Through sweeping dance moves, ringing guitar chords and poetic lyrics, the Luna Flamenca dance company is bringing the proud Spanish tradition of flamenco for two performances Sunday, March 11, at the Turquoise Café, 873 Turquoise St.
Luna Flamenca’s Lakshmi Basile said the passion found in the music, song and dance can be traced back hundreds of years to Gypsy cultures of India that later migrated through Africa and Europe before eventually landing in the Andalusia region of Spain.
“Describing flamenco can be hard because it has so many colors. It is an art form that comes from a complicated and old culture,” Basile said. “It’s a mix of Gypsy and Spanish traditions, culture and dance. The Gypsy influence is stronger and more complicated because the Gypsies traveled for hundreds of years before arriving to Spain. They were influenced by other traditions and cultures, like the Moroccan and African dances they encountered before they arrived in Spain.”
A traditional performance consists of three components: the toque (flamenco guitar), the cante (singing) and the baile (dancing).
“Everything is connected,” Basile said. “The dancer follows the guitarist, the guitarist follows the singer and the singer follows the dancer.”
Accompanying Basile is Luis Peãa, Briseyda Zarate, Jose Tanaka and Marysol Fuentes. Peãa is a renowned “cante y baile festero” (singing and dancing in unison) performer from Seville, Spain.
“It’s very special for us to have Luis here,” Basile said. “He’s a Gypsy who lives and breathes flamenco. It would not be the same without him. He sings and dances and is also a professional hand-clapper. It sounds silly, but it’s really important to flamenco. Like a percussionist, he holds the rhythm.”
Tanaka is a flamenco guitarist from Japan, and was born into the flamenco culture despite growing up half a world away from Spain.
“His parents are flamenco performers,” Basile said. “In Japan, there is a huge flamenco community. The Japanese love flamenco. That’s why he has a Spanish name. He grew up playing flamenco, and he’s one of the best flamenco guitarists in California.”
Zarate is a Los Angeles-based flamenco dancer that performs regularly with Basile. She has danced professionally since she was 13.
Fuentes is one of the original members of San Diego’s early flamenco community, which began at informal house parties, or “juergas,” where friends would come together to play music, sing and dance.
“One of my first memories as a little girl at 5 years old is watching her sing,” Basile said.
Basile was introduced to flamenco when her musician parents begin attending “juergas,” or parties, where people would come together at someone’s home to play music and dance.
Later, while attending the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts to study traditional dance, a ballet teacher started a “Dances of Mexico and Spain” class that formally introduced Basile to flamenco.
A short time later, she began her professional career dancing at downtown’s Cafe Sevilla. In 2002 she moved to Seville, where she was one of the few foreigners working full-time as a dancer in one of the city’s flamenco tablaos.
“The tablaos are where you would go to see flamenco,” she said. “I performed at El Palacio Andaluz six nights a week for two and a half years. I was the only non-Spaniard performing there, and there are only a handful of foreigners that have worked at a tablaos. It’s not a common thing, but it does happen. It’s one of my biggest achievements.”
Adding to Luna Flamenca’s intimate artistic performance is the authentic Mediterranean atmosphere of the Turquoise Café. With a glass of sangria and shared tapas, the audience will be able to experience a part of centuries-old tradition.
The Turquoise Café will feature two performances by Luna Flamenco. The first show is a “fiesta casera,” an informal but intimate Gypsy-style performance, from 2 to 4 p.m. Admission is $30 per person ($35 after Friday, March 9). Lunch is included and will be served at 2 p.m. Seating for the fiesta casera performance is limited to 30 people.
The concert performance is from 6 to 8 p.m. Seating is limited to 100. Tickets are $30 for priority seating and $25 for general seating. Attendees must be at least 21.
For reservations, call (858) 488-4200 or online at www.cafeturquoise.com.