At tonight’s flamenco extravaganza, don’t expect to see castanets, fans or polka dots.
And consider yourself among the privileged few.
Tonight’s show is traditional flamenco. Gypsy flamenco, where la cante is the soul.
“The actual singing is flamenco, then came the guitar and then the dance,” said flamenco artist Maria Bermudez. “It has a cry, a song. We move to what we hear behind us. Our dancing is an extension of what the singer is feeling, and what the guitar is expressing with his music.”
For one night only, Bermudez, considered by some as one of the world’s finest flamenco artists, will perform at Edmonds Center for the Arts. She will be joined by Sonidos Gitanos (Gypsy Sounds), a collection of seven world-class artists from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, and its surrounding regions.
The group has not appeared in the Seattle area since 2003. This year, Bermudez brings youth and history to the stage through guest artists Rafael Campallo, an award-winning dancer who has never appeared in the Northwest, and Nio Jero, a guitarist who exemplifies the traditional style of Jerez de la Frontera.
Bermudez talked by phone from her home in Jerez. She said that unlike most commercialized versions of flamenco where there are 15 dancers, lots of castanets and polka dots, hers is delivered in pure form. She compared the Gypsy form of flamenco to the blues, where you can hear different types of blues throughout America but the real blues comes from the South.
“Jerez is like the blues,” Bermudez said. “The Gypsy form has a more significant cry, because flamenco is based on the singing. Dance is in the forefront, but the difference is the singing.”
Bermudez has been called the international ambassador of the Gypsy culture. She said she earned that title by exposing North American audiences to the Gypsy style flamenco, which is the epitome of individual expression and interpretation.
“Flamenco, it’s such a phenomenal art form,” Bermudez said. “From BB King, to Alicia Keys and Quincy Jones, they are all incorporating flamenco into their work. It’s a high art. It’s no longer a folk art.”
Bermudez has studied the art form for 22 years. She traveled through Spain to study and landed in Jerez, “the cradle of cante,” 18 years ago.
Bermudez, who is Mexican-American and was born in Los Angeles, doesn’t let the irony that she is neither Gypsy nor Spanish allude her. But she became impassioned with flamenco because of her brother, a flamenco artist who died at an early age.
“He was so enamored, so passionate about his flamenco. I was in awe and shared his passion,” she said. “I believe his spirit carried on through me and I had to take it to the max.”
Now at 45, Bermudez said she got a late start at flamenco but knew that carrying on her brother’s dream meant carrying it all the way, to Spain and to flamenco’s roots.
“When you go to a blues festival, you hear Chicago blues, New York blues, Mississippi Delta blues and you say ‘wow what is that all about.’ Here in Jerez, it’s like I went to the Mississippi Delta. I knew that that was the style I wanted.”
In 2002, the city of Jerez honored Bermudez for her advancement of flamenco and honoring the art form’s traditional quality.
A film about Bermudez’ life called “Streets of Flamenco” is being released next year.
“Timing is everything. That cliche is so true,” Bermudez said. “I was ahead of my time. I did it for the first time, a very traditional rhythm, and the audiences were not ready for it. I’ve been developing a fan base for six years, and now it’s really coming into its own. It’s all great. All very positive.”
Arts writer Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424 or goffredo@heraldnet.com.
Maria Bermudez (left) and Rafael Campallo (below) perform tonight in Edmonds.
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