We have three exciting performances and a flamenco workshop to check out on Valentine’s Day Weekend. On Valentine’s Day we will be performing AMOR: Spanish Love Songs, a special set of romantic renditions of songs from Latin America and Spain (we may even throw in one or two Italian and English songs!). Beginning at 8pm on Valentine’s Day (Fri. 1/14) this performance will be held at Tierra Coffee Roasters Cafe on Madison Ave. Albany (next to the Madison Theater), and will be FREE with organic wine, beer and desserts for purchase.

Then on Saturday and Sunday we will be working with two amazing flamenco dancers at The Flurry Festival of Music and Dance in Saratoga Springs, NY. If you have never been to this festival before you are in for a special treat. The festival features dance and musical performances and workshops from all over the world, with thousands of people in attendance, and inclusive of the whole family. On Saturday (1/15) we will be doing a flamenco piece with dancer Candace Burnham (who is currently teaching weekly flamenco dance at Lorraine Michaels Studio in Albany) as a part of a cabaret of performances at Saratoga Music Hall from 6-7:30pm. On Sunday (1/16) from 1:15-2 we will do a full flamenco performance at The Parting Glass Pub, and will feature dancers Nina Kunimoto and Candace Burnham. And shortly after in the City Center Room at the Saratoga Springs City Center from 3:15-4:14 we will offer a flamenco dance workshop taught by Candace Burnham, with live accompaniment by Asili & Vaccaro.

THIS CLASS HAS BEEN POSTPONED FOR THE WINTER SEASON. For many years now it has been our dream to have flamenco dance classes in the Capital Region, and now our dream has become a reality! Starting Oct. 6th we will be co-hosting a monthly flamenco dance workshop on the first Sunday of every month. The classes will be taught by Brattleboro, VT based flamenco dancer Nina Kunimoto (with live accompaniment by Asili & Vaccaro), and will be held at the Troy Dance Factory in Troy, NY.

During these introductory flamenco dance workshops we will listen to examples of the popular flamenco rhythms, and learn footwork and choreographic patterns to fit within these rhythms. Participants can expect to take away a basic understanding of how to hear and respond to flamenco music by identifying the pulse. ALL LEVELS WELCOME – please wear comfortable clothing, and if possible, closed-toe shoes with solid heels that can make sound. Come prepared to sweat and revel in the beautiful Andalusian tradition of flamenco! Class fee is $15, and participants MUST pre-register at http://www.troydancefactory.com/classes

Nina Kunimoto has been studying flamenco for eleven years and has performed in a flamenco dance company in Tucson, Arizona and danced solo in Tokyo, Japan. She has studied with Jose Molina in New York; La China and La Truco in Madrid, Spain; Patricia Guerrero Perez, Mari-Carmen Guerrero, Luis de Luis, Ana Calli, and Ester Marin in Granada, Spain; Mara Martinez, Ester Falcon, Mercedes Ruiz, La Marquisita, Miguel Angel Heredia and Manuela Carrasco in Tokyo, Japan. Currently she teaches at the Luminz Studio in Brattleboro, Vermont.

 
We are excited to return to The Gallery for a third time with our flamenco and Latin American folk performance on Saturday Sept. 7th. We are really developing quite a family of artists and art lovers in Stamford, NY and the Hudson Valley area. We will be joined once again by Brattleboro based Japanese-Spanish flamenco dancer Nina Kunimoto. Nina, who has studied with top notch dancers in Spain and Japan, most recently joined us for a beautiful performance at Flamenco On the River in Troy, NY. Check out a little video clip from that night here. We anticipate that this upcoming performance will be just as beautiful!