Photo by Mike Hurwitz
The idea behind Tablao Philly, a quarterly performance/gathering by all-female flamenco dance company Pasión y Arte (PyA), is to recreate the cafe-like environment of the 18th and 19th century tablaos of Spain. These tablaos were comparable to beat poetry cafes or improvisational jazz clubs, where diverse audiences would gather to drink, eat and enjoy music, rhythm, and movement by masters of the flamenco art form in an informal atmosphere of merriment.
January 28-30,2016, marks the second Tablao Philly, a contemporary take on the traditional form. Writing for thINKingDANCE, Sara Gaybeal described the first as “an experience of unbridled crescendo, a night that accelerated in vigor, skill, and intensity.” On Phindie (and in The Dance Journal) Kat Richter called Tablao Philly “a great date night, even for folks who don’t usually attend dance concerts,” thanks in part to the wine and tapas accompanying the dance show.
This month, Pasión y Arte brings international flamenco superstar Almudena Serrano to the intimate black box theater of the Asian Arts Initiative. Serrano was born in Puerta Santa Maria, Spain, and began her flamenco training at age 13. She has worked in tablaos in Seville, Madrid, Barcelona, and Jerez and has taught flamenco throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States.
January’s Tablao Philly will also feature performances by PyA dancers and Philly/NYC troupe De Luna a Lunares. Each Tablao Philly performance is 90 minutes long with two 10-minute intermissions for audiences to enjoy tapas and wine.
[Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street] January 28-30, 2016; pasionyarteflamenco.org.
Tablao Philly Performance Date/Times:
January 28, 29 and 30, 2016 at 9pm
April 28, 29 and 30, 2016 at 9pm
June 9, 10 and 11, 2016 at 9pm