New York City Center announces programming for Flamenco Festival 2017
Company:
New York City Center
New York City Center announces programming for Flamenco Festival 2017 including Gala Flamenca and the New York premiere of Pisadas starring Olga Pericet
Spain’s finest dancers and musicians come to New York City Center for Flamenco Festival 2017, March 9 through 12. Experience flamenco at its most authentic in Gala Flamenca (Mar 9—11), an all-star event directed by Manuel Liñan (Flamenco Festival 2016) and featuring today’s most exciting artists, including legendary Gypsy dancer Juana Amaya, magnetic flamenco star Olga Pericet, technical powerhouse Jesús Carmona (2015 Fall for Dance Festival), young starlet Patricia Guerrero, and singer-songwriter Rocío Márquez. Full of virtuosity and passion, Gala Flamenca has been a Festival highlight since its 2001 debut.
On March 12, the Festival culminates with the New York premiere of Pisadas, a new show starring Olga Pericet that explores the origins and rituals of human life with a daring feminist slant. “Fiery and technically accomplished” (The New Yorker), Pericet breaks from convention at every turn. Accompanied by her ensemble of vocalists and musicians, and special guest dancer Juan Carlos Lérida, Pericet creates a feminine universe in Pisadas with a visual and choreographic language that emphasizes her personal journey.
Tickets starting at $35 can be purchased online at NYCityCenter.org, by calling CityTix at 212.581.1212, or in person at the City Center Box Office, located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.
Flamenco Festival 2017 is presented by New York City Center and Flamenco Festival
Flamenco Festival 2017
Gala Flamenca Mar 9—11 at 8pm
Pisadas Mar 12 at 7pm
Leadership Support for Dance at City Center is provided by The Harkness Foundation for Dance.
About the Flamenco Festival 2017 artists
Juana Amaya is one of the few stars dedicated to the preservation of the gypsy tradition of dance. Celebrated for her mesmerizing performances of “flamenco puro,” the charismatic Amaya toured the world with Cumbre Flamenca and has performed as a guest artist with the companies of Joaquin Cortés, Mario Maya, and Antonio Canales. She remains one of flamenco’s greatest forces and has been called a “…true goddess of the dance…incomparable…indomitable.” (ABC, Spain)
Flawless in his footwork, Jesús Carmona was formerly a principal dancer with Ballet Nacional de España. He has both the subtle, fluid articulation of a world-class contemporary dancer and the dramatic authority that flamenco requires. “The rapacious way he strides across stage space is terrific, the fast-slicing percussiveness of his feet is brilliant, and the glamorously alert lines and shapes he made throughout the body were almost as radiant as his smiles” (The New York Times).
26-year-old Patricia Guerrero, one of the most promising flamenco stars of her generation, was recently awarded two Giraldillos, the highest recognition at the Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla. Her dancing pays tribute to the traditional style of Granada, to which she adds her own expressive style full of originality and passion.
Singer-songwriter Rocío Márquez is a rising star in the world of flamenco, with one of the most shining voices in the current flamenco scene. Her style combines retro cool with modern elegance, and a passionate vocal delivery.
Olga Pericet is one of the most avant-garde artists in flamenco today. She has appeared as a guest artist with prodigious dance companies and has performed at festivals, galas, and venues all over the world. In 2004 she choreographed and performed her first solo show, Bolero, carta de amor y desamor. The following year she created Cámara Negra with Manuel Liñán, and Chanta la Mui with Marco Flores and Daniel Doña—forming an ensemble of the same name. Her other works include En sus 13, performed at the XV Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla, and Bailes alegres para personas tristes, for which she received the Artista Revelación award. Other awards include the first prize for choreography and music at the Spanish Dance and Flamenco Contest of Madrid (2004), the Award Villa de Madrid Award for best dance performer (2006), the National Flamenco Award Pilar Lopez, and the MAX 2009 Award for the ensemble piece De cabeza.
Founded by Miguel Marin, Flamenco Festival is dedicated to the promotion of flamenco artists outside of Spain. The festival´s annual international events showcase the leading names in flamenco today, from world renowned artists and icons of traditional flamenco to the most innovative, emerging young stars. Flamenco Festival USA was founded in 2001, and has since become a showcase for Spanish artists in New York, Washington DC, Miami, Boston, and other cities across the US. In 2003, the first Flamenco Festival was presented in London at Sadler’s Wells and has since become an annual event. In 2005, Flamenco Festival expanded to Japan, and in 2007 the first Festival was presented in China with performances in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Most recently, the expansion reached Doha (Qatar), Seoul (South Korea), and Hong Kong and Shanghai (China). Flamenco Festival also presents concerts and individual flamenco artist tours throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, and the US.
New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO) has played a defining role in the cultural life of the city since 1943. It was Manhattan’s first performing arts center, dedicated by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia with a mission to make the best in music, theater, and dance accessible to all audiences. Today, City Center is home to many distinguished companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, City Center’s Principal Dance Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club; a roster of renowned national and international visiting artists; and its own critically acclaimed and popular programs. The Tony-honored Encores! musical theater series has been hailed as “one of the very best reasons to be alive in New York.” In summer 2013, City Center launched Encores! Off-Center, a series that features landmark Off-Broadway musicals filtered through the lens of today’s most innovative artists. Dance has been integral to the theater’s mission from the start — and dance programs, including the annual Fall for Dance Festival, remain central to City Center’s identity. Vital partnerships with arts organizations including Jazz at Lincoln Center and London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre enhance City Center’s programmatic offerings. City Center brings dance and musical theater to over 9,000 New York City students each year through its robust education program, and other learning opportunities are offered to seniors, families, and the general public. City Center is expanding its programming beyond the proscenium and activating its alternative spaces with pre-show talks, master classes, exhibitions of visual art, and intimate performances that give an up-close look at the work of the great theater and dance artists of our time. In October 2011, City Center completed an extensive renovation project to revitalize and modernize its historic theater.
[Pictured: Olga Pericet, with from left, Ismael Fernández, Antonia Jiménez Arenas and José Ángel Carmona Manzano, in “Flamenco Untitled” at Repertorio Español]
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