Centuries of influences have made flamenco what it is today. The emigration of gypsies from India and their migration have shaped flamenco as much as the siege of Spain by the Moors and the "cultural exchange" with South America. In 2010, flamenco was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And flamenco continues to evolve.
Compañia Flamenco Solera also combines traditional "flamenco puro" with modern and jazzy elements. Virtuoso singing, passionate dancing, carried by the rhythms of the guitar, clapping and percussion merge together. From the first guitar notes, the intensity on stage and in the audience is palpable. The essence of flamenco: love, death, joy, are palpable in every sound of the musicians and the drumming of the feet. The flamenco expression of an attitude towards life.
Isabel Alvarez. The likeable singer was born in Dortmund, but comes from a Sevillian family in which flamenco has always played an important role. As a young girl she began to dance flamenco and learned from various greats of the Spanish flamenco scene. In the 80s she had numerous performances with her group "Sangre Gitana". Even today she likes to dance a "Bata por Buleria" (happy, fast dance style) at concerts. At the beginning of the 90s she moves back to Sevilla. There she discovers singing for herself. In 2000 she founded the small ensemble "Enea", which consists of three singers. Today they still perform together at ferias, weddings and in flamenco bars in Seville. In Germany, it is impossible to imagine the current flamenco scene without them.
Rubio Montero comes from Cádiz and began composing his own pieces at the age of 13. So he is not only a virtuoso expressive singer but also a very experienced guitarist. For many years now he has enriched the flamenco scene all over Germany with his extensive knowledge of traditional and modern flamenco singing. But he also makes excursions into the world of jazz, for example with the percussionist Jorge Palomo. He himself is a master of the "Cante jondo" and gives the Compañia Flamenco Solera with his singing all the depth that makes up the "Flamenco Puro".
Already in his youth, Rainer Hawelka became enthusiastic about flamenco during many stays in Spain, until he finally began studying flamenco guitar himself in 1978. He completed his musical training with renowned artists in Spain as well as in Germany. At home and abroad he accompanies flamenco greats such as Toni El Pelao, Ciro, Juana Amaya, Javier Baron, Mariquilla at workshops as well as on stage. Rainer Hawelka also soon begins to write his own compositions: For the flamenco group Danza Fuego he creates the Alegria "Aires del Fuente Vaqueros" (available on the CD "Homenaje a F. G. Lorca"). He is also the first and only lecturer in flamenco dance accompaniment at the Mannheim University of Music and Art.
For some time now, "Flamenco Solera" has been reinforced by the thoroughbred musician Juanin de Ildefonso Garcia. He started playing the flute at the age of eight. Born in Salamanca in 1988, he came into contact with flamenco at an early age: during the long car journeys between Salamanca and his parents' home village, the family always listened to the music of well-known flamenco musicians such as Camaron de la Isla and Paco de Lucia. This left a lasting impression on him. He made his first flamenco stage experiences with the flamenco group "Entregatos" from Salamanca. Later he took master classes with Jorge Pardo, currently the most famous flutist in Spain, and the guitarist Gerardo Nuñez. Juanin's way of playing is influenced by jazz elements; his flute sounds very young, fresh and modern. A few years ago he finally moved to Germany, where he continued his studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt in the class of the well-known flutist Thaddeus Watson. Luckily for "Flamenco Solera", which he now musically complements!
Inspired by Brazilian music and its rhythms, percussionist Marie Bechtolf founded the band "Beleza!?" after her university semester in Salvador, Brazil in 2009/10, with whom she performs all over Germany. Furthermore she is a teacher at the "Trommelpalast" in Mannheim. For some time now she has also discovered her love for flamenco. First as a dance student and now also as a percussionist. So she supports "Flamenco Solera" with her rhythmic know-how especially with the cajon, which is hard to imagine modern flamenco without.
Sandro Novarini Montero also has flamenco in his blood - he is the son of a Spanish flamenco singer and dancer. His talent was discovered at the age of four by the famous dancer "Toni el Pelao". From him Sandro gets his first professional dancing boots. At just five years of age, he is on stage dancing "Bulerias" in the traditional "Fin de Fiesta". He completed his dance training with renowned artists such as Juan Antonio Fernandez Montoya "El Barullo",Juana Amaya, Maria Serrano, to name a few. His dance style is unique: power combined with feeling and precision give his expressive "Soniquete" (sound of his footwork) the special touch! At home and abroad he has participated in numerous projects, including the annual "Flamenco Festival Fino" in Bad Homburg, the groups "Tierra y Luz", "Los Carmonas" and many more.
German and rather dark blond, Silke Beck is an unusual appearance as a flamenco dancer - but at the latest after the first movements her "germanic origin" is forgotten. The love for flamenco dancing hits her like a bolt from the blue. She starts an education with well-known artists like Juana Amaya, Mariquilla, Joaquin Ruiz, Fernando Galan and Leonor Leal. Besides numerous performances at home and abroad, she gets an engagement of several months at the Staatstheater Karlsruhe for the opera "LaVida Breve" and participates in the last German tour of Toni "El Pelao". For many years she has been teaching flamenco dance at the "Tanzwerkstatt Darmstadt", the "Tanzszene Frankfurt" and the "Ballettstudio Marion Balzer" in Frankfurt. She also holds dance workshops throughout Germany.
Vocals: Isabel Alvarez, Rubio Montero
Guitar: Rainer Hawelka
Transverse flute: Juanin de Ildefonso Garcia
Percussion: Marie Bechtolf
Dance: Sandro Novarini Montero, Silke Beck & Cuadro Flamenco
Text source and more information about this event:
http://www.gallustheater.de/
