arts
Palo diet Flamenco rhythm and the music that drives it are the focus of a new show staged by Jesus Muñoz Flamenco By Hakim Bellamy
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orn in Andalusia, flamenco is about as Spanish as New Mexico. Though certain of its geographic roots, flamenco was born in a Spain dominated by Arabs with instruments modified by Christians and Jews and music revamped by gypsies. Basically, the cante jondo (deep song) at the heart of flamenco speaks to so many because it is so many. It is a triumph of passion, progression and plain old-fashioned percussion that Jesus Muñoz Flamenco is bringing to the National Hispanic Cultural Center. “Plain old-fashioned” may not be the most accurate procession of words to use, because it’s a bit misleading. Flat out foot-stomping, hand-clapping percussion? Yes. Plain and old? Not a chance. Jesus Muñoz Flamenco’s 1929 takes the risk of contemporizing traditional melodic and harmonic structures through funky drop tunings and doubled up, half-time rhythms. It is flamenco as you’ve never seen it before, even if you were fortunate enough to be alive in the “Golden Age” of flamenco in the early 1900s. However, it is not just the exquisitely vintage and rarely performed palos (flamenco rhythms) that make Muñoz and company unique. What makes them distinctive is hearing a company of internationally recognized dancers say it is all about the music. “For me, there has to first be direct connection to the cante jondo,” Muñoz said in an interview with Local iQ. “Without it, I think a lot of what makes flamenco a cultural art form becomes lost. So does the heritage, and the oral lessons that have been defined as flamenco art.” Muñoz’s last Albuquerque feature, Red Note, borrowed its name from the iconic Blue Note Jazz Club in Greenwich Village. Red Note was as visual as it was musical, with Muñoz’s cadre of dancers literally painting the floor red with dance floor canvases and tubes of paint that turned the dancers footwork into paintbrush strokes. If the level of musicianship from Red Note is an indicator of the musical bar Muñoz has set for his productions, 1929 is not to be unheard of. “Most dance companies have their repertory or routines that repeat exactly, whether or not the song or music changes, goes off beat, etc. We don’t,” Muñoz said. “We change with the music. There are signals and calls that have to be trained to conduct the small orchestra.” When Muñoz says “small orchestra,” he ain’t kidding. He’s not being misleading in the slightest. He went as far as having a 1,000-square-foot floor made as an instrument so the dancers could get maximum sound and fully interact with the international cast of musicians. Artists from Spain, France, Cuba and Mexico will be part of this ensemble performance. Muñoz himself will make sure the U.S. is in the mix with his recognizable brand of creating unique and original rhythms and music that represent his American roots, with traditional Spanish Influence. Treat yourself to a night out ... of the country, and a trip back in time.
P e r fo r m a n c e
Jesus Muñoz Flamenco: 1929 8p, Fri.-Sat., Oct. 4-5 National Hispanic Cultural Center 1701 4th SW, 505.246.2261
$15-$55 casaflamenca.org nhccnm.org
Photo by Rosa Maria Zamarron
Valeria Montez is a principal dancer in 1929, a new show about the golden age of flamenco to be staged at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
40 Local iQ
| albuquerque’s intelligent alternative | september 26-October 9, 2013
Don’t blink, Cloud Face might shapeshift on you
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aw him once as a b-boy, thrice as a painter and again as a DJ. This cat’s a sceneshifter. Multi-talented Dine/Hopi artist Patrick “Cloud Face” Burnham can be found at the hippest underground productions, whether he’s creating in front of the canvas, behind the turn tables or on the dance floor with a flexible style lending to his suitably dubbed alias, Cloud Face. “It is a name that I chose for myself,” Cloud reveals. “It’s something that encompasses all styles of everything that I do. I see myself as the face of a cloud, constantly shifting.” A serious dancer since ’97 and choreographer since ’99, Cloud currently teaches entry-level breakdance (Thursdays, 6:30-7:30p) and house dance (8:30-9:30p) at Off Broadway Dance Studio (1720 Juan Tabo NE) for all ages. “Back in ’97, a studio owner put me on the spot to dance to Run DMC’s ‘It’s Like That.’ I did an impromptu performance for class, and after that, I learned some basic dance (jazz, ballet). They gave me a job eventually, and I started teaching dance classes. In 2003 I co-founded a studio (Foundations of Freedom), and now I teach at Off Broadway Dance Studio,” he said. Shifting from floor to canvas, Cloud’s live art performances visually enhance the atmosphere at shows like Freaky Tiki Bass and Rude Behavior. Cloud continued, “I always saw art as a way of making a living. My older brother is a serious artist, and my family has a trading post in Santa Rosa, Ariz. I grew up immersed in art, touring the country and selling my artwork when I was 10 in juried contests, winning ribbons. I was groomed to be a serious artist but became defiant until I saw graffiti in the cities, which brought me back into art and into dancing and DJing.” As if one or two forms of expression isn’t enough to master, Cloud also DJs professionally, making a name for himself producing beats for artists, such as Definition Rare, Zoology and Jivin’ Scientists, atop various film soundtracks and alongside his frequent live painting for both local events and large scale concerts like KRSOne’s Albuquerque performance in 2010. Cloud started DJing in 2002 when his younger brother (DJ Audiyo of Zoology) became interested in the scene. Cloud’s beats range from organic to electronic and can be found on iTunes or Bandcamp, for sale or download (2009’s Secrets of the Invisible album). He is currently finishing up his second solo album. Apart from murals, commissioned installations and large canvas productions at the annual SWAIA’s Indian Market in Santa Fe, Cloud’s artwork, ranging from watercolor, acrylic and graffiti, can be seen in upcoming shows at Laru Ni Hati (3413 Central NE) and Ace Barber Shop (109 4th SW) (opening Oct. 5) throughout the next couple months. Whether you see him as a free stylin’ b-boy, a live painter, or on the decks as a beat-conductor, you’d be lucky to catch a glimpse of the silver lining of Cloud’s shifting expression in the underground Burque scene. Check him out at cloudface.wix.com/love. Shavone Otero still believes in La Llorona and the Coco Man.