Artist Call, APERTURE 2022
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Call for Dancers and Musicians
Bring your discipline – dance, guitar, singing, percussion
Learn a small amount of new material and then use it – along with your existing repertoire and experience – to unlock new opportunities for yourself and your colleagues in the cuadro.
CLASS DATES
Sept. 9, 11, 12 at 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. (Note, no class Sept. 10)
Location TBA, metro Atlanta
Sept. 21 at 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Decatur Rec Center, 231 Sycamore St., Decatur GA 30030
PERFORMANCE DATE
Sept. 20; concert at 7:30 p.m., with arrival much earlier to meet artists and sound check
Red Light Café, Midtown Atlanta
TEACHERS
Sept. 9-12
Isaac Tovar, dance
Pepele Mendéz, cante
José Manuel Alconchel, guitar
Sept. 21
Macarena de Jerez, cante
Paco Fernández, guitar
TUITION
$150 for all four classes
$50/single class
Tuition is waived for students who attend three or more classes and are selected to perform
in the residency showcase on the evening of Sept. 21 at Red Light Café, located in Midtown Atlanta.
EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
Mastery is not a requirement to take the classes, but experience is. Students who attend class should arrive with a solid understanding of 12-count compás (for soleá por bulerías and bulerías), as well as 4-count rhythms (for tangos). They should have technical proficiency to execute the components presented in classes. For example, dancers should be able to perform a redoble, but do NOT have to be masters at this at high speeds or in complicated combinations. Guitarists should have experience with rasgueado, but do NOT need to be masters at this. Singers should know when and be able to begin and end singing at the correct beats of music. These are just examples to give an idea of what constitutes experience as it pertains to readiness to learn in these classes.
This residency is meant to expand capabilities of a person who is on the road of mastery or expanding mastery, by gaining knowledge and experience that can be applied to situations outside of this residency. For this reason, technique and basic rhythm will not be taught as part of this residency. This is why it is important for participants to consider their experience level when joining classes. Technical skills and rhythm are still important. They can be practiced after the residency ends, in tandem with repeated use of the new knowledge and repertoire gained in these classes.
PROGRAM
Learn material to cover one new letra daily and use the material in a cuadro setting. Receive critique, suggestions, and new options for action and reaction in the cuadro.
Palos (not necessarily in this order):
Soleá por bulerías (the medium-speed song rather than the slow soleá that ends in bulerías)
Bulerías (style TBA)
Tangos (style TBA)
On Sept. 9-12, each meeting consists of two parts.
Part one – new material
- Participants meet for one hour in groups based on their discipline, with a teacher of their discipline to learn material. For example, guitarists meet together with a guitar teacher, without dancers and singers present.
- For example, dancers learn a llamada, pasos and a remate; singers learn a letra; guitarists learn chords and techniques to accompany the cante and dance (but not falsetas)
Part two – apply the new material, gain knowledge and experience
Following the 1-hour meeting participants gather together in a mixed-discipline session (i.e., dancers, singers, and guitarists all in one room), to use the new material.
Participants are matched so that one singer, one dancer, and one guitarist execute the material in a single group. Then, another group takes a turn, and another, etc.
Teachers give feedback, criticism, and offer insights for new opportunities to amplify performance in the cuadro. For example, a teacher might explain to a guitarist how to use a pulgar technique on a certain beat that he/she had not before accented, to recognize a moment of tension in the singer’s interpretation of the letra. Everyone present observes the lesson and can add it to the body of knowledge that each person pulls from when creating flamenco in the cuadro.
Ideally, participants apply the new material several times (AKA get several turns) during part two, during a generous 1.5-hour time period.
Sept. 21 class will be faster-paced.
Class format is similar to Sept. 9-12, but shortened into a single session that is 1.5 hours total (no split for discipline vs. group class – the entire class is a group class). As teaching and learning time is truncated, participants should be ready to absorb, react, and ask questions quickly. Palo will be bulerías de Jerez.
There is a performance component to this residency. A limited number of participants will be selected to perform at Red Light Café on Tuesday, Sept. 20, when resident artists La Macarena and Paco Fernández are also performing. This will be a ticketed performance for the general public to attend. Performance is not required, but it is strongly encouraged as a means of education by experience. A stipend will be paid to residency participants who perform on Sept. 20.
PRESENTER
This residency is produced by A Través, which is a non-profit (501c3) that connects flamenco artists from Spain with local American communities in projects that have deep connections and lasting effects through performance and education. Through our work, children and adults in the U.S.A. spend time with singers, dancers, and musicians from southern Spain while learning about language, lifestyle, and themselves, through interactions with people who want to share their artistic heritage. Projects build bridges that will change the future of those who choose to cross them – in both directions. Berdolé is kindly donating its registration service, and participants will be directed to that company´s website to pay tuition.
APPLICATION
Applications are due on Wednesday, August 31. Tuition is due on Friday, Sept. 2. After submitting applications, participants will be contacted after August 31, via the information provided on the application form, with instructions for paying tuition.