Direct from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, Sonidos Gitanos performs at La Jolla’s Sherwood Auditorium (MCASD) 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2 on a limited West Coast tour directed by California-born Maria Bermudez.
This acclaimed company returns to Southern California with guest artists Fernando de la Morena, cante/singing, and special guest dancer/choreographer Alejandro Granados. Also singing is Juañares, with Bernardo Parilla, gypsy violin, and brilliant longtime company members Jesus Alvarez, guitar and Luis de la Tota, palmas. Passion is a word often used attempting to describe flamenco. Traditional gypsy vocals can wail, and when the cante compels a dancer to take space what is expressed can seem to be thrashing itself from a dancer’s body. The elusive “duende” (spirit) is coaxed, invoked onto the scene, (famously capricious) appearing for most authentic exchanges only. As it is with Sonidos Gitanos, who embody great artistic and personal passion. “Maria Bermudez and her company nearly torched the stage.” – Los Angeles Times. Director-choreographer-dancer Bermudez, is a deeply musical artist well known for soulfully expressive dancing and a rhythmic sense that’s “in the pocket.” An American-born flamenco artist, (residing in Jerez now more than 20 years) she is remarkable, not only for extraordinary loyalty to this art form, (crossing oceans, literally and culturally for it), but notably as a woman, who was driven early on to learn from, work with, and who has now realized two decades of collaborations with truly legendary gypsy artists. It is understood that among the fiercest flamencos are innumerable women, many of whom have appeared with Sonidos Gitanos, but this year come the bass and beautiful energies of a very male company, making for deeply and musically satisfying work in counterpoint to Bermudez. Bermudez, over the last 20 years, has led her company multiple times to the Hollywood Bowl and the John Anson Ford Theatre in Los Angeles, The Joyce Theatre and Lincoln Center in New York, as well as to the Festival de Beaucaire in France, and The Teatro Villamarta in Spain, during the prestigious Festival Flamenco de Jerez; all to popular and critical acclaim, as she continues to do. Among her past guest artists are the late Jose Vargas “El Mono,” El Capullo, David Lagos, Domingo Ortega, Antonio “El Pipa,” Rafael Campallo, Alejandro Granados, Antonio de la Malena, Ana de los Reyes and (Latin Grammy-nominated) Navajita Platea. In 2002 in fact, Bermudez was officially, publicly honored in Jerez as an “Ambassador” of Jerezano culture, due to a relentless dedication to their authentic artistry, as she has presented it to audiences throughout North America and Europe. But, this appearance in the La Jolla, San Diego area, is a rarer, and quite special event. Passionate, claro. But flamenco is for Life. A commitment comparable to classical ballet for its dancers, though with far greater longevity. There is no doubt that audiences, universally enthralled with flamenco’s intensity, as well as its pure joy, sense this intuitively and find themselves a bit more grounded through the experience of it. An exceptional event, unlike any other you will see this season, for families, for groups, for individuals. Tickets: brownpapertickets.com.