A Través was one of several collaborators who organized a week-long series of events in Atlanta that explored the African origins of Flamenco on Oct. 29 – Nov, 2, 2018.  A live performance, film screenings, a book talk, dance and rhythm classes, and discussions with scholars, artists, and community members exposed little-known historical perspectives and some newly theorized pathways of development in the art of Flamenco.

The series began with a live performance by London-born dancer Yinka Esi Graves, who now lives in Seville and tours the world sharing her expression of Flamenco, which reflects connections that she has found between that art form and others.  Seville native Alfonso Cid accompanied her on vocals, and Cádiz native Juan Pedro Jiménez accompanied the dancer on guitar.  The performance took place before a sold-out crowd on October 29 , 2018 at Red Light Café, in Midtown Atlanta.

Yinka is featured in the film Gurumbé – Afro-Andalusian Memories, a work by Miguel Ángeles Rosales, of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.  The film explores the omission of slavery in the history of Spain and the connection of that void to the development of art forms, such as Flamenco.  Yinka and the director traveled to the University of North Georgia, where the Spanish department presented a screening of the film, accompanied by a class taught by Yinka and a discussion with students, the dancer, and the director.  Dr. Alvaro Torres-Calderon organized the afternoon event, which took place on October 30, 2018, before a full house in the sceening room.

During the week, Yinka taught several dance classes to kids and adults across metro Atlanta, including at Gallery 992, where Music in the Park organized a morning of art for the community, the Decatur Recreation Center, and Glennwood Elementary School.  With a focus on rhythm and natural movement, students united in dancing in a circle and making choices about connecting movement and expression.  She proved again, in the words of Lisa Vash Herman, “Flamenco is for everyone, and we all have the tools to  express it.”

The series wrapped up on November 2, with a book talk by Meira Goldberg, Ed.D., in the Rialto lobby at Georgia State University. The talk, presented by the GSU School of Music, drew listeners to connect the origin of the concept of race  to the omission of the presence of African artists in the history of Flamenco. She explores such topics in the lens of modern race theory in her new book Sonidos Negros: In the Blackness of Flamenco. With the help of Anthony Knight of The Baton Foundation, Meira led a community discussion following a second screening of Gurumbé, which took place at the Auburn Avenue Research Library in Atlanta.

Copies of the film are now part of the permanent archives at both the University of North Georgia Spanish Department and the Auburn Avenue Research Library. We encourage the public to visit these institutions to make arrangements to view the film.