On May 30 and 31, the Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company presents an evening showcasing the art of flamenco on film and in live performance. Spanish singer Manuel Soto, and choreographers Ana Morales, Antonio Granjero, and José Maldonado join company dancers in a program that includes live musical accompaniment by guitarists Benjamin Barille, Manuel Vázquez, and percussionist Miguel Media.
The films that will screen were created by the Company: Reflejos del Tiempo (Reflections of Time), directed by William Yong with choreography by Daniel Ramos; La Textura del Aire (The Texture of Air), also directed by William Yong with choreography by Javier Latorre; and the world premiere of Luz, directed by Ella Cooper with choreography by José Maldonado.
Esmeralda Enrique
Esmeralda Enrique has earned a reputation as one of the most respected and celebrated Flamenco dance artists in Canada. She founded her Academy of Spanish Dance in 1981, followed by the Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company in 1982.
Flamenco is a tradition that she grew up in, in her native Spain, where she began studying dance as a child, and was working professionally from the age of 14.
Her work in Canada has been recognized by multiple awards and honours, including the inaugural Young Centre for the Performing Arts Dance Award as Senior Artist in 2012, a year that marked the school’s 30th anniversary. She has been nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award on several occasions.
Esmeralda Enrique: The Interview
When Enrique founded her first company in Canada in 1981 and 1982, did she really believe she’d be still going strong after 42 years?
“Not really,” Enrique says. “No, I did not imagine, even myself, that I would be so involved in this art. These two entities have been sustaining me ever since I came to Canada.”
When she first came to Canada, she recalls that the atmosphere for dance was more limited, and Flamenco hadn’t made much of a mark in Canada’s dance landscape.
“There was not that much knowledge,” she says. Still, people were curious. “They did not know what they were looking at.” But, the appeal of the dance won out. “We got very good receptions and comments.”
One of the facets of Flamenco that makes it unique is how easy and smooth the movements can look — in contrast to how difficult they are to execute properly.
“It takes years of study.” With a trickle of interest, it took Toronto audiences a while before they became enthusiastic supporters. “It was a struggle.”
Along with lack of basic understanding of the art, the Toronto area was full of talented people, but none with the necessary skills, including competent Flamenco guitarists and singers. “Oh my gosh, [it’s like] there was a leg missing form a chair,” she says.
It meant starting from scratch, and a dance school helped to spread the word. “I’ve always enjoyed teaching beginner students,” Esmeralda says. “It’s a beautiful experience to see how they are introduced to the art of Flamenco.” As she points out, it’s not only the dance itself, but also about training singers and guitarists. “All these three elements combined are what makes up a true fulfilling experience.”
Teaching means helping professionals, and potential professional dancers, along with the beginners and dabblers. “The educational element is just as important,” she notes.
Modern Flamenco
To some, Flamenco may seem like an art form that is steeped in tradition. That’s certainly true, but it doesn’t exclude a contemporary expression of the art.
“It’s a living art,” Enrique says.
Over the years, she’s developed an artistic approach that takes the dance beyond the codified elements that have been established for centuries. She’s often inspired and influenced by other styles and forms of dance in her choreography. “Some mixtures are beautiful,” she says, “some are not so much.” Experimenting is the only way to know for sure.
“We try different things.”
That includes incorporating elements as diverse as tap dance and traditional Kazakh dance moves.
“What can we use that can still be recognized as Flamenco?”
Dance on Film
Along with live performance, the three films present Flamenco in a different way to audiences.
“It becomes more intimate, depending on the camera angle,” Enrique explains. “Or, it becomes something you see differently.”
Closer up, the dancer’s emotions are on full display, and individuality is heightened.
“This is something that has always intrigued me,” she says.
Dance on film is something the company has explored only in the last few years, with COVID being the igniting spark. “We never did it before as a company.” During the lockdowns, it offered a way to keep going. “We wanted to continue doing things.”
Two of the films that will screen were completed during the COVID lockdowns. “One is a beautiful take on what the texture of air would be like,” she says. La Textura del Aire was filmed on a skyscraper with floor to ceiling windows that kept the changing face of the sky and evolving weather patterns reflected in the glass. Changing lighting also meant working quickly. “We were filming quite rapidly,” she says. “It seemed like the wind wanted to dance with us.”
Reflejos del Tiempo takes a more established approach. “We chose a very traditional dance,” she explains, one that incorporates a set choreography. “We asked choreographer Daniel Ramos to set it for us in a more contemporary style.”
The result was very intricate choreography that expresses the theme of time, and reflection, and how it runs through a dancer’s life — and by extension, anyone’s life. It’s a multigenerational performance, with dancers of all different age groups on stage.
“We see the time travel, so to speak, of a lifetime in dance.”
The third film, Luz, is a new work.
“Our third film is a debut, it will be a premiere,” Esmeralda says. “It’s more of a look into the studio, the making of a dance piece.”
Much of the film depicts in-studio rehearsals, and how choreographer José Maldonado works with the dancers. “His ideas are endless,” she says. “He goes to different levels of tenderness and dexterity.”
The film reveals a side of dance that outsiders seldom see. “Choreographers rarely have a chance to speak publicly. The audience sees the final product.”
An Evening With Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company
Enrique’s company was one of many who had to rethink their season plans after the announcement of the closure of Fleck Dance Theatre.
“Out of necessity, we had to change our venue,” Enrique explains. Fleck Theatre served as the company’s performance home since 1999. “We had to quickly and hurriedly find a different venue. We almost made the decision not to present this year.”
That decision fell by the wayside. “We came to the Meridian Arts Centre.” As it happened, the smaller Studio Theatre was the only stage available. “That created some challenges for us.” That included accommodating seven dancers and six musicians on a smaller stage. Creativity won the day.
“I think we have settled on a way to make the live performance still complementary to all seven dancers.” The live dance pieces include a trio, one with four dancers, and one will all seven.
Along with the guest singer from Spain, audiences can expect to see a new face on stage.
“We have a new dancer that’s debuting with the company this year.”
- Find more details about the performances on May 30 and 31 at the Meridian Arts Centre Studio Theatre, and tickets, [HERE].
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