Local Favourites Calle Verde will be opening the evening with their performance of "liminal", featuring the talents of Peter Mole- Flamenco Guitarist, Michelle Harding- Flamenco Dancer, Maria Avila- Flamenco Dancer and Singer at Vancouver International Flamenco Festival.
We have all had this sensation: waking from a dream so vivid that we question whether it was real or not. Our dreams draw from our conscious lives. They are the mechanism by which we integrate and process our experiences through the lenses of memory and imagination. They can be terrifying or comforting. They can bring us answers to questions we can’t even formulate when we’re awake. liminal explores this transitional space between lived experience and the creative process that infuses experiences with personal meaning – the space that connects the life of the body with the life of the mind. Calle Verde established itself in 2014 as a group of flamenco artists steeped in tradition, but not necessarily traditional. It is a forum for experimenting with musical and choreographic ideas that soften the boundaries between flamenco and other forms. Their aim is to present works that are authentic to the artists’ experiences, backgrounds and influences while maintaining a deep reverence for traditional flamenco fors and expressions. Their open-minded approach allows unconventional influences to flavour their performances. Calle Verde creates their work from a transitional crossroads, where flamenco intersects with other genres like rock, samba, jazz and Celtic music. liminal features music inspired by Brazilian artists Baden Powell, Lenine and Hector Villa Lobos.
As a young artist from Quebec, Christina Tremblay was part of the folk group, Les Farandoles where she danced and taught jazz, classical ballet, international dance, music hall and flamenco. In collaboration with Les Farandoles, as a dancer and a choreographer, she was part of major shows such as “Ecce Mundo” and “Paris-Folies” performing in front audiences of 400,000. A recipient of several grants, among which the Canada Council for the Arts, she pursued her dream and perfected her technique in the mother land of Flamenco: Spain under the tutelage of many flamenco greats; Isabel Bayon, Joaquin Grilo, Olga Pericet, Maria Carmen Guerro, Juan Polvillo, Felipe Mato among many others.
In 2000, she formed the group Duet Duende with Quebec guitarist, Roger Boudreault and joined with other flamenco enthusiasts which later become Vida Flamenca. The group has performed on several stages of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and many more in Quebec. They had the opportunity to perform in collaboration with singer Jose Luis Perez and guitarist Caroline Planté. Since 2008, they had performed in Peña Flamenco in Montreal and has collaborated with world renowned guitarist Oscar Guzman. In 2013, Christina Tremblay was invited to perform as part of the Mis Hermanas Tour. In 2016 – 2017 she produced a presentation with guitarist and singer, Marcos Marin, renowned artist, Katherine Oliveri and guitarist Roger Boudreault in Montreal and Saguenay.
For more info: http://www.vancouverflamencofestival.org/
Photo by Audrey Bow
