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Spanish Contrasts- A night of dance, art, food and sangria!

Written by Tania Giorgetta

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Blanca Y Negra.
Spanish Dance Show and Tapas, Art and Sangria!
November 24th and 25th, Midland.
November 27th, Bussleton.
A fabulous night of joy, live music and colour.
Come along and experience a taste of Spain in our own city.
Tickets: here

When I think of Spanish dancing I think of passion, joy and the colour red.  Large, full skirts swishing past as feet stomp deliberately and purposefully on scuffed wooden floors.  Tall, dark men in suits glide around the room in an upright stance while their pretty, feminine partners provide the finesse around them. There is music and laughter and a celebration of life.

There is a show in Perth soon which promises to embody the fiery passion, heart and soul that we all love but it also has moments of quiet, of black and white, of light and shade. It is all about balance and it looks to be fabulous!

Presenting Blanca Y Negra – Flamenco like you’ve never seen it before.

Blanca Y Negra literally translates to white and black.   It is a show all about contrasting and complimentary themes.  The highs and lows, the loud and quiet, the soft and hard aspects of the dance.

Blanca Y Negra is the creative brainchild of Karen Henderson, who has been dancing for most of her life.  She is a well-respected and accomplished dancer within the Spanish and Flamenco circles of Perth.  She wanted to create a show that brought together a few of the talented people she knows and to show the audience that Spanish Dance is not all one note.  There are many different styles, nuances and differences underneath the umbrella of “Spanish Dance.”

Karen Henderson- (Photo credit - Maree Laffan)
Karen Henderson- (Photo credit – Maree Laffan)

Karen began dancing when she was only 7 years old.  She started with ballet and moved onto several other styles of dance before settling on Spanish Dance some time later.   Karen says she enjoys this art form as “the steps are less measured than they are with ballet.”   It is still a difficult dance style and there are still certain steps or rules to follow but generally it is a more expressive and freeing style.

Karen has teamed up with her friend and fellow accomplished dancer, Nicole Levy to bring her dreams to fruition.  Nicole and Karen met when they both danced for Danza Viva, a separate dance company run by Deanna Blatcher and more recently Sofia Pratt.

Nicole also loves this style of dance and says that as she grew up she embraced Spanish dance as she had “booobs and hips” so felt she was more suited to Spanish opposed to ballet.

photo-nicole-levy-photo-credit-florian-wellman
Nicole Levy (Photo Credit – Florian Wellman)

Accompanying Karen and Nicole on stage will be a live band consisting of a percussionist, a violinist and a guitar player.
The guitar player, Keiren Ray, is from Melbourne and adds a new and different dimension to a Spanish dance performance.  The violin, played by Stuart Robertson, is not a traditional instrument for Spanish dance so it will be adding an element of the contrast and the complimentary and giving the performance a modern twist.
The percussion is played by Genevieve Wilkins and Jackson Vickery.

The costumes are designed and made by Karen’s company, Fuego Flamenco; meaning Fire Dance.  There are a few costume changes throughout the show all showcasing the traditional and modern exquisite dresses that pair with this exotic dance style.

Nicole Levy (L) and Karen Henderson (Rt)

The show is running for 2 nights, the 24th and 25th of November at “The Crooked Spire Coffee House and G Centre” in Midland before touring to the south west for 1 night only playing in Busselton at the Weld Centre.

Tickets to the show also include an art exhibition beforehand featuring the work of Spanish artist Nuria Larrumbide.  Guests will also enjoy tapas food and Sangria, which is typical of the region.   It is an immersive experience and one which will be sure to leave a lasting impression on your mind.  Long after the last skirt has swished or the last foot stomped deliberately onto the floor.

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For more information and ticket sales please click here

For Flamenco Dance Wear’s facebook pg please click here

 


Please view our gallery below for some more photos of the artists behind this event:


 

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