Événement

Anatomy of a Tablao

Join us on November 19th and 20th at the Asian Arts Initiative for a traditional Tablao flamenco performance, and learn more about this art form as PyA Artistic Director Elba Hevia y Vaca analyzes and breaks down the codes and communication that guide the dancers and musicians during a Tablao.

What is a Tablao?
Like the atmosphere once created when beat poets gathered to recite verses, Tablao refers to the casual venues where flamencos showcased their dancing until the art was institutionalized in theatrical performances. Flamenco emerged as a unique art form in the 15th century. Spanish Gypsies (or Roma) danced flamenco privately in their rural homes. The dance gradually migrated from the countryside to the cities in the south of Spain, where Gypsy artists performed on the streets and in plazas. By the 1840s, nightclubs called Cafes del Cante began to host flamenco Tablaos, giving flamencos the opportunity to demonstrate their extraordinary skills at improvising movement within the confines of strict musical and rhythmic structures. The cafes were the first enterprises to pay flamenco dancers, singers, and musicians and as a result commercial flamenco was born. These performances helped flamenco to grow and introduced non-Gypsy audiences to the art form.

Anatomy of Tablao will recreate the feeling of the original Tablao setting by using the intimacy offered by the Asian Arts Initiative black box theater. Anatomy of Tablao will feature performances by PyA artists, including Barbara Martinez, Caro Acuna Olvera, and Hector Jose Marquez (cante), Adrian Alvarado (toque), Alex Shaw (percussion) and dancers Paloma Rios, Elba Cena, and Phyllis Akinki.

The artists Caro Acuna Olvera and Phyllis Akinki will be performing Friday evening only.

A mixture of performance and education, Anatomy of a Tablao will bring audiences closer to the flamenco art form during a lively evening of dance, music, and song.

Tickets include one glass of complimentary Spanish wine.