PUBLISHED APRIL 15, 2004

APRIL 2004 articles | Brainiac | Surviving | Road trip | Rhythms

Flamenco master Marija Temo shares her intellectual approach to flamenco with Atlanta.

She's done it again. Marija Temo has left heads aching in Atlanta, as flamenco guitarists and dancers try to figure out what she was talking about during a three-day workshop in Atlanta. Temo imparted no fancy footwork or falsetas. Instead, she talked about solea por bulerías - a lot.

Temo is a master of flamenco guitar, singing and dancing. She began studying when she was six years old with Martha SidAhmed, when the two lived in Ohio. Now, nearly 30 years later, Temo is a flamenco teacher, who for 10 years has been connecting the three elements of the art - dance, music and song - for students who want to understand the purest form of flamenco: improvisation.

Temo's approach to teaching flamenco is unique for Americans. While most teachers in the United States focus on movements and melodies, Temo is not interested in instructing students on such details during workshops such as the one held in Atlanta last weekend. Instead, she explains how dancers and musicians can perform an exhilarating flamenco piece from start to finish, without one rehearsal, and without saying much more than "hello" to each other before it all begins.

"What I provide is that foundation that you need to be able to go pick up the (dancing, guitar or singing) material quickly," said Temo. "Otherwise, you're just imitating the sounds and rhythms and melodies with no concept. You go and apply them later and they're out of compás or they're not applied correctly or they're not in the right manner."

Temo has a concept of communication that explains the interaction that happens between dancers, musicians and singers when flamenco erupts. She spent years analyzing flamenco recordings to understand musical rhythms and the basic form of flamenco palos.

She has developed a road map for the palos, explaining how songs and dances transition from powerful singing passages to instrumental interludes, to footwork solos by dancers, and finally to unforgettable endings. She also understands how this can all happen with some good body language and a few loose rules that are meant to be broken.

"I know the base form and what is anticipated and expected nonverbally in the structure of a dance and who dictates what and when and how you accompany it. So when a llamada happens, you know who's supposed to come in, how to accompany it, and what your possible options are," explained Temo.

Temo's approach is heavy on the brain and light on the feet and fingers. The time spent thinking paves the way for an easier future.

"Knowing what I have to offer intellectually first, you can make sense of the rhythms and the variations and the form and what's expected," Temo said. Then what happens is you want to absorb yourself like crazy with the sound and the different ways it's done and the style. Then you're ready for the repertoire or to go (to Spain) and learn because you're prepared to pick up the information."

And that's when this week's head aches will turn into smiles and laughter. Consider it enlightenment for those possessed by the spirit of flamenco and the desire to jump into that circle and dance at the next juerga.

Marija Temo will appear in concert on April 16 and 17 at the Hoover Library Theater in Birmingham, Alabama. She will perform solo guitar and accompany dancers from Birmingham and Atlanta.

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Seville-born singer/flautist Alfonso Cid finds a rich life working in flamenco in the United States.

When Alfonso Cid performed in Ulrika Frank's Flamenco Con Gusto in March, Atlanta got an intimate glimpse of a rare artist: a Seville-born flamenco singer making his living in flamenco in the United States.

For six years, 34-year-old Cid has found enough work to keep him busy and well-fed, perhaps even more so than if he were living in his native neighborhood of Triana. But, don't think that he fled his homeland for better opportunity across the Atlantic.

"It was just destiny. I met the person who is now my wife in Scotland and she brought me here," bragged Cid.

That was six years ago. Cid now lives in New York, with his wife Martha and two young children, Rubin, age 2, and Natalie, 17 months.

His days begin early. There's 7 a.m. breakfast with his kids, followed by time spent in the park with them. Then, Cid settles into practicing, rehearsing and teaching for the rest of the day. When the sun sets, he packs up his gear and heads for almost nightly gigs, at restaurants, theaters and special events.

"I am freelancing a lot. I am working right now with a lady named Pilar Rioja. She's 71 years old and she's dancing a show by herself in New York City."

Cid generally performs as a singer and flautist five nights a week. He's at a level that may have taken years to reach in Spain, because of the amount of on-the-job experience that is required - after receiving extensive training.

"If you want to be a well rounded flamenco singer, you have to go through a tablao to get the proficiency of the compás and palmas," said Cid. He added, "There is a circuit of peñas, and there are festivals and you have to go though that and the tablaos in order to get the experience with the dancers."

Then, there's the matter of competition. "In Andalucía, the main attraction for the people is flamenco singing. It's different outside of Spain, because people don't understand Spanish (language)." With a large number of singers, it is difficult to get an opportunity to perform in peñas, tablaos, or festivals, where developing artists gain experience that makes them sought after professionals.

Cid gained some of that valuable experience as an accompanist while in Spain, working at festivals and peñas, including the popular La Carbonería in Seville.

But, it was on American soil that he earned his stripes in tablaos.

"I learned how to sing for tablaos in New York. There are incredible people who devote their life to flamenco here. Not only in New York, but all over the United States. I feel very proud to be an Andalucian because they make flamenco their life. It's an incredible thing," said Cid.

Besides singing and playing flute in nightly shows, Cid also puts his energy into what he calls 'his own project: Gazpacho Andalú. The flamenco group featuring six musicians came together last year.

"I'm using Cuban musicians and flamenco musicians in my group, but now we are coming up with more repertoire. We are developing the style. We are kind of getting deeper in to the fusion, making it sound flamenco, but with different instruments, such as ude and the Cuban tres. I'm trying to incorporate what the Spaniards left in Cuba and Puerto Rico and fuse it with Afro-Cuban and north African music and reincorporate that into flamenco."

The multicultural flavor of the music reflects Cid's interest in history. He often delves into his collection of history books about flamenco and the people, religion, and politics that shaped the art through time.

It's a habit that won't end anytime soon.

"I am in love with flamenco, I cannot stop learning about it. It's a lifetime commitment. The more you learn, the more you realize you don't know."

To quench his thirst for more knowledge, Cid plans to return to Spain in the near future.

"I want to learn more. I know also that being a flamenco musician, you have to go to Spain and you have to be there and get the recognition from the people over there. I intend to do that. I want to record over there," said Cid.

American's shouldn't fret, though. Cid has plans to purchase a home in Seville and live there with his family only part time there. The rest of the time, he'll play his wonderful music for us on this side of the Atlantic.

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Atlantan Martha SidAhmed conducts a major flamenco production in Birmingham, Ala.

Ask your flamenco friends what they're doing this weekend, and you'll probably hear that they'll be out of town. That's because Washington, D.C.-based Marija Temo is teaming up with her first flamenco teacher, Martha SidAhmed, to give a concert in Birmingham's Hoover Library Theater.

Temo has studied flamenco guitar, dance and singing since she was 6 years old. She has become a master of all three elements of flamenco, and is considered one of the best guitarists in North America today. She makes a living instructing students and performing around the country.

In addition to Temo's phenomenal guitar talent, audiences will see on stage dancers SidAhmed and Ulrika Frank from Atlanta, along with Birmingham dancers and Julia Quijano, Janet Rooney and Laura Garrigues.

The show has been in production for nearly a year-and-a-half. SidAhmed is at its helm, and has been coordinating artists in three different cities for months. "It's unusual, because the dancers are in one city and the musician is in another city," explained SidAhmed. "I first met with Marija about this last fall. We were up until 5:30 in the morning going over things, listening and responding to music," added SidAhmed.

Fortunately, the rest of her nights weren't as late, but they have been full of hard work. SidAhmed began teaching Quijano, Rooney and Garrigues their dances months ago so they would be ready to work with Temo when she came to town for just one week of live, in person rehearsals prior to the show. SidAhmed says, those rehearsals are the chance to bring the choreographies together, giving them a feel of entirety, rather than just pieces. "We're gettiing the feeling of the flow of it," said SidAhmed of this week's rehearsals. Audiences will get to enjoy the flow of the show this Friday and Saturday in Birmingham. For more information about the concert, visit the Hoover Library Theater.

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Perla Flamenca gets set for its second theatrical production.

Perla Flamenca presents its second theatrical production, Ritmos Flamencos, this month at Emory University. Dancers will be joined by live musicians Jerry Fields, Farzan Baggenfard and Carmen Deal to present different rhythms of flamenco, from the darkest seguiriya to the most playful and sensual rumba.

"It is a great opportunity to see one of Atlanta's professionally established flamenco dance companies. As the name of the show promises, it will be a wonderful mix of flamenco rhythms that will set fire on people's hearts, offer a feast for the eye and finally get spring going," assures Ulrika Frank, director and choreographer of Perla Flamenca.

The show will take place on April 23 at Emory University's Cannon Chapel. For more information and tickets, contact Frank at 404.543.4059 or visit www.frankflamenco.com.

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