Flamenco Fest is Back, Live and in-Person
By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor
You don’t hear that much about it, but San Antonio does have a pretty lively flamenco community of both dancers and musicians, who are joining forces this weekend to present the 12th annual WeFlamenco Festival at multiple locations across the city. It’s a “grass roots” effort spearheaded by Carmens de la Calle Café and several other groups and organizations.
“Now that we are returning to more normal life, we can do events all over the city, and we can do them both inside and outside,” said Carmens’ owner Paula Sullivan who is a flamenco fan and frequently featured flamenco performances at her downtown club before the pandemic upended our lives. “Everybody is excited about getting out there and performing for audiences live, something they were not able to do last year.”
Sullivan estimated that at least 30 adult artists – dancers, singers and musicians – will take part in various shows, plus a large number of children who are studying flamenco.
The festival opens Thursday, Nov. 4 at Sullivan’s club with “Exploring Miles Davis’ Sketches from Spain” with two shows, at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. A fusion of jazz and flamenco, the event will feature well-known San Antonio dancer Jackie Rodriguez-Navar and the Pete Rodriguez Quartet, which includes trumpeter Rodriguez, Jerry Espinoza (tenor sax), Ryan Hagler (bass) and Chris Villanueva on keyboard.
Another highlight Sullivan singled out is Carmens de la Calle outdoor pop-up at Pastiche (on the terrace), an event that includes food and cocktails and features Austin dancer Olivia Chacon, Rodriguez-Navar and Jessica Ahr, with guitarist Randy Cordero. (7:30 p.m.; 1506 E. Houston St., 78202)
A documentary film about the Afro-Andalusian contribution to flamenco will be screened at the Carver Community Cultural Center, Nov. 8, and those who would like to learn “palmas” and flamenco percussion can do so on Nov. 6, at the Espinoza House in the Hemisfair Park { at 3 p.m. for children 8-12, and at 4 p.m. for adults.)
On the 11th, prominent local costume designer, Lisa Perello will show her flamenco-inspired evening wear during Flamenco Runway Perello 2.1 La Moda Sigue, at the Fabrictopia Warehouse (7:30 p.m.; 910 West Laurel, 78201; www.lisaperello.com) “Perello’s costumes are a big highlight,” said Sullivan.
A special fundraising event to benefit the Flamenco Arts Society of San Antonio is Night in Old Spain to be held at the Spanish Governor Palace on Nov. 12. San Antonio’s best known flamenco singer, Chayito Champion, will perform with her Los Flamencos de San Antonio dancers.(105 Plaza de Armas, 78205)
And the guitarists get a chance to shine on their own on Nov. 14 at Carmens de la Calle during Jam Guitar, Jam Brunch at 12:30 p.m. (320- N. Flores, 78205; brunch is a-la-carte)
According to Monalisa Montgomerry, a co-founder of the festival and an unofficial historian of this art form in our city, flamenco has deep roots in San Antonio, going back to the Mexican immigrants who arrived in these parts after the Mexican Revolution. She credits dance artist and teacher Berta Almaguer for teaching hundreds of aspiring young dancers the traditional dances of Mexico and Spain, through a program established by the city’s Parks & Recreation Department in 1934. Berta’s students went on to dance at the Arneson River Theater in Fiesta Noche del Rio, open their own studios, and become performing artists themselves. Another family closely tied to specifically flamenco in San Antonio is the Champion family, said Montgomerry, notably Teresa Champion, who is still running a dance school on S. Flores, the Teresa Champion Dance Academy. Her daughter Chayito Champion has become the best-known flamenco singer in the area. Also influential were Jose and Chiqui Linares who run the Raices de Arte Espanol school on Fredericksburg Rd.
Montgomerry and Annette Champion Flores will talk about the history of the art at the Teresa Champion school Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. (6732 S. Flores, 78221, 210-364-6872.
Not all flamenco groups are performing this year, most notably the Guadalupe Dance Company and Arte Y Pasion, but there were date conflicts in some cases, explained Sullivan.
To see the entire list of events and buy tickets go to www.carmensdelacalle.com.