Special guest artists from Spain headline an evening of Flamenco, featuring Flamenco dancer Antonio Granjero of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain; Francisco Orozco "Yiyi" of Barcelona, Spain; as well as Cristian Puig, a Flamenco guitarist with Gypsy lineage to Jerez de la Frontera, Spain; and Seville-trained dancer Julia la Luna.
$12 Adv – $15 Door
Doors @ 7 PM
The fabulous cuadro will perform two sets of live Flamenco, showcasing the soulful lament of the Spanish Gypsy and the thunder of dancers' footwork tied together by dynamic guitar and exciting shouts of "Olé". Artists appearing in the show will also be teaching classes of Flamenco guitar, singing, dance, and percussion while in Atlanta. The classes are part of a long-term project in which Puig and Granjero have been working with Atlanta Flamenco artists and students to bring the Flamenco of Spain to the United States of America. At Red Light Café, they expand their work to include performance available to a small audience, which some would argue is the best way to experience this art form. The show and artists are managed by Atlanta-based Berdolé, a production company specializing in Flamenco.
Antonio Granjero is the director and lead dancer of Entre Flamenco, a U.S.-based performing company bringing authentic Flamenco arts to the stage and studio across the United States of America. He has performed before sold out audiences in the Unites States of America since 2005, when he presented shows at the Hobby Center Theater in Houston, Festival Flamenco de Santa Bárbara and the Empire Theatre of San Antonio, and the Lodge in Santa, Fe, N.M.
Granjero was born in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. He began his studies of classical Spanish, classical ballet, and Flamenco when he was ten years old, and made his debut at age 11 at “Centro Cultural de la Villa” in Madrid. He spent the following years performing in theaters in Israel, Italy, England, Switzerland, France, Japan, Italy, France, and others. In 1991, Granjero relocated to Madrid, where he shared the stage with such prestigious artists as Antonio Canales, Gerardo Nuñez, and worked with artists such as La Tati, Manolete, and El Güito. Since then, Granjero has performed with companies, such as Maria Serrano Company (Sevilla), Esmeralda Enriquez Company (Canada), Susana De Palma (Minnesota) the Victor Monge “Serranito” Company. He has had the honor of performing at the most prestigious Flamenco festivals, including “Bienal of Sevilla” and “Festival of Jerez”. He relocated to the United States of America in 1995, and about 10 years later established his own company to present Flamenco in America.
Francisco Orozco “Yiyi” is from Andalusian family, born in Barcelona, and was introduced to Flamenco rhythms at the tender age of four. Yiyi was trained by Flamenco singer and father– “Joselón de Jerez” – in his Spanish peña named “Peña Fosforito”. Considered a child prodigy of percussion Yiyi began his professional career at the age of twelve. By 17 years of age and one CD later, he became more involved with singing, particularly for dancers, and left Spain for Germany on a long-term contract with the company “Flamenco Rubio”. Since that time he has performed with “Compañia Flamenca Alhama” throughout Europe and Japan; with internationally-known María Benitez “Teatro Flamenco” on Broadway and throughout the U.S.; Domingo Ortega in Venezuela as well “Casa Patas” in Madrid; Jose Greco II in the United States of America and Taiwan; and world-renowned guitarist Serranito . He has also performed with Alejandro Granados, Yolanda Heredia, El Toleo, El Pelao, María Serrano, La Tania and Antonio Granjero. Critics, worldwide, have toted Yiyi’s performance as “fiery”, “riveting” his percussion techniques executed with “machine-gun speed” that possesses and “casts a spell”.
Cristian Puig is a Flamenco guitarist, composer, and singer with Gypsy roots in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, and a string of artistic successes in film, in the recording studio, and live on stage. He played the role of guitarist and singer “Joaquin” in the Alliance Theatre’s 2013 production of “Zorro”, and he has worked in films, such as “A Late Quartet”, for which he composed Flamenco music for the soundtrack. He performs as a Flamenco singer and guitarist across the United States of America and with his Flamenco trio Puig-Sanchez-Moreno in his hometown of New York. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Cristian Puig is the son of flamenco singer Gloria Monreal and Flamenco guitarist Pablo Puig. As a teenager, Cristian began his studies in classical guitar at the conservatory of Manuel de Falla as well as Flamenco guitar with his father. Soon he took classes in Flamenco guitar with Quique de Cordoba and furthered his studies in jazz, bossa nova and contemporary music. In 1990 he formed and toured South America with his group Rabat, fusing jazz, bossa nova and Flamenco. Cristian released the CD “Entre Cuerdas” featuring Flamenco-jazz fusion and has just released a new CD entitled “Inflam Project”, which crosses Indian and Flamenco styles.
Julie Galle Baggenstoss is a Flamenco dancer who focuses on bringing the art form to a variety of American audiences. She has performed and choreographed Flamenco with the Atlanta Opera, Georgia State University’s School of Music, The Latin American Association, Coves Darden P.R.E., and at universities and museums from the Southeast to the Midwest. She is a member of the faculty of Emory University’s Dance Program, where she teaches Flamenco as part of the university curriculum. Julie is a former instructor of the Atlanta Ballet, and teaches for organizations such as the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, the Foreign Language Association of Georgia, and Georgia Public Libraries. She currently tours her original shows for kids “Ferdinand por farruca” and “That’s Apoyo”, and performs in “Olé flamenco”, presented by Arts for Learning Woodruff Arts Center. Off stage, Julie produces Flamenco performances and educational seminars involving Spanish Flamenco artists in residence in the United States of America. She also lectures on the history, evolution, and cultural significance of Flamenco and its artists.