A Tablao Among Trees
By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor
One silver lining of spending a lot of time at home – as we all did last year and still do – is time to learn new things or improve the skills that we already have. And that’s exactly what flamenco artist Tamara Adira did for a number of months. Once it became clear that live performances would have to be put on hold, the already accomplished dancer and choreographer decided to take a few Zoom classes from top masters of the genre such as Daniel Caballero, Nino De Los Reyes, Triana Maciel and Belen Maya.
“I went deep into my studies, almost got overwhelmed with new dance vocabulary and new things. So, I stopped to be able to process all that knowledge,” said Adira, the founder and artistic director of Arte y Pasion, a flamenco company comprised of “independent artists, each highly accomplished, who come together to form one of the most contemporary Spanish dance companies in the U.S.” As the group’s leader, Adira was never afraid of venturing into new territory or trying new things.
When performance venues closed one after the other back in 2020, Adira did not just accept the status quo. Eager to perform and try out new material, she purchased half of the stage from a place that was closing, transported it to her own backyard, and voila! – a new venue was born. The show went on, featuring among its performers, Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson, the current San Antonio poet laureate.
And she’s about to do it again, armed with all that wealth of new knowledge. “The guiding principle here is to change the idea of what theater is,” she noted in a recent interview. “We are changing the setting. Instead of a proscenium stage, trees will surround the stage and we’ll be hearing sounds of nature. Think of Shakespeare in the Park meets Flamenco.”
The upcoming show will be a “very relaxed tablao” that will create “space” for audience interaction, she pointed out. Unlike her past presentations, Tablao Entre Los Arboles, scheduled for Saturday, May 1, will not be built around a narrative concept. Instead, it will consist of a series of dances in different flamenco forms, including two alegrias, a solea por buleria, a taranto, tientos, and more. In addition to Adira, it will feature guitarist Randy Cordero, dancer Genevieve Obregon, guest artist from Los Angeles Manuel Gutierrez, and composer and violinist Darian Thomas, whose composition ((HERE)) was just premiered by the SOLI Chamber Ensemble last week. Adira was part of that concert as a dancer.
Her company is undergoing some changes as well. Long time vocalist, Chayito Champion has left to pursue new projects, including releasing a new album, so Cordero may become a singer, too, and Adira may try her hand at it as well. Others who may join Arte y Pasion later are Jose Cortez and cajon player and singer known as Yiyi who was part of just about every flamenco show in town a few years ago. (This writer was a fan of his understated style.)
Flamenco is a vocal and dance art tradition cultivated in Southern Spain that has gained international attention and has been designated by UNESCO as part of “The Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”
—————————————————————–
Tablao Entre Los Arboles, May 1 at 8 p.m. (social time) curtain at 8:30 p.m.; Arte y Pasion outdoor amphitheater; The show will also be streamed and a discussion session will follow the streaming. The in-person seating is limited to about 20. To get a place in the Zoom Room go to https://arteypasion.ticketleap.com/tablao-entre-los-arboles/You can contact Arte y Pasion at 210-241-2771 or https://www.arte-y-pasion.com. Tickets start at $10.