PineCone & NC Museum of History present Flamenco Comes Alive! with Carlota Santana

May 23, 2011 - PRLog -- Ever wonder how they play those castanets, or how flamenco dancers make the sounds with their feet (zapateado) and keep time with those amazing rhythmic handclaps (palmas)? Carlota Santana will lead a workshop to teach some of the secrets behind the art of flamenco, as well as its history and cultural significance. Audience participation is encouraged in this program – you can try some of the steps and rhythms yourself! Santana has traveled throughout the United States for 27 years with her company introducing the pride, passion and discipline of the flamenco art form to children and adults alike.

The Music of the Carolinas series concludes this season with the Flamenco Comes Alive program on Sunday, June 12 at 3 p.m. at the NC Museum of History. Santana is on the faculty of Duke University and has taught at Long Island and New York Universities. She is also a recipient of a choreographer fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council. If you've ever marveled at the playing of castanets, or how flamenco dancers make the sounds with their feet (zapateado) and keep time with those amazing rhythmic handclaps (palmas), or if you're just curious about the art and history of Flamenco dance, this is one program you won't want to miss!

Santana is the Artistic Director and Founder of Flamenco Vivo, which is dedicated to creating new works and developing young artists and choreographers. She has dedicated her company to the mission of building bridges between cultures using the universal spirit of flamenco. Recognized by the New York Times as a leading force in flamenco's current popularity, Santana uses Spanish dance and flamenco to break down cultural barriers through the performance of new works, arts-in-education programs, and community residencies.

Flamenco Vivo conducts several educational programs each year, known collectively as Project Olé. Santana created the company's innovative arts education program, integrating Spanish dance and culture with the school curriculum. This program is part of the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County's Artists in the Schools program and the North Carolina Arts Council's Touring Artist Directory.

Santana founded Flamenco Vivo in 1983 with Roberto Lorca. It was their vision to create a permanent home for Spanish dance in the U.S. and to provide an environment in which its creation and performance would thrive. Lorca passed away in 1987, an early victim of the AIDS epidemic. Santana was determined to carry on their work. Under Ms. Santana's direction, the Company has expanded its repertory by presenting new music, dramatic works, and a mixture of various dance vocabularies, as well as by integrating Hispanic-American influences.

Audience participation is encouraged in this program – you can try some of the steps and rhythms yourself! Santana has traveled throughout the United States for 27 years with her company introducing the pride, passion and discipline of the flamenco art form to children and adults alike.

The program begins at 3 p.m. in the NC Museum of History’s Daniels Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public, and program notes will be provided. Large-print program notes will also be available. To learn more about this and other free concerts, visit http://www.pinecone.org.

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PineCone—the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, is a private, nonprofit, charitable membership organization dedicated to preserving, presenting and promoting traditional music, dance and other folk performing arts.