{"id":114384,"date":"2025-05-16T12:27:37","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T16:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=114384"},"modified":"2025-05-16T14:00:01","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T18:00:01","slug":"interview-flamenco-life-torontos-esmeralda-enrique","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/05\/16\/interview-flamenco-life-torontos-esmeralda-enrique\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Flamenco Is Life: Toronto\u2019s Esmeralda Enrique"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_114386\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-114386\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-114386\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-05-16T095732.476.jpg\" alt=\"L: Flamenco dancer &amp; choreographer Esmeralda Enrique; R: Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company dancers (Photos courtesy of Esmeralda Enrique)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-05-16T095732.476.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-05-16T095732.476-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-05-16T095732.476-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-05-16T095732.476-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-114386\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">L: Flamenco dancer &amp; choreographer Esmeralda Enrique; R: Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company dancers (Photos courtesy of Esmeralda Enrique)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>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 Jos\u00e9 Maldonado join company dancers in a program that includes live musical accompaniment by guitarists Benjamin Barille, Manuel V\u00e1zquez, and percussionist Miguel Media.<\/p>\n<p>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 Jos\u00e9 Maldonado.<\/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\/G55ubFhYYeQ?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<h2>Esmeralda Enrique<\/h2>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s 30th anniversary. She has been nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award on several occasions.<\/p>\n<h3>Esmeralda Enrique: The Interview<\/h3>\n<p>When Enrique founded her first company in Canada in 1981 and 1982, did she really believe she\u2019d be still going strong after 42 years?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot really,\u201d Enrique says. \u201cNo, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When she first came to Canada, she recalls that the atmosphere for dance was more limited, and Flamenco hadn\u2019t made much of a mark in Canada\u2019s dance landscape.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was not that much knowledge,\u201d she says. Still, people were curious. \u201cThey did not know what they were looking at.\u201d But, the appeal of the dance won out. \u201cWe got very good receptions and comments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the facets of Flamenco that makes it unique is how easy and smooth the movements can look \u2014 in contrast to how difficult they are to execute properly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt takes years of study.\u201d With a trickle of interest, it took Toronto audiences a while before they became enthusiastic supporters. \u201cIt was a struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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. \u201cOh my gosh, [it\u2019s like] there was a leg missing form a chair,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>It meant starting from scratch, and a dance school helped to spread the word. \u201cI\u2019ve always enjoyed teaching beginner students,\u201d Esmeralda says. \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful experience to see how they are introduced to the art of Flamenco.\u201d As she points out, it\u2019s not only the dance itself, but also about training singers and guitarists. \u201cAll these three elements combined are what makes up a true fulfilling experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Teaching means helping professionals, and potential professional dancers, along with the beginners and dabblers. \u201cThe educational element is just as important,\u201d she notes.<\/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\/5IeTi_ZxUGU?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>Modern Flamenco<\/h3>\n<p>To some, Flamenco may seem like an art form that is steeped in tradition. That\u2019s certainly true, but it doesn\u2019t exclude a contemporary expression of the art.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a living art,\u201d Enrique says.<\/p>\n<p>Over the years, she\u2019s developed an artistic approach that takes the dance beyond the codified elements that have been established for centuries. She\u2019s often inspired and influenced by other styles and forms of dance in her choreography. \u201cSome mixtures are beautiful,\u201d she says, \u201csome are not so much.\u201d Experimenting is the only way to know for sure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe try different things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That includes incorporating elements as diverse as tap dance and traditional Kazakh dance moves.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat can we use that can still be recognized as Flamenco?\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Dance on Film<\/h3>\n<p>Along with live performance, the three films present Flamenco in a different way to audiences.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt becomes more intimate, depending on the camera angle,\u201d Enrique explains. \u201cOr, it becomes something you see differently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Closer up, the dancer\u2019s emotions are on full display, and individuality is heightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is something that has always intrigued me,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Dance on film is something the company has explored only in the last few years, with COVID being the igniting spark. \u201cWe never did it before as a company.\u201d During the lockdowns, it offered a way to keep going. \u201cWe wanted to continue doing things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Two of the films that will screen were completed during the COVID lockdowns. \u201cOne is a beautiful take on what the texture of air would be like,\u201d 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. \u201cWe were filming quite rapidly,\u201d she says. \u201cIt seemed like the wind wanted to dance with us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reflejos del Tiempo takes a more established approach. \u201cWe chose a very traditional dance,\u201d she explains, one that incorporates a set choreography. \u201cWe asked choreographer Daniel Ramos to set it for us in a more contemporary style.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The result was very intricate choreography that expresses the theme of time, and reflection, and how it runs through a dancer\u2019s life \u2014 and by extension, anyone\u2019s life. It\u2019s a multigenerational performance, with dancers of all different age groups on stage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe see the time travel, so to speak, of a lifetime in dance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The third film, Luz, is a new work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur third film is a debut, it will be a premiere,\u201d Esmeralda says. \u201cIt\u2019s more of a look into the studio, the making of a dance piece.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Much of the film depicts in-studio rehearsals, and how choreographer Jos\u00e9 Maldonado works with the dancers. \u201cHis ideas are endless,\u201d she says. \u201cHe goes to different levels of tenderness and dexterity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The film reveals a side of dance that outsiders seldom see. \u201cChoreographers rarely have a chance to speak publicly. The audience sees the final product.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>An Evening With Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company<\/h2>\n<p>Enrique\u2019s company was one of many who had to rethink their season plans after the announcement of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/11\/08\/the-scoop-torontos-unique-fleck-dance-theatre-to-close-on-march-31-2025-after-41-years\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closure of Fleck Dance Theatre<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOut of necessity, we had to change our venue,\u201d Enrique explains. Fleck Theatre served as the company\u2019s performance home since 1999. \u201cWe had to quickly and hurriedly find a different venue. We almost made the decision not to present this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That decision fell by the wayside. \u201cWe came to the Meridian Arts Centre.\u201d As it happened, the smaller Studio Theatre was the only stage available. \u201cThat created some challenges for us.\u201d That included accommodating seven dancers and six musicians on a smaller stage. Creativity won the day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we have settled on a way to make the live performance still complementary to all seven dancers.\u201d The live dance pieces include a trio, one with four dancers, and one will all seven.<\/p>\n<p>Along with the guest singer from Spain, audiences can expect to see a new face on stage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a new dancer that\u2019s debuting with the company this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Find more details about the performances on May 30 and 31 at the Meridian Arts Centre Studio Theatre, and tickets, [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flamencos.net\/copy-of-amor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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>? 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