PUBLISHED OCTOBER 28, 2004

OCTOBER 2004 articles | Flamenco Friendly | Compás America | Talking Back

Local businesses bring flamenco to their customers for financial and touchy-feely reasons.

With regularly scheduled flamenco shows happening at Atlanta night spots, one could say the art is booming in Atlanta. So, what makes this such a good time for flamenco? One answer lies in the image flamenco creates and the audience it serves.

"We want to get out of the typical Jimmy Buffet and into the theme of European style dining out," explains Barcelona restaurant general manger Mimmo Alboumeh. The Duluth dining spot features flamenco guitarist Witold Tulodziecki and flamenco dancers every Friday night. "We want to provide the Spanish feel to people, the whole Spanish feel, including Spanish food and music. Then, they can feel like they're in Spain," says Alboumeh.

Guitarist Witold Tulodziecki, percussionist Jerry Fields and dancer Julie Baggenstoss perform at Compound Nightclub.

In Midtown, sights and sounds of Spain create a sense of romance at Compound nightclub, says club general manager Wes Lambert. The Thursday night flamenco show on the club's Asian-infused patio "starts the night off with something that is reminiscent of something in the clubs of the '40s and '50s, back when people would go to see the show," says Lambert.

Emotions aside, business owners are calculated about flamenco. They're using it to reach targeted audiences, in addition to attracting the average Atlantan.

Compound nightclub strives to serve the multi-faceted nature of the Latino and Spanish community, according to Lambert. He says, "One part of that is the flamenco guitar and the flamenco dancer."

Perla Flamenca dancers welcome audience members to join them on the dance floor when they performs at Gilbert's Mediterranean Cafe.

We used to have people from Spain, Latino people, Hispanic people. Now, American people who have no idea about flamenco have started coming to Gilbert's. That means we are introducing flamenco to new people," explains Sean Neryman, owner of Gilbert's Mediterranean Café in Midtown.

Perla Flamenca Dance Company performs on the last Wednesday of the month at Gilbert's. "People are coming back. We never had an empty flamenco show. We've always packed it."

There's no doubt that business owners who welcome flamenco hold the art close to their heart. But, none express it quite like Nicola Ayoub. He began hosting flamenco shows at his restaurant, Nicola's, nearly two years ago.

"Flamenco reminds of the movements of the beautiful belly and Arabic dancing. I like the style of it, the beauty of the rhythm and the gestures, and the whole elegance of the dance," says Ayoub.

Nicola Ayoub dances along with flamencos at his restaurant, Nicola's.

When the flamencos visit Nicola's to dance, Ayoub, a former professional Lebanese dancer, jumps in and starts moving with them. "What I will do, I will see a style or a movement, and I will just combine it together with Arabic movements."

The result is an exchange of ideas that blend cultures and people. That combination - and the goodwill it creates - is part of what drives flamenco's success. It is repeated at flamenco shows across Atlanta, whether the hosting business wants to give its customers romance, exotic mystery or rowdy merriment.

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Compás America

Find out what the flamenco scene is like in other cities across America.

We in the United States have lots of opportunities to see great flamenco without crossing the Atlantic Ocean. When you find yourself on a business trip or vacation, check out the flamenco scene in your destination city. You'll see great shows and meet new friends who share your love for the art. Start your search for flamenco-on-the-road here in Compás America.

New Orleans
New Orleans enjoys regular shows by three performing companies, including Fiesta Flamenca's regular Friday night show at Blue Nile. If you're in town for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, be sure to check out the flamenco performance that is always part of this major music event. Besides performances, regular dance classes are held during the week, and guitar classes are taught by John Lawrence.

Alianza Flamenca performs at Cafe Brazil.

Find your flamenco destinations in New Orleans at:
www.alianzaflamencaneworleans.com
www.oleflamenco.com
www.dancewithoutborders.com

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Talking Back

On her first visit to Spain, Darbi Abramson feels the excitement of the expressive Spanish audience.

Darbi Abramson took her first trip to Spain in September, immersing herself in all things Spanish, including flamenco shows and dance lessons. Even though she had seen and been part of flamenco performances before visiting Spain, Abramson couldn't help but notice the artists weren't the only people creating the "show" at the theater during the 2004 Bienal de Flamenco. She talked to jaleole about her experience as part of the active, responsive, noisy audience during flamenco theater productions in Spain.

JALEOLE: Explain what it is like to be in the audience at the theater when a company is performing in Spain.

ABRAMSON: People know if (the performer) is doing a good job or not, and (the performer) gets told. Anywhere you go, people can tell if it's a good or bad performance. But, people in Spain are more expressive about it. When it's a good job, then they'll give an 'olé' or yell out a jaleo. They're little random speckles of noise, but it feels like you're performing and it creates an energy. It makes you feel more like you're going through the emotions of the artist with them. You're feeling the rise and fall of the human condition with them.

JALEOLE: How do these speckles make you feel while sitting in the audience?

ABRAMSON: There's an energy about it that you wouldn't experience with people who don't' know anything about flamenco. It feels more encouraging for the artist to have that kind of support from the audience, rather than to feel like you're in a fish bowl and people are like, "Wow, this is some strange animal or something to look at," It's really natural for everybody in Spain.

(Flamenco) is kind of like a movie that you've seen before. You don't know what's going to happen exactly maybe, but you know the gist of what's about to happen. The audience in the theater knows what is going to happen and so they anticipate it. They know where they're about to take a deep breath and you build up the suspense and the energy, and then it comes down.

JALEOLE: As she sat in theaters ready to be entertained by flamenco's biggest stars, Abramson was touched by one of the most important elements of flamenco: the sense of togetherness. "Flamenco is about community," she says. That sentiment is echoed every time a group of strangers, sitting in different balconies, different rows, and on opposite sides of the theater, join together for those magical moments when they all know by instinct that it is time to cheer "olé!"

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