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Atlanta's Past

Flamenco is a young art in the city of Atlanta.

In celebrating its birthday, jaleolé takes a look back at the history of flamenco in Atlanta, with the help of flamenco veterans Martha SidAhmed and Farzan "Fernando" Kendrick. Much like the art in the rest of the world, flamenco is relatively young in our southern city.

It wasn't until the 1980s that major artists started performing in Atlanta, and even then, the shows were sporadic and obscure. "Paco de Lucia appeared in a nighclub in Decatur one night," remembers SidAhmed of that period in Atlanta. She recalls in the years that followed that show, artists inlcuding La Conja, Pedro Cortes and Vicente Amigo popped up in unlikely venues through the new millennium.

Even though major acts were uncommon through the 1980s, SidAhmed and Kendrick, along with other local flamencos, were sought after artists for Atlanta area festivals and special events. In the following decade, they appeared regularly at local restaurant Don Juan's, which closed in the late 1990s. "It was difficult to get reservations on flamenco show nights. You couldn't even drop a penny and have it hit the ground," Kendrick remembers of the shows.

Their weekly appearances may have paved the way for major artists to visit the city on a more regular basis.

Atlanta now enjoys shows by major flamenco artists at least once a year, in addition to frequent workshops by major artists and performances by locals several times a month. The vibrant flamenco scene took a long time to build, and now those
involved - from aficionados to professionals - are striving to take the community to its next level. What is that level? We'll have to wait and see, since the passionate people of flamenco are also driven dreamers.

25 Years of Flamenco in Atlanta
SPANISH HISTORY FOR PERSPECTIVE
1400s			First record of flamenco in Spain, but no one is certain of exactly when it was born
Late 1800s			Cafe Cantantes open in Spain, featuring  public performances by 'professional' flamenco artists & pushing flamenco into the commercial arena for the first time
1950s			Further commercialization of  flamenco, with curious tourists entering post-war Spain and flamenco artists venturing to more and more countries
1960s-80s			Flamenco festivals established across Spain
ATLANTA HISTORY FOR THE RECORD
1979			Dancer/teacher Martha SidAhmed moves to Atlanta, a city with little evidence of Spanish culture
1980s			SidAhmed begins teaching classes to adults at a Buckhead studio & performs with local artists, including symphony musician Juan Ramirez, at festivals and other events
1983			SidAhmed hosts Atlanta's first flamenco theater show, featuring guitarist Paco Pena, who also gave a workshop to some 30 guitarists while in town
			SidAhmed connects with Seville natives Charo Monje and Marisol Fuentes, then living in Athens; the group commutes for juergas until Charo and Marisol move away
Mid 1990s			Guitarist Farzan "Fernando" Kendrick moves to Atlanta, begins working with a variety of dancers and performs at festivals, school demonstrations and other events.
			Kendrick connects with local artists SidAhmed, Spanish brother-sister duo Paqui, Rueda a singer, and Pepe, a dancer, to form group Raices Flamenco
			Weekly shows at Spanish restaurant, Don Juan's, featuring Kendrick, SidAhmed and other local artists
			Guitarist Witold Tulodziecki moves to Atlanta and establishes Atlanta Flamenco Productions, a business dedicated to flamenco performance, education and promotion
1997			SidAhmed begins teaching children and adults at the Atlanta Ballet, marking a milestone for flamenco dance awareness in Atlanta
2000			Dancer/teacher Ulrika Frank moves to Atlanta
2000			Pasíon Flamenca is created and performs weekly at Midtown tapas restaurant Andalúz; Group members are Frank, Tulodziecki, Seville-born singer Carmen Deal, percussionist Jerry Fields and bassist Mike Cady
			Caló Gitano forms with members Kendrick and dancer Malita Belloso
2001			Dance company Perla Flamenca forms with 12 members under the direction of Frank
			Pasíon Flamenca produces ¡VIVIR!, which is showcased in theaters through the following year
2003			Caló Gitano works monthly at Balance Restaurant in Midtown
			Perla Flamenca stages first company theater show, Olas Flamencas
			Perla Flamenca company members begin teaching classes across Atlanta
2004			Perla Flamenca works monthly at Gilbert's Mediterranean Café; Atlanta Flamenco Productions appears weekly at Compound nightclub and Barcelona Restaurant
			jaleolé.com launches
2005			jaleolé.com celebrates 1 year anniversary

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