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Cross-cultural flamenco production tells personal story through dance, music

Indian, Spanish influences seen in Nritya , coming Sept. 26 to Glenlyon Norfolk School theatre
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Nritya is an intimate, powerful production that explores the mysteries, origins and nuances of flamenco as they relate to its early history in India. La Caramelita Flamenco opens its Western Canadian tour of the production Sept. 26 at the Glenlyon Norfolk School’s Denford Hall. Photo contributed

Fans of flamenco can experience a different spin on the art form on Sept. 26 at Glenlyon Norfolk School’s Denford Hall.

Bordeaux, France-based La Caramelita Flamenco Company presents Nritya, an intimate, powerful production that explores the mysteries, origins and nuances of flamenco as they relate to its early history in India.

La Caramelita artistic director and dancer Deborah Dawson, a native Vancouverite who now lives in Bordeaux with her husband, flamenco singer Alejandro Mendía, calls Nritya a “musical tapestry that showcases both multiculturalism and the power of plurality.”

“We have used existing parallels between two cultures to tell the story of an immigrant family and an artist connected to a seemingly distant art form,” she says.

“As a first generation Canadian, born to Malaysian parents of Indian descent, it was a struggle to find my identity. I stumbled upon flamenco in my early teens and soon found out it has some of its roots in India. The idea that I had come full circle, studying an art form that shared the same background as my family, fueled me to move to Spain, the birthplace of flamenco.”

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The 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26 stop at Glenlyon opens a six-show tour in B.C. and Alberta for the company. Tickets, $35 and $30 in advance, can be purchased online at caravanbc.com, in person at Munro’s or Ivy’s bookstores or by calling 1-604-241-7292. If available, tickets at the door will be $5 more.

Find more information on the company at lacaramelita-flamenco.com.



editor@mondaymag.com

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