{"id":109377,"date":"2024-11-12T09:04:53","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T14:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=109377"},"modified":"2024-11-15T10:05:47","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T15:05:47","slug":"preview-innovation-and-healing-light-up-torontos-duende-flamenco-festival-vida-al-andalus-from-november-14-to-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/11\/12\/preview-innovation-and-healing-light-up-torontos-duende-flamenco-festival-vida-al-andalus-from-november-14-to-17\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Innovation And Healing Light Up Toronto\u2019s Duende Flamenco Festival: Vida Al Andalus from November 14 to 17"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_109380\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-109380\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-109380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-94.jpg\" alt=\"L-R: Flamenco artists Farruquito (Photo courtesy of the artist); Farnaz Ohadi (Photo courtesy of the artist); Antonio Najarro (Photo courtesy of the artist); \u00c1ngel Rojas (Photo courtesy of the artist)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-94.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-94-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-94-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-94-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-109380\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">L-R: Flamenco artists Farruquito (Photo courtesy of the artist); Farnaz Ohadi (Photo courtesy of the artist); Antonio Najarro (Photo courtesy of the artist); \u00c1ngel Rojas (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Aga Khan Museum, in partnership with TO Live, are presenting the 10th annual Duende Flamenco Festival: Vida Al Andalus from November 14 to 17. If you\u2019ve never experienced contemporary flamenco art, you\u2019ll be surprised at the multi-disciplinary festival and its range of offerings, which include dance performances, music, and film.<\/p>\n<p>Al-Andalus refers to the Iberian Peninsula, the area the Aghlabid Moors occupied for almost eight centuries, and where flamenco originates. The art form\u2019s historical influences encompass the region from Rajasthan through the Balkans, Ottoman T\u00fcrkiye and North Africa. The focus of this year\u2019s festival is the Roma community.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a look at the festival, including an interview with Farruquito (Juan Manuel Fern\u00e1ndez Montoya), a renowned third generation Gypsy flamenco artist who will be closing out the festival with his performance of Kintsugi: Flamenco and Healing, commissioned by the festival, on November 17.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_109381\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-109381\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-109381\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/Copy-of-NEWS-93.jpg\" alt=\"Flamenco artist Farnaz Ohadi (Photo courtesy of the artist)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/Copy-of-NEWS-93.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/Copy-of-NEWS-93-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/Copy-of-NEWS-93-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/Copy-of-NEWS-93-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-109381\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flamenco artist Farnaz Ohadi (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>The Duende Flamenco Festival<\/h2>\n<p>During the day, visitors to the museum can check out free film screenings, <a href=\"https:\/\/agakhanmuseum.org\/whats-on\/td-pop-up-performances\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TD Pop-Up Performances<\/a>, and an interactive family pre-festival performance by flamenco guitarist Guillermo Guill\u00e9n, singer Alfonso Cid, and local artists.<\/p>\n<p>Four evening performances anchor the festival. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lola! Gitanos de Jerez: A showcase programmed by\u00a0<strong>Mario Gonzalez<\/strong>, evoking the essence of La Guarida del Angel in Jerez on November 15.<\/li>\n<li>Pellizco: A performance by\u00a0<strong>Iv\u00e1n Vargas<\/strong>\u00a0with Sevillian dance icon <strong>Nazaret Reyes<\/strong> on November 16.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On November 14, <strong>BREATH<\/strong> opens the festival with a Persian-Flamenco album release concert by <strong>Farnaz Ohadi<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Her album celebrates a journey of resistance through rhythm, and her fight for freedom \u2014 even the freedom to perform itself. She blends the vibrant rhythms of flamenco with reflective Persian poetry that examines love and loss. Empowerment over roadblocks is a recurring theme, and it\u2019s not surprising.<\/p>\n<p>Farnaz grew up in Iran, where women are not permitted to sing or dance in public. Based now in Canada, she uses her opportunities to act as a voice for those who remain silenced.<\/p>\n<p>Her background including training in both Persian and Western classical music. In Canada, she studied flamenco as a dancer at first, but made a switch to cante, or flamenco singing. She feels that her story is distinctly Canadian, and represents the resilient spirit of many immigrants who have made this country their home, and flourished as artists.<\/p>\n<p>In her work, the rhythm represents peace, the calm amidst the chaos of the world, a concept that can speak to many people in today\u2019s world. Farnaz explores the tensions between personal freedom, cultural and religious norms via the metaphor of a love affair gone bad.<\/p>\n<p>Joining Farnaz for the premiere of Breath:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Antonio Najarro: Flamenco dancer and former director of the National Ballet of Spain<\/li>\n<li>Gaspar Rodr\u00edguez: Flamenco guitarist and composer<\/li>\n<li>Alberto L\u00f3pez: Award-winning flamenco guitarist from Granada, Spain<\/li>\n<li>Amir Amiri: Master of the Persian santur<\/li>\n<li>Carlos Merino: Percussionist known for his expertise in diverse rhythmic traditions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Find details and tickets for all four performances [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/agakhanmuseum.org\/whats-on\/duende-flamenco-festival\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oHKRBhl5X2g?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>Kintsugi: Flamenco And Healing Featuring Farruquito<\/h3>\n<p>The festival finale is a premiere performance of a work commissioned by the Aga Khan Museum.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Farruquito<\/strong> (<strong>Juan Manuel Fern\u00e1ndez Montoya<\/strong>) is a third generation Gypsy flamenco dancer, and often called the greatest of his own generation. The world premiere performance blends flamenco with the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi, by which broken pottery is repaired, and the joins decorated with gold dust lacquer to celebrate resilience and rebuilding. Adversity can build something beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>LvT spoke to Farruquito and the show\u2019s artistic director <strong>\u00c1ngel Rojas<\/strong> about the project, through translator <strong>Carmen Romero<\/strong>, who is acting as the guest curator for the festival.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve know Farruquito for many, many years,\u201d says Romero, who is also Artistic Director and Principal Dancer of Toronto\u2019s Compa\u00f1\u00eda Carmen Romero. \u201cHe&#8217;s a stunning performer, creator, with an illustrious career, but more than anything, the power of his performance really resonates on a deep level,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Romero met up with Farruquito and \u00c1ngel at a flamenco festival in Spain last winter. She was there to look for acts to bring to the festival during what would be the 10th anniversary year of the Aga Khan Museum.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had this discussion, and we were looking for a special creation in honour of the 10th anniverary.\u201d The idea of commissioning a dance work came up, an exclusive commission for the Aga Khan Museum&#8217;s tenth anniversary. \u201cTo have him create something unique for us is really incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For \u00c1ngel, co-founder of the New Spanish Ballet, and currently leading \u00c1ngel Rojas Flamenco Dance Project in M\u00f3stoles, the idea of blending the Japanese philosophy with dance came naturally. \u201cThe idea for the Kintsugi to mix with the flamenco, I [came on] this idea a long time ago,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe philosophy to put golden between the (cracks) when a piece is broken is very similar to when you are broken in life,\u201d he explains. \u201cYou try to in the flamenco way, you try to put together the destroyed things, the different parts.[&#8230;] through the power and the rhythm of flamenco. You put it in your soul, in your choreography.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Flamenco, as he explains, is an art form that speaks directly to the human condition.<\/p>\n<p>Flamenco comes from people who have lived very difficult lives, and their release comes through the flamenco, and the song. That comes out in one of the three movements of the piece. \u201cThe most profound, the most sad,\u201d he adds. The performer expresses a deep lament, but then they pick up the broken pieces and try to mend their hearts through dance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s really a perfect fit,\u201d he adds. The Japanese philosophy resonates not only with \u201cEspecially after everything that we have all been through, and we&#8217;re trying to repair our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat they&#8217;re looking for, what they&#8217;re creating here [&#8230;] is to use the deep tradition of flamenco within a very contemporary light, to make it relevant to today,\u201d Carmen explains. It speaks to the enduring value of the art form. \u201cPeople always ask me, Carmen, why does flamenco interest so many people who aren&#8217;t Spanish? It&#8217;s not a Spanish art form, it&#8217;s an art form of the human condition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Juan, the process of working through the piece has been very personal. Farruquito called \u00c1ngel in 2022, after the pandemic, and asked him to direct one of his productions, so the two were already working together. \u201cIt went from opening a window in Juan&#8217;s house to opening a door in my house,\u201d \u00c1ngel says. The two have grown close through the process. \u201cFarraquito is the most important flamenco dancer of our time.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DUTEIND_SzE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>For Farruquito, the dance relates very much to his father and grandfather. His father was Flamenco singer Juan Fern\u00e1ndez Flores &#8216;El Moreno&#8217;, and his mother was dancer Rosario Montoya Manzano &#8216;La Farruca&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was a very famous and well regarded singer,\u201d he says of his father. His grandfather went by the stage name Farruco, and he would establish a distinctive style of flamenco dance that his family still upholds.<\/p>\n<p>When did he decide to become a flamenco dancer himself? \u201cI don&#8217;t remember,\u201d Farruquito says, and laughs. His first memories are being part of a family that are all artists, and he never had a moment\u2019s doubt about his ambitions.<\/p>\n<p>He draws inspiration from his situation and his family to perform the new work. Losing both his father and grandfather was like having broken pieces within his life; it gave him a strong connection to the dance and its theme of repairing, and creating a new whole. In the dance, he pays tribute to his heritage, and the loss of both. It\u2019s part of the emotional journey that the piece goes on.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe flamenco interprets song, and the word we use for it is cante,\u201d \u00c1ngel explains. \u201cIn flamenco, song is central. There are three main dances that Juan will do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As he explains, they are Alegrias, a happy song to express his joy; then, Siguiriyas, a deeply expressive style that is considered key to the flamenco art. Its origins lie within the Romani people, and it delves into sorrow and grief.<\/p>\n<p>The third song is Solea. \u201cIt is very much a dance of defiance,\u201d \u00c1ngel says. \u201cJuan is an artist who transmit big emotion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both \u00c1ngel and Farruquito are happy and honoured by the museum\u2019s commission, and its celebration of the tradition and culture.<\/p>\n<p>Farraquito hopes that audience members will connect with the emotions of the dance, and feel a sense of understanding. \u201cWe all go through this, we all have injuries and traumas that we have experienced in our lives, to be seen and recognized for that,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe message is, that we can survive this.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Find tickets and more details about the performance on November 17 [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/agakhanmuseum.org\/whats-on\/farruquito\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>UPDATE (November 15):<\/strong> Due to personal health issues, Farruquito has been advised to suspend all professional commitments until further notice and will not be performing on Sunday evening. However, as the beacon of the Farrucos dynasty, he has chosen his brother, Antonio Fern\u00e1ndez Montoya, better known as \u201cEl Farru,\u201d to bring the artistic direction of \u00c1ngel Rojas to life.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:anya@ludwig-van.com?subject=Let's%20chat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><u>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em><b>#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"western\"><em>Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em>Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! \u2014 local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid=S3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid%3DS3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1695737525351000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0QTqKRwRJQFGK3KoJYigxX\">HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Aga Khan Museum, in partnership with TO Live, are presenting the 10th annual Duende Flamenco Festival: Vida Al Andalus from November 14 to 17.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":109380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40967,41556,19,20,29,4557,63,72],"tags":[9455,41562,41563],"yst_prominent_words":[14833,14829,14729,12857,14728],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-94.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-ss9","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109377"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109531,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109377\/revisions\/109531"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109377"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=109377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}