The Pearl Company

Flamenco Tablao / Cante Plazuela: Saturday, December 5. 8:00pm. $20. Kim Macedo (an Oakville / Jerez de la Frontera based artist) brings a “LIBRE” Gyspy Flamenco style to The Pearl Company, the result of studying improvisational Flamenco with Andalusian gypsy artists and mentors.  Flamenco is the complex coming together of Moor, Gypsy and Jewish cultures of the Andalusian landscape. These cultures fused together lend each their own rich colour and emotion to the already rich folkloric art of Andalusia. At a time when repression was high in Spain , Flamenco thrived in private fiestas and in the caves of Sacromonte in Granada. This is the spirit that Cante Plazuela / Flamenco Tablao brings!
The players are : Manuel Moneo Carrasco a Jerez gypsy singer from the barrios of the Plazuela and San Miguel. Jose Vega Jurado a world class concert guitarist from Cadiz, based in Toronto. Carla Soto a viviacious and exhuberent Toronto based dancer with Venezuelan roots, and Kim Macedo an intense gypsy style dancer, inspired in the juergas (jam sessions) of Jerez – with their distinct love of Flamenco, invite you into their evening of heart wrenching song and percussive dance and guitar conversations. Take a look: https://youtu.be/JMeyl8dStjQ

Kim Macedo is an Oakville / Jerez de la Frontera based artist, Her “LIBRE” Gyspy Flamenco style is a result of studying improvisational Flamenco with Andalusian gypsy artists and mentors. She is especially grateful to Ana Maria López, Pepe Torres Fernando Jimenez, Miguel Angel Heredía, Carmen Herrera and Harumi Hata, who are her constant sources of reference and inspiration. Cante (song) is a strong basis of Flamenco for Kim and she has spent years studying cante and its relation to dance. In Toronto Kim performs at La Rev in a Tablao setting, and in Jerez she has an ongoing contract at El Guitarrón de San Pedro. In Jerez which is the birthplace of Bulerías, Kim is an avid participant in the fiestas, ferias and private juerga (improv jam sessions) of Jerez. These fiestas and session are where spontaneous bulerias are highly respected and celebrated. Here Kim enjoys performing by invitation of local artists. This is the setting where she hones her craft and perfects her fiesta style bulerías, which she says is her favourite of all dances. You can check out Kim?s Flamenco blog at http://sanmiguel-jerez.blogspot.ca/.

José Vega’s passion for flamenco began 20 years ago in his hometown of Cadiz, Spain.  At 16 years old, José began performing in the flamenco bars and tablaos of Cadiz, and throughout Andalusia.  He is an accomplished guitarist and powerful expressionist and has performed in the most prestigious peñas and tablaos in Spain, including Peña la Perla de Cadiz, Tablao Cordobes (Barcelona) and Casa Patas (Madrid).  He has accompanied some of flamenco’s top artists including Andres Peña, Marco Flores and Carmen Jara.  José has also accompanied numerous workshops with artists such as Isabel Bayón, and Ramón Martínez. José has also had international success performing in the International Music Festival of Qatar, and the Montreal Flamenco Festival, and the Luminato Festival in Toronto.  José recently moved to Canada where he performs with various flamenco companies including the Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company. José has performed in shows across Canada such as “Mezquita”, in Vancouver, “Imagines” in Calgary, and “Spain Meets Canada”, in Saskatoon

CARLA SOTO: Venezuelan Flamenco dancer, comes from a musical Cuban-Spanish family. She started dancing at young age in Caracas. She discovered Flamenco at the age of 20 and realised that it was the true musical form of movement and expression she was looking for. She studied it at Passion Flamenca Dance Academy and became part of their Dance Company. She moved to England and her passion for Flamenco allowed her to travel and develop her technique in Andalusia, London, Edinburgh, and Miami. Carla performed in the North East of the UK. She also toured in Estonia and was invited to dance at Lorca’s Art Exhibition in Malaga, Spain. She currently trains at Maria Serrano Flamenco Dance Academy and has attended Intensive Dance Workshops by Spanish masters. Carla has been one of the dancers of the Collective Flamenco Group ‘Flamenguitos Del Norte’ and performed in the first Montreal Flamenco Festival and Vancouver Flamenco Festival.