Flamenco Latino is developing its series of events entitled “Más Allá,” which under the name “We’ve Been Here Before” seeks to address the growing authoritarian ideas in the United States through music and dance.
Scheduled to run from this week through August 24 at various locations around the city, the series not only fuses flamenco with salsa, jazz, blues, and hip-hop, but also makes a political and social statement.
Basilio Georges, co-founder of Flamenco Latino, explained that the company has been exploring the boundaries of flamenco and its interaction with other musical genres for almost 45 years.
“The idea for Flamenco Latino grew out of two things I had: a career as a jazz guitarist when I came to New York and my interest in salsa,” he said. “Aurora Reyes, who founded Flamenco Latino with me, was studying dance and found her roots in flamenco. Flamenco Latino grew out of mixing the two things, flamenco and salsa, and then we started to do fusions with other styles.”
The company’s history began in 1979, and although they were officially incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1999, their legacy has been present long before that.
“We had been organizing dances for some time before we were registered with the New York State Charity,” Georges added. “The influence of salsa and jazz in New York in the 1970s was fundamental to the birth of the company.”
Aurora Reyes, co-founder and dancer, spent time in Spain in 1977, where she studied flamenco intensively. That experience prepared her to work in the tablaos of New York and establish her career in the flamenco world.
“I spent that year in Madrid studying as a beginner; I studied every day from Monday to Friday and then I went to rehearse on Saturdays on my own,” Reyes explained.
Art and politics
This year’s Beyond series has a political focus. Georges said the theme could be seen as a slogan against current authoritarian currents.
“It is a protest against the current situation that we cannot avoid. If we read the newspapers and watch TV, we see that we are once again in the same political campaign as almost four years ago,” he said.
The show includes a variety of numbers that address topics from support for Nazis in pre-World War II America to erasing the history of slavery. And this year’s events include discussions, concerts, dance classes and performances by the dancers.
The series features guest artists such as Omar Edwards, a talented rapper and tap dancer who has been collaborating with Flamenco Latino for over 7 years; and Paige Stewart from Kingdom Dance Company, who is in charge of incorporating hip-hop into flamenco narrative, offering a unique experience for the audience.
Aurora Reyes commented on the difficulty of integrating these political themes into dance, highlighting the importance of flamenco traditions in conveying the message.
“This is the first time we’ve done something like this. We’ve never talked about politics at the dance, but at this moment the topic is almost unavoidable,” Reyes said.
Flamenco Latino continues to push the boundaries of flamenco, integrating diverse cultural influences and addressing current social and political issues. The series “Más allá” promises to be a show that not only celebrates musical diversity, but also invites audiences to reflect on the state of the world today. As Georges puts it, “It’s a fusion that incorporates both styles, but very authentic. Each one.”
The series features both free and ticketed events, to view this year’s schedule, visit: https://www.flamencolatino.com/.