A lot has happened since the previous newsletter in March. Our
production of De Idas y Vueltas presented at the Fleck Dance Theatre April 24-27 is possibly our
strongest production to date. It was an uplifting experience for all the
artists involved who found tremendous pleasure in each other’s talents. The
audience response was loud and exuberant from beginning to end. I hope you were
there to be part of the experience. Also last spring I was one of the
three artists recognized by my peers and the Toronto Arts Foundation as a
finalist for the William Kilbourn Award recognizing my contribution to Toronto’s
cultural life. Philip Akin, Artistic Director of Obsidian Theatre was the
2014 recipient.
And now a busy summer has passed, fall has been
glorious and full of activities and winter lies ahead. How did that happen so
quickly? Summer of course is festival time and the company made
appearances in July at the Unity Festival in Markham and Barrie’s 5th annual
Rhythmfest in August where I was honoured, along with steel pannist Earl St.
Pierre, for our contributions to Canadian dance and music. Of course the
summer would not be complete without our annual performances at Hispanic Fiesta
at Mel Lastman Square. At this, our 33rd year at the festival, the
Hispanic Canadian Heritage Council presented me with the Pioneers Award
in Art and Dance. This was another humbling acknowledgement for doing
what I love, sharing flamenco and Spanish dance. Thank you to all who
came out to see us at these events.
Fall has been a whirlwind starting with a
flamenco flash mob in conjunction with the Bienal de Flamenco de
Sevilla. A crew of Toronto dancers performed in front of 401 Richmond
St. W. for Nuit Blanche on Oct 4 (Watch Here) and
across from Dundas Square the following day. We had a lot of fun bringing
flamenco to the streets. It has also been a great experience for me to
perform with singer Roxanna for
a fundraising event at Fallsview Casino and a concert at The Opera House on
Queen St. E. One final performance with Roxanna will be on November 5th for
Princess Margaret Hospital.
On November 6-9 Older and
Reckless presents the opening performances of its 15th season.
I will join some stellar artists on stage for this special program of dance
with live music at the Berkeley St. Theatre. The following week on Thursday,
November 13 the whole company heads to the Milton
Centre for the Arts where we will present Flamenco
in Concert in the Mattamy Theatre. We hope to see some familiar faces
in the audience for these shows. The month of November concludes with my
appearance in the Opera in Concert production
of Manuel de Falla's La Vida Breve on November 30 at the St.
Lawrence Centre for the Arts.
Rehearsals have begun for our Toronto
performances April 24-26, 2015 at the Fleck Dance Theatre. We will have
some wonderful surprises for you in this production called Letters to
Spain. Tickets are on sale now at 416-973-4000 or online.
As you know our studio at 401 Richmond Street West
in Toronto is home to both Esmeralda
Enrique Spanish Dance Company and the Academy of
Spanish Dance. It has been a pleasure for myself, company dancers, and students to
dance here 7 days a week for almost 20 years. We calculated that our
floor is danced on for 30,000 hours each year making that 600,000 hours to
date. Needless to say the floor badly needs replacing. This is a costly
endeavour ($20,000) so we need your help so everyone can keep on dancing
safely. The first event to launch our fundraising campaign will be hosted
by board member and ASD student Kersti Abawi at her home in Oakville on Friday,
December 5 and you are invited. Please see the details and invitation
when you scroll down. Of course not all of you live in the GTA and some
of you may not be able to join us for this fabulous evening of fun, food and
flamenco but it is still possible to make a contribution through Canada Helps.
Thank you as always for your interest and support.
We all look forward to seeing you at an event or performance in the weeks and
months ahead.
Saludos cordiales,
Esmeralda Enrique
, Artistic Director
Current and Upcoming Events!
September 6 - December 20 - Fall Term at ASD
October 21 & 22, November 5 - Esmeralda performs with Roxanna at Niagara Falls Casino, The Opera House and Princess Margaret Hospital
November 6-9 - Esmeralda performs at Older & Reckless, Berkeley Street Theatre
November 13 - EESDC presents Flamenco in Concert, Milton Centre for the Arts
November 30 - Esmeralda performs with Opera in Concert's producction of La Vida Breve, St. Lawrence Centre, 2pm
December 10 - ASD students perform in Opera by Request's production of Luisa Fernanda
Flamenco Flash Mob Toronto
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