Connect with one of the most iconic art forms of Spain right in the heart of Philadelphia. On Friday, August 25th, Artsi presents “An Evening of Flamenco” featuring the city’s very own premier contemporary flamenco dance company, Pasión y Arte, joined by special guests. Whether you love Flamenco or are entirely new to its traditions, this passionate and spirited gathering of the Tablao is a unique opportunity to learn more about and fall in love with this vibrant culture. There will be Spanish wine to enjoy at our cash bar. Tickets are general admission, first come first served. Doors open at 7:30pm.

An evening of Flamenco

Date: Friday, August 25, 2023

Time: 8:00pm Performance | 7:30pm Doors Open

Tickets: $35

Location: Koresh Dance Company | 2002 Rittenhouse Sq. | Philadelphia

What is a Tablao?

Tablaos are exciting improvisational flamenco performances that take place in casual venues, much like what occurs at a jazz club or at a poetry reading. Tablaos are still staged in clubs the world over, while new generations of flamenco artists now create more formally choreographed and experimental work which are presented in major theaters and performing arts centers.

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 improvisation movement within the confines of strict musical and rhythmic structures. The cafes were the first enterprises to pay flamenco dancers, singers, and musicians and commercial flamenco was born.

From the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, highly acclaimed flamenco artists danced in Cafes del Cante. Tablao performances helped flamenco to grow in expressive range and aesthetic precision, exposing non-Gypsy audiences to the art form. Philly Tablao recreates the feeling of the Tablao setting in carefully curated intimate venues. While contemporary Tablaos exist in many major American cities and in Spain, Japan, and elsewhere, Philadelphia, despite its vibrant Latino, flamenco and dance communities, has no Tablao if it's own till now. Starting in 2015, Philly Tablao brought Philadelphia audiences such world class artists as Rosario Toledo, La Meira , Almudena Serrano, and Raquel Heredia who showcased their virtuosity at the Asian Arts’ Initiative Black Box Theater.

About Pasión y Arte:

Founded in 2000 by Artistic Director Elba Hevia y Vaca, Pasión y Arte (PyA) has achieved a reputation for creating groundbreaking contemporary feminist flamenco that is also deeply steeped in the centuries old traditions of the southern Spanish masters. Their critically acclaimed works are noted for their innovative choreography and technical precision. Ms. Hevia y Vaca’s commitment to expanding the boundaries of the form is evidenced in the nine original, full-length, flamenco-based dance pieces she has created for the company. Drawing upon a mastery of flamenco integrated with other dance forms, mixed media, and experimentation in narrative and symbolic storytelling, PyA embraces the tensions between modern and traditional approaches. Through its work and the diversity of its company members, PyA expands the knowledge of the art form beyond its strict conventions of dance, production styles, and gender stereotyping. As part of their educational and community-oriented mission, Pasión y Arte presents flamenco lecture-demonstrations at schools, universities, and community centers. In 2011, PyA received its second highly coveted grant from The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage through Dance Advance that resulted in the company’s first outside commission, an intensive collaboration with feminist flamenco artist and internationally renowned Spanish dancer and choreographer, Rosario Toledo, leading to the 2012 Philadelphia Flamenco Festival. PyA was again awarded a grant from The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage and the Knight Foundation for the funding of the 2014 Philadelphia Flamenco Festival, which took place over two weeks in March 2014. The company has also received awards from the Barra Foundation, Hispanics in Philanthropy, the Independence Foundation, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Leeway Foundation, the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the Samuel S. Fels Fund, and the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation. Pasión y Arte has performed at the Annenberg Performing Arts Center, the Kimmel Center, Jacobs Pillow, New York’s Summer Stage, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Wilma Theater, Painted Bride Arts Center, the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, Princeton University, and New York’s Public Theater. PyA offers performances and workshops for community arts centers and has performed for students at Penn State University, Middlebury College, Dickinson University, Franklin & Marshall University, Muhlenberg College, Temple University, the Latin American Guild for Arts, and Bryn Mawr College.

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