#Hwoodtimes,Dance,Upcoming Events |
March 5, 2023

Los Angeles International Flamenco Festival

Makes its 2023 Return for Two Nights Only at the
Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center 

Saturday, April 1, 2023; 8pm

InterAcción
Featuring Pastora Galván (dancer) & Dorantes (piano)
with Cheyén (percussion)

Special Guest Ana Crismán (flamenco harp)

Sunday, April 2, 2023; 8pm

La Guitarra Canta
Featuring Antonio Canales (dancer)
with David el Galli (vocals), Manuel de la Tomasa (vocals),
David de Arahal (guitar), & Cheyén (percussion)

Special Guest Ana Crismán (flamenco harp) 

World-Class Flamenco Artists Direct from Spain

WHAT:
The Los Angeles International Flamenco Festival returns this April 1st and 2nd to the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, continuing its mission to present unique programming and world-class flamenco music to Los Angeles with the most acclaimed and influential flamenco artists direct from Spain, many making their first U.S./Los Angeles appearances.

– InterAcción: Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 8 p.m., the Los Angeles International Flamenco Festival features Dorantes, the world-renowned flamenco visionary and Spanish Gypsy pianist who made a name for himself in the world of flamenco with an instrument that, in principle, is totally foreign to the tradition of this genre. A piano with intelligence, conviction, and authenticity with which Dorantes fuses the melodies and rhythms typical of flamenco, impressionist music, and jazz. Absolutely moving, complex and personal, Dorantes excels in a field where the guitar is king. Dorantes shares the stage with Pastora Galván, one of the most sought-after flamenco dancers in the world and 2002 winner of the “Premio Nacional Matilde Coral,” and percussionist Cheyén, for an incredibly unique and intense flamenco performance for all the senses.

A descendant from one of Spain’s most prestigious Andalusian musical families, Dorantes was born with a passion for flamenco. A graduate of the Conservatorio Superior de Música in Seville, he has gone on to create new and unique music and is now regarded as one of the most creative and innovative flamenco pianists of our time. Drawing on a diversity of musical styles for his compositions and performances, he gracefully combines classical, jazz, Celtic and Brazilian ideas into his sound, and earned a myriad of accolades and awards.

– La Guitarra Canta: Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 8 p.m., the Los Angeles International Flamenco Festival features world-renowned flamenco director, dancer and choreographer Antonio Canales. Achieving worldwide fame, Canales has starred as a guest artist with some of the world’s top dance companies. His show ‘Torero’ was nominated for an Emmy award in 1995 and was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in 2020. Canales shares the stage with vocalists David el Galli and Manuel de la Tomasa, guitarist David de Arahal, and Cheyén on percussion.

Opening the performances on both nights is flamenco harpist Ana Crismán. The only known musician who plays and composes flamenco on harp, Crismán and her Arpa Jonda have played iconic venues such as the Teatro Villamarta, the Alhambra of Granada in the Festival de Música y Danza de Granada (Fex) and in international festivals such as the Sfinks Mixed Festival 2018 (Belgium), and the Festival Musicale del Mediterraneo (Italy).

In addition to the performances, the L.A. International Flamenco Festival will feature an art exhibition with works by Parsi painter and dancer Afroz André in the art gallery at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center prior to the show, starting at 6pm and during the post-show VIP Meet-and-Greet Reception. André studied figurative drawing and painting at The New York Academy of Art and The Art Students League in New York City and was a resident artist at the Cristina Hoyos Museum in Spain where she currently has permanent exhibitions. Her award-winning work has been featured in the media in the United States, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, China, and Turkey.

Festival attendees will have an opportunity to enter to win a vacation to Spain, sponsored by the Tourist Office of Spain, with a charitable donation to the Global Gift Foundation USA, a 501(c)3 charitable organization that raises funds to support causes and initiatives addressing poverty, health, education, social care and charitable alliances.

ABOUT FLAMENCO: 

In November 2010 flamenco was inscribed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:

Flamenco is an artistic expression fusing song (cante), dance (baile) and musicianship (toque). Andalusia in southern Spain is the heartland of Flamenco, although it also has roots in regions such as Murcia and Extremadura. Cante is the vocal expression of flamenco, sung by men and women, preferably seated, with no backing singers. The gamut of feelings and states of mind – grief, joy, tragedy, rejoicing and fear – can be expressed through sincere, expressive lyrics characterized by brevity and simplicity. Flamenco baile is a dance of passion, courtship, expressing a wide range of situations ranging from sadness to joy. The technique is complex, differing depending on whether the performer is male (heavier use of the feet) or female (gentler, more sensual movements). Toque or the art of guitar playing has long surpassed its original role as accompaniment. Other instruments, including castanets, hand clapping and foot-stomping are also employed. Flamenco is performed during religious festivals, rituals, church ceremonies and at private celebrations. It is the badge of identity of numerous communities and groups, in particular the Gitano (Roma) ethnic community, which has played an essential role in its development. Transmission occurs through dynasties, families, social groups and Flamenco clubs, all of which play a key role in its preservation and dissemination”

WHO/WHEN:
Saturday, April 1, 2023; 8 p.m.:
• Ana Crismán, Arpa Flamenca
• InterAcción features: Dorantes, pianist/composer; Pastora Galván, dancer; and Cheyén, percussion

Sunday, April 2, 2023; 8 p.m.:
• Ana Crismán, Arpa Flamenca
• La Guitarra Canta features: Antonio Canales, flamenco director/dancer/choreographer; David el Galli, vocals; Manuel de la Tomasa, vocals; David de Arahal, guitar; Cheyén, percussion

  • Presented byKala Koa Entertainment,The Los Angeles International Flamenco Festival, and Leplató Productions

WHERE:
Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center
1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Redondo Beach, CA  90278
Map & Directions

HOW:
• For more information, please visit www.laflamencofestival.com
• Tickets www.kalakoa.tix.com
• Visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kalakoa

TICKETS:
$45 – $95; $165 VIP includes a post-show meet-and-greet with the artists, includes paella & tapas from Savory Roads Catering.

# # #