For the past three years, Flamenco instructor Angela Arteritano has traveled off and on to Spain, learning new dance techniques and staying up to date on cultural trends.
On one of those trips, she instead found a tradition to bring home to Vacaville.
Later this month will be the second annual production of Arteritano Flamenco Company’s “Carmen,” a family-friendly Flamenco retelling of the classic opera. It’s a show that Arteritano hopes to perform every year. “We want ‘Carmen’ to be a staple in our community,’ she says.
Arteritano’s company is the only accredited Flamenco training program in California, and she hopes to shine a spotlight on the highly cultural dance. “Carmen” may be the way to do just that.
After seeing a Flamenco production of “Carmen” in Spain, Arteritano thought “This would be perfect for Vacaville.”
“One way or another, a lot of audiences already know ‘Carmen’ and are familiar, at least with the character,” she said. Even if they don’t know the story, many recognize the signature red dress.
Arteritano hopes that familiarity with the character and the music will help attract more community members to the show and introduce more people to Flamenco.
However, “Carmen,” is not a story for every age. Laced with romance and violence, Arteritano had her work cut out for her to turn the show into a family-friendly affair. In order to do so, she changed Carmen’s main conflict, love for a man, Don José, into love for her culture.
“I took the elements of the character, her strength, her freedom, and decided to take that further,” said Arteritano. The character of Don José, Carmen’s lover, is changed to Doña Josephina, Carmen’s mother. “We go back in time to see Carmen’s earlier years as a young dancer falling in love with the culture,” she said.
The updated version of the show features two Carmens, one a young dancer. “It’s about her belonging to her community and finding her strength to those connections and through the people that she comes in contact with,” said Arteritano.
By changing the production in this way, it allows for the introduction of more Flamenco elements, and this year they are incorporating even more than last time.
Castanets, mantón and pericón are all new additions this year.
Castanets are small handheld percussion instruments, which Flamenco dancers use while performing. A mantón is a shawl and a pericón is a Flamenco folding fan, both of which are also worn and moved during a performance.
Since Arteritano’s company has only been in operation for a couple years, her dancers are hard at work learning as much about Flamenco as they can without a large background in the art form.
“There’s a lot more Flamenco this year, there’s a lot more rhythm and footwork and a lot more advanced choreography because the students have been growing through the program, which is great,” says Arteritano.
“Carmen” will feature Arteritano dancing herself as the adult Carmen and 12 of her students. Five of her students are beginners, with less than a year of experience, and the rest are company members that have been working with Arteritano Flamenco Company for the past two years. The student’s ages range from 9 years old up to adulthood.
Arteritano says she is excited to once again share this production with the community. “I want audiences to connect with their purpose when they see this production and just grow together and enjoy this wonderful culture,” said Arteritano.
When Arteritano first brought Flamenco to Vacaville, it was something new to a lot of people. For those who don’t know a lot about the dance, Arteritano wants you to get involved.
“You don’t have to be from Spain to be able to dance Flamenco,” she says. “Everybody has a way of expressing, because even the masters nowadays tell you it’s a way of living. It’s a culture, it’s a community that we create together.”
If you go …
- WHAT: Arteritano Flamenco Company’s “Carmen”
- WHEN: Sept. 26, 27 at 7 p.m.
- WHERE: Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, 1010 Ulatis Dr., Vacaville.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.timesheraldonline.com ’
