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May 22, 2012

 

Solero Flamenco appears on "Nuestra Vida" - Univisión 45

 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

In support of the Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flamenco dancer Edith Niño will be among the performers for the 2012 Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival. Photo credit: Andrea Vasquez, San Jacinto College marketing department.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flamenco festival to be bigger and better

 

Andrea Vasquez-- May 16, 2012

 

HOUSTON — San Jacinto College (SJC), the Consulate General of Spain, and Houston’s premier flamenco performance company, Solero Flamenco, will present the second annual Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival (HSFF) May 23–26, 2012.

 

Recently awarded a grant from Humanities Texas, this year’s festival has expanded to four days and includes new youth programs and pre-performance humanities presentations. Along with workshops for all levels in flamenco song, guitar, and dance, May 23 will be “Flamenco for Kids/Teens,” featuring two gratuitous interactive performances and demonstrations for local elementary, junior high, and high school students.

 

“We firmly believe in the worth and relevance of this non-profit effort,” said Irma La Paloma, co-founder of Solero Flamenco and the Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival. “Through exposure, interaction, and cultural exchange, we can responsibly educate and celebrate these arts which are a part of our Texas heritage.”

 

Workshops begin May 24 and are free for SJC students and faculty. Instructors include Omayra Amya, Roberto Castellón, Curro Cuento, José Moreno, Teo Morca, Jeremy García, Salvadora Galán, Irma La Paloma, and Solangel “Lali” Calix. Participants will learn about the art of flamenco across all levels of dance, song, guitar, and percussion. Prior to the evening performances, audiences can enjoy historical lectures on the roots of flamenco, celebrated performers, and how this iconic art form continues to evolve through the ages.

 

Like last year’s event, the 2012 HSFF will also feature world-class concerts and performances. Acclaimed flamenco singer and guitarist from Spain, Salvadora Galán, opens the festival’s concert series on Thursday, May 24. Houston’s Solero Flamenco will present a vibrant performance featuring renowned flamenco dancer, choreographer, and workshop instructor, Maestro Teo Morca on Friday, May 25. The culminating festival event on Saturday, May 26, will feature the internationally acclaimed flamenco artists of the Omayra Amaya Flamenco Company. Omayra, the great-niece of the legendary Carmen Amaya, will captivate audiences with her commanding dance and artistry, echoing the historical art of her Spanish Gypsy heritage.

 

All HSFF workshops, concerts, and performances will be held in the Marie Spence Flickinger Fine Arts Center located on the San Jacinto College South Campus at 13735 Beamer Road in Houston. All concerts and performances begin at 7:30 p.m. For more information on workshop schedules and evening performances, and ticket pricing, visit www.houstonspanishandflamencofestival.com.

 

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Solero Flamenco and Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival founders, Irma La Paloma (left) and Jeremy García (right), will be among the workshop instructors and performers for the 2012 festival. García is also a music professor at San Jacinto College South. Photo credit: Lorie García.

 

Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival receives Humanities Texas grant

 

Andrea Vasquez-- April 3, 2012

 

HOUSTON — San Jacinto College (SJC) South and Houston-based flamenco performing company, Solero Flamenco, have been awarded a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities, for their efforts in bringing Spanish and flamenco arts to the community with their presentation of the Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival (HSFF).

 

In collaboration with SJC South and the Consulate General of Spain, Solero Flamenco continues to build on the success of last year’s inaugural festival. The workshops and performances offered the opportunity to learn song, guitar, dance, percussion, and castanets under the guidance of expert instructors and artists. Houston Mayor Annise Parker, the Texas State Senate, and the Texas House of Representatives also recognized the festival’s success in bringing the arts to the community.

 

“We have an amazing group of highly educated, highly motivated music educators who are putting together exemplary programs that are competitive on a regional and state level, and would be celebrated at any college or university,” said Kelly Chapman Simons, SJC assistant vice president of resource development. “The funding we are receiving from the Humanities Texas grant is testimony to their motivation, their personal efforts, and most importantly, the powerful impact these programs are having on student success.”

 

The 2012 HSFF has expanded to four days of events, including new youth programs and pre-performance humanities presentations. Along with workshops for all levels in flamenco song, guitar, and dance, an entire day will be dedicated as “Flamenco for Kids/Teens,” featuring two gratuitous interactive performances and demonstrations for local elementary, junior high, and high school students.

 

“We firmly believe in the worth and relevance of this non-profit effort,” said Irma La Paloma, co-founder of Solero Flamenco and the Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival. “Through exposure, interaction, and cultural exchange, we can responsibly educate and celebrate these arts which are a part of our Texas heritage.”

 

This year’s opening concert features acclaimed flamenco singer and guitarist from Spain, Salvadora Galán, on Thursday, May 24. Solero Flamenco will present a vibrant performance featuring renowned flamenco dancer, choreographer, and workshop instructor, Maestro Teo Morca, on Friday, May 25. The culminating festival event on Saturday, May 26, will feature the internationally acclaimed flamenco artists of the Omayra Amaya Flamenco Company. Omayra, the great-niece of the legendary Carmen Amaya, known as one of the greatest flamenco performers of all time, will captivate audiences with her commanding dance and artistry, echoing the historical art of her Spanish Gypsy heritage.

 

“Thanks to the vision of Dr. Maureen Murphy, president of South Campus, the support of the SJC Foundation, Humanities Texas, sponsors, educators, artists, and volunteers, this festival is made possible,” said South Campus music professor Jeremy García, co-founder of Solero Flamenco and the HSFF. “The College is making this exciting, historical discipline available to its students and surrounding communities, creating an artistic means to learn and grow for years to come.”

 

The second annual Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival will take place May 23 – 26 in the Marie Spence Flickinger Fine Arts Center at the San Jacinto College South Campus, located at 13735 Beamer Road in Houston. All workshops and festival performances will be held in the Marie Spence Flickinger Fine Arts Center with evening performances beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Proscenium Theatre. Workshops are free for registered San Jacinto College students and faculty; to register, contact Loura de Los Santos or Jeremy García at 281-484-1900 ext. 3313. For ticket purchases, workshop registration, and a schedule of events, visit www.houstonspanishandflamencofestival.com.

 

About San Jacinto College

 

Surrounded by monuments of history, industries and maritime enterprises of today, and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has been serving the citizens of East Harris County, Texas, for more than 50 years. The Achieving the Dream Leader College is committed to the goals and aspirations of a diverse population of 30,000 students in more than 200 degree and certificate options, including university transfer and career preparation. Students also benefit from the College’s job training programs, renowned for meeting the needs of growing industries in the region. San Jacinto College graduates contribute nearly $630 million each year to the Texas workforce. San Jacinto College. Your Goals. Your College.

 

For more information about San Jacinto College, please call 281-998-6150, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter