Caminos Flamencos will be returning to the this Saturday at 7:30pm for a night of passionate music and dance. And along with the intense rhythms and heart-pounding melodies of flamenco, they also bring with them a mystery.
“Expect fireworks!” promised choreographer and dancer Yaelisa, founder of Caminos Flamencos, a not-for-profit organization located in San Francisco. Yaelisa has toured the world, sharing the art of flamenco throughout Spain, Mexico, Japan, the Middle East and the United States, but she’s thrilled to be based in the Bay Area.
“The San Francisco Bay Area is a very special place for flamenco,” said Yaelisa. “Interest in the art of flamenco and the number of flamenco artists are both higher here than anywhere else in the United States.”
Yaelisa, who won an Emmy Award for the PBS program “Desde Cadiz a Sevilla,” is considered a master flamenco teacher. She will be joined onstage by two other flamenco dancers and accompanied by her husband, the talented flamenco guitarist Jason McGuire, also known as “El Rubio,” whose album Distancias has received much critical acclaim. Singer Jose Cortes, who has Spanish Gypsy roots and recently moved to the U.S. from France, will round out the extremely talented ensemble.
Caminos Flamencos are very excited to be returning to the enthusiastic crowds at the Mildred Owen Concert Hall. Their first show in Pacifica, nearly two years ago, ended with a surprise gift and left Yaelisa with a mystery she hopes to solve this weekend.
At the end of the group’s first Pacifica show, a woman in the audience walked up to the stage during the standing ovation and presented Yaelisa with a gift – a large painting. The painting, which depicts flamenco dancers, has been hanging in Yaelisa’s office ever since, but she hasn’t been able to track down the artist and express her gratitude for it, despite her inquiries to Pacifica Performances. The painting is signed by “Hopps.” If any Pacifica Patch readers can help solve the mystery, please let us know!
Following Saturday’s show, Yaelisa will head to Irvine where she is the Artistic Director of “Semana Flamenca,” a weeklong annual festival of dance that celebrates the power, passion and poetry of flamenco. This year marks the show’s 10th anniversary and it runs from September 19-25.
Previous Caminos Flamencos shows at Mildred Owen Concert Hall have sold out so be sure to buy your tickets soon. The show starts at 7:30pm on Saturday, 9/17 and doors open at 7:00pm. Tickets and further information here.
