrez, and Linda Vega, these young artists are growing up to become dance legends in their own right. 

After the fiery Tiempo, the audience was treated to a delightful, virtuoso Alegrías by Nuñez and his former student Talia Vestal (2009 Junior Spirit and 2014 Spirit of Fiesta). Vestal, who has been living in Sevilla for the past year and a half, studying, teaching, and performing flamenco, returned home to Santa Barbara for Fiesta and will be featured again in the showcase of international dancers and musicians Convivencias at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum on September 10. 

Nuñez has been aptly called “the Nureyev of flamenco,” and the number-one male flamenco dancer in the U.S. He has been a featured artist at the Kennedy Center and White House, among many other credits. He is also a recording artist — I recently learned —  whose songs are available on Spotify and iTunes. 

Their duet was out-of-this-world beautiful and charming, filled with emotion and grace. Vestal made her large Manton come alive, swirling magnificently over her head and draping softly and gracefully over her shoulders, all the while maintaining perfectly precise footwork. Nuñez was breathtaking. Words cannot describe the power, precision, elegance, and musicality of this master artist. And the touches of humor when he glances directly at the audience for a brief moment, does a subtle shoulder-and-eyebrow lift to accent the music, or momentarily drops his vest off one shoulder are priceless. What a treat to see these two artists dance together.

The show ended with the traditional Bulerías Fín de Fiesta, in which all the dancers gathered on stage for individual improvisations with the musicians, finishing with a joyous group finale. Everyone had such a wonderful time. No one wanted the show to end, so the musicians returned to the stage for an encore, ending with the popular song Bamboleo by the Gipsy Kings.

A short video by Tracy Lehr captured the essence of the show. You can follow the performances and workshops organized by Flamenco Santa Barbara and find out about enrolling in flamenco classes in the fall at the Timo Nuñez Arte Flamenco studio.