Chicago Flamenco Festival Returns With Music, Film And Dance

Flamenco masters return to Instituto Cervantes of Chicago, 31 W. Ohio Street, for its 16th Chicago Flamenco Festival, a multi-week festival celebrating Flamenco music and dance, running February 23 - March 21. This year's festival features performances by top Chicago- and U.S.-based Flamenco artists, offering the best international celebration of Flamenco outside of Spain.

The 16th Chicago Flamenco Festival opens on Friday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m. with internationally renowned flamenco dancer Estrella Morena and the soulful singer Amparo "La Repompilla" Heredia. Additional headlining artists include multi-BRIO Award-winning dancer Nelida Tirado; California native Lakshmi "La Chimi" Basile - the first non-Spanish artist to win an award in the prestigious flamenco contest Concurso de las Minas de La Union; rising flamenco star Juan Tomás de la Molía; French-born gypsy singer José Cortés Fernández; and the great flamenco guitar master Pepe Habichuela in concert with modern singer/guitarist Kiki Morente. Highlighting the multi-ethnic cultural roots of flamenco, local Hispanic, Indian, Jewish, Arabic and Romani flamenco artists from Las Guitarras de España, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, Clinard Dance Company, and KANTUZ will also perform in addition to the only female flamenco guitarist in Chicago, Andrea Salcedo.

During the festival, Instituto Cervantes of Chicago will also give the Chicago Premiere of three flamenco-inspired films starting with the award-winning documentary from anthropologist Miguel Ángel Rosales, Gurumbé: Afro-Andalusian Memories. The film explores the contribution of Afro-Andalusians to flamenco as the art form developed in a screening on Wednesday, February 28 at 6:00 p.m. The documentary Tocaoras will explore the past, present and future of Flamenco on Wednesday, March 7 at 6:00 p.m. Screening on Wednesday, March 14 at 6:00 p.m. is No, un cuento flamenco (NO, A Flamenco Tale) about a fictional musical film, an urban, contemporary flamenco opera in which the action is expressed through dance and the original text is narrated through song.

A beginning level bilingual family Spanish guitar class - the only course of its kind in Chicago - will be offered Saturdays, February 10 - March 31 from 11:00 a.m. - noon. Taught by Rafael Vivanco from KANTUZ, the class is designed for children to take alongside their parents in addition to being taught in both English and Spanish. Students need not have previously studied music or guitar.

The 16th Chicago Flamenco Festival continues its annual tradition of kicking off the festival with special preview performance from Las Guitarras de España at City Winery Chicago (1200 W. Randolph St). This year's preview concert, titled "The Chicago-Andalusian Music Project," will take place on Monday, February 19 at 7:30 p.m.

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