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 in India, which 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 to parents who are performers.
“In Japan, there is a huge flamenco community,” Basile said. “He grew up playing flamenco and he’s one of the best flamenco guitarists in California.”
Zarate is a Los Angeles-based flamenco dancer who 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 herself was introduced to flamenco when her musician parents begin attending juergas, where she said she fell in love with the art form.
Her first formal experience with the dance, however came while she was studying at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts to study traditional dance.
A short time later, Basile began dancing professionally 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 El Palacio Andaluz, one of the city’s flamenco tablaos.
“There are only a handful of foreigners that have worked at a tablaos,” she said. “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 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 in Pacific Beach.
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. (Tickets are $25-$35 after Friday, March 9). You must be at least 21 to attend.
Reservations can be made by phone at (858) 488-4200 or online at www.cafeturquoise.com.