5 minute read
Flamenco Intimo
January
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Presents
JULIA CHACÓN FLAMENCO THEATRE FLAMENCO INTIMO
SPANISH LEGACY Friday, October 29, 2021 Saturday, October 30, 2021 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Stage 2
Title Partner:
Presenting Sponsors: Betty Hum and Alan Yudell Karen and John Voris
FLAMENCO INTIMO
PROGRAM This October, Julia Chacón Flamenco Theater performs the fourth season of Flamenco Intimo, bringing renewed energy to Scottsdale through the power and fervor of flamenco. The 2021 series celebrates survival and tradition in an exploration of 75 years of Spanish dance in the Valley. International performers deliver rapid-fire footwork, passionate dance, virtuosic guitar, and the soul-stirring vocals emblematic of flamenco. The show captures the contemporaneity of flamenco while honoring the artists who paved the way for Spanish dance in Arizona. SPANISH LEGACIES PROGRAM In Spanish Legacies, Julia Chacon Flamenco Theatre celebrates 75 years of Spanish Dance in the Valley. Performances honor four 20th century dance pioneers—Adelino Fernandez, Lydia Torea, Laura Moya, and Dini Román—and features works performed by their protégés and inspired by their influence. Spanish Legacies reveals generational cultural heritage in Arizona and pays tribute to the cultural contributions of these artists. The Spanish presence in North America left an indelible mark on the culture of the American Southwest. This influence permeated the performing arts, which became a conduit for cultural exchange. The Spanish Legacies program on October 29 and 30 will be followed by a 15-minute Q&A with the artists—plus, Spanish dance pioneers Lydia Torea and Dini Román—regarding how Spanish dance in the Valley has contributed to the arts in Arizona. ARTISTS JULIA CHACÓN (Artistic Director) is the founder, director, and choreographer for Flamenco Theatre (founded in 2008). Chacón trained in the United States, and in Madrid and Seville, Spain, has performed across the United States and in Colombia, Mexico, and Spain. She was a finalist for the 2019 Arizona Governor’s Arts Award, for the 2019 Phoenix Mayor’s Arts Award, and was Resident Artist at the Musical Instrument Museum (a Smithsonian Affiliate) in 2019 and 2020. She toured throughout the United States with Carlota Santana Flamenco Vivo and Maria Benitez’s Teatro Flamenco and was a member of Jose Galvan’s cuadro in Seville, Spain. In addition, she shared the stage with Carmen Ledesma, José Méndez, Jose Manuel Tudela, Andres Peña, Inmaculada Ortega, and others. She has produced 27 concerts in the Valley since 2014, presented dozens of arts education performances and workshops, and teaches in the private sector. Chacón can be seen on the Travel Channel’s Santa Fe episode with Samantha Brown and in the TEDxLSU talk “Flamenco 101.” Her choreography was performed in the 50th anniversary celebration of the Shanghai Opera House. She was featured at the National Dance Education Organization National Conference in 2010 and her arts-education curriculum has been implemented in New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and Arizona schools, touching the lives of thousands of children. Her strongest influences include American artists Lydia Torea and Eva Enciñas Sandoval and Spanish artists Jose Galvan, El Ciro, Mario Maya, Carmen Ledesma, Rafaela Carrasco, and Manuel Reyes.
Francisca Nava (Dancer) began her flamenco training under Laura Moya in Phoenix. She was a formative member of Flamenco por la Vida under the direction of Angelina Ramirez and performed in Mujeres, directed by Yumi la Rosa. She performs regionally as guest artist and instructor with Chayito Champion in San Antonio, Texas. Nava has performed with Inspiración Flamenca since 2015. *Spanish Legacies performances only. Misael Barraza Diaz (Musical Director) was born in 1990 in Sonora, Mexico. Barraza is hailed as among the most outstanding Mexican guitarists of his generation. Barraza holds a master’s degree from the Master Guitarra Alicante (Spain) and a second master’s degree from the University of Arizona, where he recently completed his doctorate in musical arts. Barraza has been awarded first place at international guitar competitions, such as the 12th Culiacán International Competition (2019, Mexico), 20th Annual Guitar Symposium and Competition (2019, United States), Wilson Center Guitar Competition (2018, United States), 1st International Guitar Competition of Finland (2018), Domaine Forget Guitar Competition (2017, Canada), Chihuahua International Guitar Competition (2015, Mexico), Indiana International Guitar Competition (2013) and the Montreal International Guitar Competition (2013, Canada). In Finland, Barraza was awarded a CD recording with Europe’s Alba Records (2018). He received another at the first Klagenfurt International Competition in Austria (2018), to be produced and released in Los Angeles by Yalil Guerra, a Latin Grammy®-winning guitarist and composer. Moreover, Barraza received a third recording contract prize at the International Competition in Culiacán (2019). He has worked with Flamenco Theater since 2016. Olivia Rojas (Singer) is from El Paso, Texas. Her versatile background in traditional Mexican and choral music, coupled with her wide vocal range, allows her to capture a depth of expression. Rojas works with flamenco companies across the United States and has worked with the National Institute of Flamenco in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Sachiko La Chayi in Minneapolis, Minnesota; EmiArte Flamenco in Santa Fe, New Mexico; and others. She directs Flamenco por la Vida in Phoenix and has worked with Flamenco Theatre since 2015. Diana Schaible (Flute) studied flute and classical guitar at the University of Idaho and holds a master’s degree in flute performance from the University of Arizona. She was the principal flautist for the Arizona Symphony, was a member of the Fred Fox Graduate Wind Quintet, and played in the UA Wind Ensemble. She has performed in Canada, Mexico, Ireland, and the United States. She is a teaching artist for the Tucson Unified School District and maintains her own teaching studio. This is her third season with Flamenco Theatre *Tamara Sol Flys (Dancer) trained with Lydia Torea and Dini Román, performing with Torea’s Artes Bellas in the televised performance, “Flamenco Fireworks” and with Chacón in “Sabor y Ritmo” at Los Angeles’ Century Club. A graduate of ASU and Johns Hopkins University, Tamara works in microbiology. She lives and teaches in Santa Fe, New Mexico. *Francisca Ivon Nava (Dancer) began her flamenco training under Laura Moya in Phoenix, AZ. She was a formative member of Flamenco por la Vida in Phoenix and performed in Tempe Center for the Arts “Mujeres.” She performs regionally as guest artist and instructor in San Antonio, Texas. *Spanish Legacies performances only.
