Flamenco Íntimo Explodes with Passion!

You don’t need to wait for Fiesta in August to experience the power and passion of pure flamenco in this town. Flamenco Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Historical Museum create authentic flamenco experiences throughout the year; the last weekend in January was like a mini Fiesta!

On Friday, January 30, more than 200 people gathered in the museum’s courtyard for a Peña Flamenca la María.  Grammy-winning musicians Andrés Vadín (guitar) and Diego Alvarez (cajón) played tangos, alegrías, and bulerías for everyone’s dancing pleasure. 

They were joined by world-renowned dancer-singer-percussionist Manuel Gutierrez, Artist in Residence for ¡Flamenco! Santa Barbara, who sang joyful and humorous letras (verses) for the dancers. Peñas (explained here and here) are where students, professionals, parents, and even children improvise flamenco with the musicians. Peñas are where the flamenco family is nourished.

On Saturday, January 31, the artists were joined by Pepele Méndez — a highly regarded flamenco singer from Jerez de la Frontera — for a Flamenco Íntimo concert at the historic Covarrubias Adobe. Gutierrez, from Córdoba, Spain, known as the Prince of Flamenco by Dance Magazine, danced with Vanessa Albalos, originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, now residing and teaching in Los Angeles.  

Mendez’s intense cante flamenco is full of passion and deep sadness; Vadín’s guitar brims with sweetness and spice, alternating between traditional flamenco and his unique blend of contemporary styles; and Alvarez’s dexterous hands match the lightning-fast feet of the dancers. 

Gutierrez is known for his clean, stark lines and precise, deliberate movements. His footwork is inspiring and innovative, blending traditional flamenco taconeo with contemporary flicks, hops, and turns, leaving one to ask, “How did he do that?” In the slower sections, through his powerful footwork, one can feel his energy expanding outward from his core like a silent tsunami about to break or a giant eagle unfolding its wings before the next explosion of sound.

Albalos’s deep, earthy style complemented Gutierrez, alternating between intensely percussive footwork and slow, deep backbends and luscious hip circles, her beautiful flamenco hands moving like lotus flowers, constantly folding and unfolding. 

Something intangible about this particular cuadro flamenco was deep, expressive, and so intense that it is impossible to explain. The collective passion and virtuosity of these artists cannot be captured in words. Perhaps it was the deep love and respect that these performers have for each other, that inexplicable “chemistry” that shone through their performance and made this Íntimo so special.

Toward the end of one of her solos, it looked to me as though Albalos was moved to tears, actually crying on stage. I asked her about this after the show, and she said yes, she was crying a little because this flamenco familia lost a dear dancer last year to cancer, and they cannot perform together without thinking of her. As our own Maria “La Chacha” Bermudez, Artistic Director of ¡Flamenco! Santa Barbara has said, “In flamenco, the heart is in the hand. Everybody’s onstage with their heart in their hand.”  

Albalos teaches flamenco in North Hollywood. Her school is called Flamenco Heart and Soul, and when you see her dance, you can understand how this name perfectly describes her.

The concert began with Mendez’s passionate singing. Musical interludes, mostly Vadin’s own compositions in his fascinating fusion style, provided breaks between the vigorous dance performances. I recognized one haunting melody, “Seré,” which features Mendez’s poignant cante jondo style over a contemporary beat, from their recent SOhO show. I asked Vadin about it, and he explained that this was the one piece that was not actually his original composition. 

However, Mendez’s deep flamenco style makes the song so much more powerful that it sounds completely different from the original. The singer expresses, “I will be like the rain for the fields, I will be like the fire that warms your house. I will be, I will be.” Vadin hinted that they might record it. I certainly hope so!

For the Fin de Fiesta, Gutierrez called to the stage Bermudez, Timo Nuñez, director of the Timo Nuñez Arte Flamenco studio, and Amanda Lucía Cuevas, the studio’s prima bailaora and teacher, to improvise with them in a final explosion of joy to end the night.  

Wow. What a show! The audience gave not one standing ovation, but several: one after every dance solo as well as the usual standing O at the end of the show!

At this time of year, as all the flamenco schools in Santa Barbara begin their annual ritual of preparing for the summer Fiesta, I must reflect on how astoundingly fortunate we are in this community to have so much world-class talent!

To find out about future performances of ¡Flamenco! Santa Barbara and other concerts and workshops, see flamencosb.org/shows-%26-workshops.

For information about the adult beginner class on Mondays at 7 p.m. at the Timo Nuñez Arte Flamenco studio, see timonunezflamenco.com. Please contact info@timonunezflamenco.com for more information.