Noches de Verano
July 22-25, 2010, Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre will present Noches de Verano at The Ritz Theatre. This summer café performance features three generations of dancers from across the country. Internationally recognized as some of flamenco’s best, Zorongo’s Susana di Palma, New York City-based Nelida Tirado, and Caminos Flamenco’s Yaelisa from San Francisco, promise to thrill audiences with their vibrant artistry and grace.
As an art form, Flamenco uniquely interprets womanhood. Through music and dance it comments on the nuances of women’s expressions as they mature. Flamenco celebrates both the mythic symbolism and the reality of womankind. Zorongo Flamenco and The Ritz Theater invite you to witness a profound, soul-pounding commentary on feminine power performed by women from Minneapolis, San Francisco, and New York City. The thrilling combination of Susana di Palma’s experienced wisdom and sensuality, Yaelisa’s ripe virtuosity, and Nelida Tirado’s youthful, magnetic energy promise to carry audiences to an imaginary plane seldom experienced outside flamenco’s Andalusian birthplace. Flamenco master guitarists Pedro Cortes and Jason McGuire and emotional, authentic cantaor singer Oscar Valero will enhance the trio of dancers.
Susana di Palma: “Susana di Palma’s sense of defiance is ferocious, enigmatic, poignant…” -- Seattle Times. Having spent decades studying all aspects of the art of flamenco in Spain with maestros such as Enrique “El Cojo”, Carmen Mora, Manolete, Manolo Marin, Merche Esmeralda and “new generation” dancer, Rafaela Carrasco, and dancing in tablaos in Madrid, festivals throughout Spain, and in dance companies such as La Singla, Rafael de Cordoba and Maria Benitez’ Estampa Flamenca, her performance and choreographic skills exude the essence of flamenco tradition. Although a critically acclaimed flamenco soloist, di Palma’s unique contributions to her art form are her provocative, original theatre/ flamenco works that respond to our contemporary world.
Yaelisa: Known as one of the most gifted flamenco artists of her generation, the exquisite passion of Yaelisa’s performances has captured the attention of critics around the world. The Los Angeles Times called her a “luminary” among flamenco dancers for her extraordinary rhythmic ability, which radiates nothing less than pure emotion infused with sensuality. Raised by her Spanish mother, also a flamenco performer, Yaelisa was surrounded from birth by rhythms, gestures and vocal laments of the art’s purest form. www.caminosflamencos.com
Nelida Tirado: Recently hailed as “magnificent” by the New York Times, Tirado is known for her intense grace, and powerful style. Her performances have attracted the attention of other dancers, critics and non-dancers alike, to single her repeatedly in her appearances at the Joyce Theater, Jacob’s Pillow, Lincoln Center, and Symphony Space. Currently residing in NYC, Tirado was recently awarded a grant from Harlem Stage’s Fund for New Work. She received the 2007 BRIO award for artistic excellence from Bronx Council of the Arts and was featured as Dance Magazine’s "25 to Watch" 2007. www.nelidatirado.com
This stellar ensemble, representing three generations of superb flamencas will offer a unique opportunity for Twin Cities’ audiences to experience an art form at its apex.
Presentations will be held at The Ritz Theater, Minneapolis, MN, July 22-24 at 8pm, 25th at 7pm. Tickets are $28.00 and sold at The Ritz Theater, online at www.ritzdolls.com or by calling 612.436.1129.
Press can contact Andrea Tonsfeldt, Zorongo's Arts Administrator at flamenco@zorongo.org or by calling 612-724-2000
