Spanish Gems

The passion and excitement of Spanish dance and music lights up the Flushing Town Hall stage with the world premiere of Spanish Gems, performed by Gabriela Granados and her American Bolero Dance Company. Electric instrumental and vocal solos, exquisite costumes, and some of the most beautiful music ever written accompany this feast of Spanish dance, ranging in style from Flamenco to classical.

Spanish Gems brings acclaimed choreographer/dancer Granados together with a dynamic international cast of five dancers, three singers, and three musicians from Spain, South America and the United States. Highlights of the evening include:

“El Amor Inconstante” (Fickle Love), a short dramatic ballet set to the “Siete Canciones Populares Espanolas” by Manuel de Falla. Baritone Peter Castaldi, hailed by The New York Times as “moving” and “powerful, provides the dramatic context for Granados’ dancing and choreography.

Dancer Ricardo Marquez solos in “Solea por Buleria,” a virtuoso flamenco tour de force that showcases the artist’s virility and speedy footwork.

Mezzo-soprano Darcy Dunn is featured in two arias from the lush romantic opera Goyescas, while Spanish Classical dancer Lola Arcedo interprets Granados’ evocative choreography, “Solo Goya,” based on Goya’s legendary painting of the Duchess of Alba.

Rarely seen on American stages, the “Jota” is a vibrant folk dance from the northern regions of Spain. In “Viva Navarra!” Granados and Marquez pair off for the first time to show audiences their versatility and mastery of this traditional folk dance.

Granados is featured in the solo “Romeras,” renowned for the dancer’s use of the Bata de Cola (long train dress). The New York Times hailed Granados’ performance of this traditional flamenco dance as “stunning” and “a tour de force.”

“Granada,” set to the beloved masterpiece of Mexican composer Agustin Lara brings together the classical and flamenco singers in a passionate rendering of this popular song.

Backstage called Gabriella Granados “a choreographer with an authenticity that is clearly evident,” and this vision is seen in her “Sevilla,” a world premiere for five dancers to the music of Isaac Albeniz, performed in the vocabulary of Escuela Bolera.