Sunday 20 August, 6pm
Tickets: $37.50 / $33 (concession)
In its ongoing commitment to support and provide opportunities for live performance, Pah Homestead is proud to present the Sunday Concert Series 2023 - an eclectic array of musicians and musical genres showcasing local performers.
We are delighted to present Café de Chinitas — an evening of live Flamenco guitar, violin, dance, song and poetry (with a touch of Argentine Tango!)
Entertaining, light, passionate & profound.
Let yourself be taken back to the famous 19th century Flamenco Cafe of Chinitas in Spain. It was here that famous bullfighters, gypsies, flamencos and aficionados met. The show, based on a poem by the renowned Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca and directed by Maria Elena from Flamenco NZ (founded 1993), includes live Flamenco Guitar, Song and Dance by Maria Elena, Alexandra Laubli (Violin), Guy Steward (Flamenco Guitar), Marii Granados ( Flamenco dancer from Cordoba, Spain), Teri Kay (Flamenco Dance, Narration & Poetry), Nik Smythe (Flamenco Dance & Cajon) and Argentine Tango dancers John Flower and Natallia Ramanchuk.
ABOUT THE POEM
Federico García Lorca (1898-1936), one of Spain's greatest poets and playwrights, had a strong connection to Flamenco and dedicated a whole bundle of poems to the genre. “The relationship between Lorca and the original Café de Chinitas is deeply-rooted, as the poet was a regular client who immortalized their connection in the popular composition Café de Chinitas, written in 1931.”
Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of ‘27, a group consisting of mostly poets who introduced the tenets of European movements (such as symbolism, futurism, and surrealism) into Spanish literature. He is believed to have been killed by Nationalist forces at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. His works are immortal.
THE PERFORMERS
Nik Smythe (Flamenco Dance & Cajon)
Guy Steward (Flamenco Guitar)
Marii Granados (Flamenco dancer from Cordoba, Spain)
Alexandra Laubli (Violin)
Teri Kay (Flamenco Dance, Narration & Poetry)
Argentine Tango dancers John Flower and Natallia Ramanchuk
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR & PERFORMER
Flamenco Guitar, Song and Dance by Maria Elena
Maria Elena, originally from the Netherlands, has dedicated her life to the art of Flamenco Guitar from an early age. She was inspired by her cousins Charles and Anthony Mandos, artists and Flamenco players. Maria came to NZ with Flamenco guitarist and renowned artist Darcy Lange, a student of the legendary gypsy guitarist Diego del Gastor from Moron de la Frontera, Spain. Maria and Darcy resided as special guests at the Flamenco Pena of Jaen in Andalucia, Spain in 1990.
Maria plays traditional Flamenco guitar and has also been a teacher of Flamenco guitar and dance for many years. She founded Flamenco NZ in 1993, an organization dedicated to promoting the Flamenco arts in all its forms in New Zealand.