Wellington Flamenco
Jill Tanner-Lloyd - Flamenco Teacher and Dancer
Welcome to my flamenco dance webpage where you will find all details on classes that I teach in Wellington, the people I work with, information on performances (past, present and future) and links to flamenco people and activities.
Esencia del Flamenco, Circa Theatre, 31 Jan - 5 Feb
Proudly sponsored by the Embassy of Spain in New Zealand
We are very excited to bring our next show - Esencia del Flamenco - to Wellington in 2012 (Jan 31 through to Feb 5). The show is a collaboration between our group, Desde Sevilla Flamenco Dance company, and a talented singer/guitar duo currently based in Barcelona, Cristina Lopez Gomez and Paul Bosauder. Cristina and Paul both study flamenco at a conservatorium in Barcelona, while performing almost nightly at various venues around the city.
Read more about Cristina Lopez Gomez and Paul Bosauder.
Read more about show Esencia del Flamenco and Desde Sevilla Flamenco Dance company.
For information about classes please email me at jill@wellingtonflamenco.co.nz
"Flamenco has given me a language, a way to discover myself, to get to know myself." Eva Yerbabuena interview 9/3/2009. Read the full interview - www.esflamenco.com
ESPÍRITU FLAMENCO
The Flamenco spirit connects with its Eastern roots
"The pulsating, mesmeric rhythms of the Fiesta Finale bring the entire cast back on stage in a whirl of energy and colour, and remind us that through dancing, one can glimpse an essential humanity, a material presence." (Jo Thorpe, Reviewer, Theatreview, 21 Nov 2009).
ESPÍRITU FLAMENCO played to full houses November 2009 in Circa Two, Wellington. Huge thanks to Mark Edwards and Helene Garland for their collaboration and commitment in building the show with me. The flamenco students and Zilzal Tribal Bellydance also need acknowledging for their hard work, as do Alan Burden, Torsten Hakasson and Richard Lucy.
Read the full reviews: Jo Thorpe - Theatreview. Jennifer Shennan - DomPost.
Poster Design: Kathryn Taylor Image: Michael Edge-Perkins
Flamenco in Wellington
Vibrant Community
Wellington has had a vibrant Flamenco community for many years. Local teachers, having studied abroad, established dance classes for all ages and performed on stage across the region and beyond. Visiting flamenco artists have fed the enthusiasm of the community and wider audiences, while the local Peńa at Crossways has brought flamenco and other latin cultures together to dance, sing, jam and have fun.
Emphasis on Learning
While the classes focus on dance, students also learn about the other important elements of flamenco that form part of the whole experience: working with live guitar, understanding the cante (singing), supporting other dancers with jaleo (calling out), learning to provide percussive support with palmas (hand clapping).
The classes are inclusive - I invite anyone with a desire to learn this artform to come along and give it a go. There is no syllabus, no exams, no certificates, but that doesn't mean you won't work hard!
They are also about connecting people; creating a sense of community where students work together, support each other, make new friends and be part of a group.
Visiting Artists
Wellington has had its fair share of visiting flamenco artists over the years; from the well-known - Paco Pena, Eva Yerbabuena, Spanish National Ballet, Carmen Linares and Antonio Vargas, to the earthy intensity of Francine Sweet's gypsy flamencos from Jerez performing with her in "Tierra Flamenco" last year. Wellington audiences have certainly appreciated and strongly supported these artists.
New Zealand audiences are also amazing when it comes to supporting their own. As part of the local flamenco group Desde Sevilla Flamenco Dance Company, I have always been struck by the level of enthusiasm and support people had for what we were doing - whether it was La Casa de Bernarda Alba, The Fire of Spain, or most recently our tribute to the Spanish Civil War.
Workshops
Flamenco students here in Wellington, and around the country, have taken advantage of the workshops and masterclasses offered by some of those visiting artists. Since 2000, Antonio Vargas and then Francine Sweet have both contributed their time, energy and creativity to the local community. Last year we were treated to both a workshop with Francine and a masterclass with Jonatan Miro, who travelled with her to perform in Tierra Flamenca. It was great to experience the different styles.
Comments From Students
"Jill is the driving force behind flamenco here. We're so lucky to have such an amazing and generous teacher and performer in Wellington." -- Kathryn Taylor
""For me Flamenco is stimulating, absorbing and the best cardio workout you can get. I love the rhythms; the flamenco sounds unlock something in my mind which is somehow liberating, and although I have found the dance a huge challenge, it is truly satisfying when some bits start to come together!! I am looking forward to another year of fun, hard work and comraderie!" -- Ann Edge
"We are very lucky to have guitarists accompanying our classes and performances - this really helps us to get a feel for the music with all its complex rhythms. Opportunities to perform come up regularly and these are a great way of sharing what we have learned, and a good incentive to make sure you know the dance inside and out!" -- Dairne Grant
Resumé
My Background
I have been involved in flamenco for 25 years, learning in New Zealand in the early 1980’s, then in London where I learnt from Jose Garcia, Rosario Serrano and Maribel de la Manchega. I travelled to Spain for workshops and summer schools; taking classes with Ciro, Carmen Cortes and Maria Magdelena at Amor de Dios in Mardrid, Torombo in Sevilla, and Angelita Gomez in Jerez.
I returned to New Zealand 10 years ago and immediately became involved with fellow flamencos Helene and Jessica Garland, Mark Edwards and Jamie King - from which Desde Sevilla Flamenco Dance Company grew.
Performing with Desde Sevilla, most recently "The Cry of Spain" in 2006, has been a fantastic experience. With every new show we strived to create a dance experience that pushed the boundaries of our creativity and audiences pre-conceived notions of what flamenco is as an artform.
Rather than giving the traditional flamenco performance, we wanted to tell new stories, create new choreography, experiment with the music, and use lighting effectively to build a strong connection between theatre, drama and dance.
Recent Performance History
- 2006 - The Front Room, Wellington "The Cry of Spain"
- 2004 - Wellington Performing Arts Centre, Wellington "Flamenco Mosaic"
- 2002 - Convention Centre Theatre, Rotorua "Encuentros Flamencos"
- 2001 - No 5 Cable Street (Old Ambulance Building), Wellington "The House of Bernarda Alba"
- 2001 - Circa Theatre Studio "The Fire of Spain"
- 2001 - Royal Opera House, Wanganui "The Fire of Spain"
- 2000 - The Great Hall, Arts Centre, Christchurch "Flamenco Fire in Winter"
Other Work
I have been very fortunate to have worked in an advisory capacity on a range of productions over the years.
- 2008 - The Royal New Zealand Ballet Season of "Don Quixote"
- 2008 - St. Catherine's College, Kilbirnie "Blood Wedding", Garcia Lorca
- 2004 - The Conservatorium of Music (now the New Zealand School of Music) "Goyescas", Granados. Director - Flora Edwards
- 2004 - Wellington Performing Arts Centre "Blood Wedding", Garcia Lorca. Director - Irene Wood
- 2002 - Raphael House "Blood Wedding", Garcia Lorca. Director - Johathan Hendry
Contact Me
If you have any questions about flamenco in Wellington, my classes, or you require choreographic help on your theatre/stage/dance production, please contact me.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Links
- www.danz.org.nz Dance Aoteaora New Zealand - great resource for information about dance in New Zealand - events, workshops, and articles.
- www.flamenco-world.com Flamenco-world - great resource for music, videos, shoes, dresses and accessories, and news about flamenco events worldwide.
- www.wpac.org.nz Wellington Performing Arts Centre
Zilzal Tribal Bellydance
Zilzal Tribal Bellydance specializes in American Tribal Style (ATS) group improvisation. ATS is a modern bellydance form, drawing influences from Flamenco and Indian dances as well as from the dances of the Middle East and North Africa. The name "Zilzal" is Arabic for "earthquake", a reflection of Wellington's distinctive geological climate. Zilzal Tribal Bellydance is a performance group of fluid membership which grew out of the Sunday tribal jam sessions founded in 2005.
Founder Ziva (Sylvia Edge-Perkins) has been studying bellydance since 2000. She is passionate about the American Tribal Style improvisational format and has taken certification training with its originator, Carolena Nericcio of FatChanceBellyDance. With her colleague and teacher E-Lysaah, Ziva co-ordinates and teaches tribal style bellydance classes in the Wellington area. Contact zivadoestricks@gmail.com for more information.