January 13, 2004
Contact: Susan Gwynne
(805) 893-2098
e-mail: gwynne-s@sa.ucsb.edu
The Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company brings its Spanish sizzle to UCSB Campbell Hall for two evenings
Summary Facts:
- Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company
- Paco Peña is acclaimed as one of the world’s masters of flamenco guitar
- The company of five dancers, a singer and two other guitarists is noted for exuberant and sophisticated performances
- Wednesday & Thursday, February 18 & 19
- 8 pm / UCSB Campbell Hall
- General public: $35, $30 / UCSB students: $19, $16
- Tickets & Information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535
Master flamenco guitarist Paco Peña leads his heart-stopping troupe of Spanish musicians and dancers in two tantalizing performances of Flamenco in Concert on Wednesday and Thursday, February 18 and 19 at 8 pm at UCSB Campbell Hall. Born in Córdoba, Spain, Paco Peña embodies both authenticity and innovation in flamenco. The New York Times writes that he “is a virtuoso, capable of dazzling an audience beyond the frets of mortal man.” An evening with Peña and his company transports one to Andalusia with rapid-fire dance, soulful song and brilliant music.
Paco Peña claims, “I want to present a young company of artists with all their exuberance and their optimistic approach to what they are doing right now with flamenco. I am excited by their fresh approach, their joie de vivre and the way they feel about flamenco. This fits in very well with the whole idea of this particular show, which emphasizes ensemble as well as solo dances, highlighting not only the dramatic, but also the fun aspects of the art.”
Since 1970 Paco Peña has performed regularly with his own handpicked company of dancers, guitarists and singers in a succession of groundbreaking shows. The Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company has taken flamenco into the realm of music-theatre with regular seasons in London and festival appearances around the globe. The group came to international attention with the landmark Misa Flamenca, a 1991 setting of the Mass that juxtaposed Peña’s company with a classical choir. Its premiere at London’s Royal Festival Hall, given with the Choir of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, was followed by a staging at the 1992 EXPO in Seville. 1999 brought a yet more ambitious production—Musa Gitana. Peña based the piece on the life and work of another artist from Córdoba, the painter Julio Romero de Torres. The show’s seven-week season at the Peacock Theatre in London’s West End stands as the longest-ever run of a flamenco show in England.
Paco Peña has transformed perceptions of the archetypal Spanish art form of flamenco, as a guitarist, composer, dramatist, producer and artistic mentor. Peña began learning guitar from his brother at the age of six and made his first professional appearance at the age of 12. In the late 1960s he left Spain for London, where his recitals of flamenco music captured the public imagination. He has shared the stage with fellow-guitarists, singers and instrumental groups, bridging diverse musical genres, including classical, jazz, blues, country and Latin American. In 1981 he founded the Centro Flamenco Paco Peña in Cordoba, later becoming Artistic Director of the Córdoba International Guitar Festival. Plans are underway for a new educational initiative in Peña’s hometown, complementing his work as the world’s first Professor of Flamenco Guitar, a role established in 1985 at Rotterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands.
The unforgettable and award-winning company features guitarists Rafael Montilla and Jesús Majuelos; dancers Antonio Alcázar, Victoria Palacios, Antonia Alcalde, Verónica Molero and Irene Romero; and singer Miguel Ortega. “This is flamenco on fast-forward,” asserts the London Times. “The dazzlingly diverse dancers extend the format, expand the vocabulary, push the envelope.”
Paco Peña will teach a Guitar Class on Tuesday, February 17 at 5 pm at the Marjorie Luke Theatre, 721 E. Cota St. This event is free and open to public observation and is sponsored by the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation SAGE program and the Marjorie Luke Theatre. Members of the company will teach a Flamenco Dance Class on Tuesday, February 17 at 7:30 pm at the Franklin Neighborhood Center, 1136 E. Montecito St. This event, sponsored by the Santa Barbara Dance Alliance, costs $15 for participants and $5 for observers. To reserve a space in the dance class, call 966-6950.
Prior to the Wednesday, February 18 performance concertgoers may enhance their experience by attending a tasty Spanish buffet served by the UCSB Faculty Club at 6 pm. The dinner is $18 per person; reservations must be made by February 11 by calling 805.893.3096.
The Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and sponsored by the Santa Barbara Independent and KCBX Public Radio. The company’s residency is supported by WESTAF, the Western States Arts Federation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Tickets are $35 and $30 for the general public and $19 and $16 for UCSB students.
For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.
Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.