Spectacular Flamenco Suite Sets the Lobero Stage on Fire

Latin-Grammy-nominated dancer and choreographer Siudy Garrido combined her unshakable foundation in flamenco tradition, her beyond-reproach-perfect technique, and original music by award-winning composers José Luis De la Paz (1967-2025) from Huelva, Andalucía, and Juan Parrilla from Jerez de la Frontera to present Flamenco Suite, her latest work, at The Lobero on Friday evening, August 7. With sleek, modern costumes, the incomparable lighting effects of the Lobero, and her spectacular company of musicians and dancers, she presented dances in traditional palos, including seguiriyas, caña, soleá, alegrías, and tangos, and, according to the program notes, “brought to life through her contemporary vision.”

“Mis pies son mi voz. My feet are my voice. Through flamenco, I tell stories that words cannot express,” she is quoted as saying on her website.  A charming interview with Garrido at Lincoln Center in New York offers a glimpse into the personal side of this amazing artist.

Born in Valencia, Venezuela, Garrido began studying flamenco as a child from her mother, the acclaimed artist Siudy Quintero, who founded Venezuela’s first flamenco school. Quintero was recognized by the King of Spain in 1992 for spreading Spanish culture across the world. 

Garrido, an internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and dance educator, has won multiple awards and performed in more than 35 countries for more than 35 years. In creating Flamenco Suite, she has collaborated with internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer Antonio (de los Reyes) Canales from Sevilla and conductor Gustavo Dudamel from Venezuela. Dudamel has been the music director for multiple international orchestras, including the L.A. Philharmonic, and is about to debut as the music director of the New York Philharmonic this fall. 

Personally, I am a lover of tradition, but I have great respect for artists who are grounded in tradition yet dare to push boundaries and expand the art form to new eras and new audiences. With Flamenco Suite, Garrido and her company of virtuoso dancers and musicians are doing just that, as she says on her website, “Where ancient rhythm meets raw emotion.”

The show began with the company dancers, Orianna Torres, Isabella Calicchio, María Andrea Larrea, Federica Freites, and Sara Mayorca all in black, dancing a dramatic seguiriyas with canes and chairs. Seguiriyas is considered one of the oldest and darkest of the flamenco palos, sung in the deep cante jondo style. The black costumes — tight bodices and pants with fringes — accentuated the dancers’ precise movements and powerful footwork. 

(Author’s note: There was no printed program, and the online program did not list individual dances in order of performance. I counted the traditional seguiriyas rhythm as they danced, and came to this conclusion myself, since seguiriyas is one of the styles listed as part of the show in general.)

Then Garrido entered, brandishing a large black mantón with white flowers and fringes. Her solos throughout the 90-minute, non-stop show were jaw-droppingly unbelievable. Her fast, precise footwork has been described as having “machine gun speed and precision” by the Miami Herald. At times during her solos, her improvised footwork continued for what seemed like minutes, never missing a single beat. The intensity and ferocity of her footwork reminded me of the style of our own maestro Manuel Gutierrez. 

In contrast with her powerful footwork, her braceo (flamenco armwork) was fluid, soft, and swan-like, her arms always in motion.

In one solo, she improvised with the flutist, multiple Latin Grammy winner Eric Chacón from Venezuela, bathed in a spotlight. Garrido’s musicians are all master maestros with international acclaim. In addition to Chacón, she had Victor Franco from Cádiz on guitar; Ismael Fernandez from Sevilla, cantaor; and Adolfo Herrera from Caracas on percussion. Each one improvised dramatic, emotional solos with Garrido.

I must give a shout-out to the lighting designer, Pablo Croce, and whoever ran the lights for the show. The lighting was stark and spectacular, in true Lobero fashion, and hit the blackouts exactly when Garrido stopped her solos. Since the solos in flamenco are improvisations between dancer and musicians, to hit the blackouts so precisely takes complete concentration from the person running the board. 

The costumes, designed by Garrido and Veronica Porras, appeared less weighty than traditional flamenco costumes, with softer fabrics and fringes that flowed and fluttered, revealing more of the lines of the dancing bodies than the usual heavier fabrics. One exception was Garrido’s new skirt with the long bata de cola, which debuted at this performance and she brandished it with grandeur and grace.

In one dramatic section, a video of what appeared to be a bullfight arena was projected above the stage. Garrido danced wearing an ornate, brocade jacket of a matador, hitting poses reminiscent of the bullfight. 

My favorite section was a group alegrías. Alegrías means joy, and Garrido really captured the joy of girls dancing together in this lively piece. First, a girl entered, dancing with a mantón (a large, fringed shawl). She was joined by a second girl, who asked for the mantón, and when the first girl shared it, one mantón magically became two. The two girls were joined by the rest of the company in a delightful piece, their footwork and swirling mantones in perfect unison.

One aspect that came across to me was the deep love between Garrido and her dancers and musicians, palpable throughout the performance, in every group piece and in every solo with the musicians. 

At the end of the show, the audience stood up with thunderous applause, inspiring the artists to provide an encore, which was appreciated with a second standing ovation. 

Many thanks to the Flamenco Arts Festival of Santa Barbara (FAF) for making this and other concerts possible, with artists from Spain and around the U.S. FAF also provides young artists with grants to continue their studies. 

The next opportunity to see a spectacular flamenco show will be María Bermúdez’s Convivencias at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum on September 10, also performed at The Ford Theater in Los Angeles on September 12.  

¡Ole!