PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2007

This month's articles | Alive | Bulerías | Fronteras Date | Cleaning House

Flamenco Alive and Well in Atlanta

Atlanta-based flamenca explores the roots and continuing development of the local flamenco community By Janet Ruiz

When I arrived in the city back in 2002, the first thing that I needed to find to settle into my new home was flamenco, in any form, whether it was singing or dancing. I figured that a big city such as Atlanta should have plenty of international culture. Finding flamenco, however, turned out to not be such an easy task for me. I was amazed that I could not find a hint of Spain in the local Hispanic newspapers, and many Internet searches for flamenco proved to be fruitless. I did find a sole restaurant, somewhere in downtown, which offered Wednesday evening presentations. It took a lot of courage for me to venture into the downtown area for the first time to finally locate that restaurant, only to find out that they were no longer featuring flamenco shows. I kept the faith that Atlanta was not a flamenco-less city, though.

Finally, my perseverance paid off, and I found out that Vicente Amigo was going to perform in a local theater. The night I heard those familiar rhythms again, I knew that without flamenco, Atlanta could never become a real home for me. The big prize came shortly after that, when one of my routine Internet searches finally produced a note on flamenco classes being offered on the other side of the city. Though I did not consider myself a real dancer, I was willing to take those classes and stumble on my own feet, just to become part of flamenco again --- if not as a stellar dancer, at least as a big supporter.

I found out that flamenco in Atlanta had been alive and well for many years, though it was almost as elusive as love. I was looking for flamenco in all the wrong places, and taking the dance classes was what I needed. The size and composition of the local flamenco community still amazes me; men and women of all backgrounds and nationalities, with a common and genuine love for flamenco --- and with it, all things of Spain. Interestingly, not many of the Atlanta-based flamencas are from Spain, which makes the universality of the art quite eloquent.

Going back in recent history a bit to 1979, Atlanta received what most in the community acknowledge as a precious gift in the form of flamenca Martha SidAhmed. I've learned that back then, flamenco was not necessarily in the cultural mainstream, but with her passion, SidAhmed planted the creative seed that I, as well as many other people, enjoy sowing today. With her arrival, flamenco classes and live performances became a part of the Atlanta experience. Through her efforts, in 1983, Atlanta experienced for the first time the live music and dance of Paco Peña's internationally renowned flamenco show.

And that was the kick start. Atlanta's stage was ripe and ready for the next arrivals: the guitarist Farzan "Fernando" Kendrick, with whom SidAhmed formed the performing group Raices Flamenco during the 1990s, and later, Witold Tulodziecki, who with Ulrika Frank, established Atlanta Flamenco Productions to further promote and educate the city in the art of flamenco.

The year 2000 was highlighted by the arrival of the incredible Ulrika Frank. A flamenco dancer from Sweden, Frank not only formed the dance group Pasión Flamenca, but she also became the director of the then newly-formed flamenco dance company Perla Flamenca. The same year, Venezuelan flamenco dancer "Malita" Belloso connected with Kendrick to form the performing group Caló Gitano. From then on, it can be said that flamenco took root in the Atlanta cultural mainstream, with productions such as "¡Vivir!" and "Olas Flamencas" and weekly presentations in local restaurants. The seeds of flamenco spread further as members of Perla Flamenca started teaching the beautiful dance to the local flamenco amateurs.

In 2004, Julie Baggenstoss and Rina Menosky, two flamenco instructors who were also fruits of Perla Flamenca, launched their brainchild jaleolé.com, a website dedicated to promoting the growing flamenco culture of Atlanta.

In the subsequent years, flamenco presentations, workshops, classes, and shows --- as well as the whole flamenco community --- grew almost exponentially. It can easily be said that Atlanta is truly on the flamenco map. A newcomer's Internet search will promptly yield both, the jaleolé site and Atlanta Flamenco Productions' online home at atlantaflamenco.com.

Here we are, starting a new year with a full flamenco calendar. The number of flamenco teachers are growing and spreading all over the Metro Atlanta area. Where there was originally only one restaurant offering a mid-week flamenco show, there are now three more offering Saturday shows. In addition, Fronteras, the ever-growing student expo sponsored by jaleolé, is an annual event. Auditoriums in Atlanta are getting fuller with flamenco presentations such as "Por la Calle;" locals can hope to again receive a regalo de Jerez, in the figures of José Galvéz, Rocío Soto and other Jerezano flamenco artists. We can now expect to see not only a personality such as Paco Peña, but also an Antonio Vargas, workshop included.

And I am happy to be part of this all, stumbling on my feet at full speed, at the rhythm of tangos, bulerías, and sevillanas, too... happily sowing the loving seeds of flamenco in my home of Atlanta.

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The power of Los Farrucos headlines Atlanta's next flamenco workshop.

"You have to be full of one of two things: either a lot of love or a lot of hate, but nothing in between." - member of the Farruco family to Cihtli Ocampo.

White or Black. Heat or Cold. Life or Death. Alegrías or Siguiriyas.

Flamenco is not pastel or gray. It is blazing primary colors or ... white or black. It demands a total physical focus, mental commitment, and final emotional surrender of the participant. One does not hang out in the doorway of flamenco, gingerly pushing a toe across the threshold. True flamencos strap on their serious shoes, take deep breaths, and enter with anticipation of hard-earned adventures.

Cihtli Ocampo and her companion, guitarist Ethan Margolis, are two gifted young Americans who passed through this doorway, entering the world of flamenco with the usual progression of classes. Then in 2000, with eyes and spirits wide awake, they plunged straight to the heart of the flamenco experience - to Sevilla and, in Ocampo's case in particular, the Montoya family, Los Farrucos.

After four years of training, Cihtli Ocampo's dedication earned her a singular position performing with this tightly knit gypsy family of artists. Her dancing is imbued with their hyper-expression and strength, but she has maintained her own uniqueness, which is not easy in a family of overwhelming personalities!

Taking a parallel road in the world of flamenco guitar, Ethan Margolis has sought out maestros renowned for their skill in accompanying cante. His reverence for traditional flamenco ground is evident in the way he crafts shows for their flamenco company, Arte y Pureza, which includes Utrera master guitarist, Antonio Moya, and his cantaora wife, Maria Peña.

It is Ethan who teaches the first classes in their workshops. "I focus on the different types of compás that make up bulerías --- how to switch them, and how the letras arrive at remate (climax). Then, I provide an easy structure for improvised fiesta-style bulerías." (Yes, he dances and sings too).

With Cihtli's class that follows, "she will advance the rhythmic concepts and improvisation that [Ethan has] taught with dance expression and technique to help dancers arrive at a more confident understanding of what they are attempting to achieve with their movements. This technique is rooted in the Farruco family philosophy of emotional transmission through marcaje and pataitas. The whole session culminates in recreating an authentic fiesta environment with each student using the rhythms, marcaje, and remates they have learned in class."

This workshop will not be about more "stuff" --- as in another piece of choreography or a dazzling new escobilla. The dazzle of this workshop will be in its heart, as ears, bodies, and souls are awakened to the expression of pure flamenco --- the flamenco of the Montoyas and the generations of gypsy families before them.

Catch Ethan and Cihtli's workshop in Atlanta on March 9-11. For more information about the workshop, visit jaleolé events.

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The date is set for Fronteras 2007 By Julie Baggenstoss

Fronteras 2007 is set for May 5, at St. Pius X High School in Atlanta. This third annual flamenco student expo on the big stage will showcase the flamenco dance and music talent of performers from age 5 to over 50! Audiences will get to see improvement in Fronteras veterans, who have performed in the show since its inception, and they will get to see some new faces, including pint-sized dancers and guitar students.

There will be two presentations of Fronteras: a matinee begins at 3:00 PM, and the evening show will begin at 7:00 PM. More details will be released soon, so stay tuned!

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Manolo Punto "cleans flamenco house" in Atlanta By Cristina Bermúdez

Manolo Punto, French-born bailaor, came to Atlanta from Madrid for a week-long intensive workshop from January 19 - 26, 2007. Stephanie Boulard, organizer of the workshop, raved about Manolo, his teaching ability, and his impeccable technique, yet Atlanta was not prepared for the events to follow.

The choreographies taught by Punto were extremely intricate and difficult but at the same time fun and beautiful. He included many difficult turns and steps, and had it not been for his particular teaching style, many students would have probably been extremely frustrated.

The essence of his teaching included two things: recoge ("to gather") and limpia ("to clean"). Punto corrected the students many times over and each day went back to see if everyone could perform the steps and also to see if the steps were truly understood. He broke down each of the components (llamada, remate, marcaje, silencio, etc.) into separate pieces and went over them as many times as was necessary for all to understand and be able to at least somewhat grasp what he was trying to convey through the choreography.

He was not trying to get the students to perform the step perfectly, as demonstrated when he repeatedly asked, "Do you understand? Is this a matter of not understanding or a matter of practice?" He made sure that each person knew what the steps should sound like in their head in order to be able to take the moves home and practice them.

Each day, Punto cleaned the steps from the day before and would continue building the choreography, but only under the condition that most of the class processed the material and were ready to move on. There were times when he yelled and would not go on, simply because he did not want to leave critical gaps in the students' learning. He never tired of asking questions to see if everyone was somewhat on the same page and if he was making himself clear. Even though he was sick with a pestering cold, he worked as hard (or harder) than the students in order to get his point across and to make sure that each day, the students left with just a bit more knowledge than the day before.

As Punto pieced together these choreographies, he explained why certain steps were put in specific places. He showed the students the difference between contra tiempo and syncopation. He worked little by little and fine-tuned so much that the students were not able to immediately discern where he was headed; yet towards the last few days, everything he taught started coming together. Students were amazed at how much they retained and the steps they could do. His choreographies contained many natural body movements, which compensated for the difficulty in technique.

Punto's technique classes left students sweaty and with burning muscles. One could tell the workshop participants were tired, but most of them also looked very grateful.

Manolo came to Atlanta not only to teach, but also to "clean house" with his high expectations. He admitted several times that his choreographies were difficult and praised students when he caught them having epiphanies. He made sure everyone knew that they were "a joy to work with."

Overall, the students seemed to leave with a sense of renewed energy and a willingness to push themselves even harder, which is just what a workshop is supposed to do. Overall, Manolo Punto cleaned some serious house and gave students a taste of what it's like to learn flamenco in Madrid. Punto is a very giving teacher and an extremely gifted bailaor. Atlanta is lucky to have had him here and is looking forward to his return. For more photos of the workshop >>

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© jaleolé.com 2007