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BILLY SUTER
LOVERS of flamenco music and dance have a treat lined up for 7pm on Saturday, March 23, when Durban’s Linda Vargas troupe performs at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Jazz and Popular Music.
The show, Latin Heat & Flamenco, will feature Vargas’s flamenco guitar master husband, Demi Fernandez, and their Spain-based dancer son, Ramon Fernandez, as special guests.
Flamenco, in its purist form. comprises three elements: dance (baile), singing (cante) and guitar (guitarra). Latin Heat & Flamenco features dancing by the Linda Vargas Flamenco Dance Company.
Ramon will be accompanied by the true flamenco “cante” (singing) of internationally acclaimed performer Domingo Ortega. Domingo was born in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, and his performance with Ramon is a coup for Durban audiences.
Domingo grew up surrounded by flamenco and is regarded as one of Spain’s finest performers. He has toured with his own company since 1995 and continues to perform in Spain as well as around the world in countries such as Italy, Japan, Venezuela, Israel, Russia and Senegal (where he has been named a citizen of honour). This will be his first performance as cantaor in South Africa.
Providing the music will be Demi Fernandez alongside Neil Gonsalves on piano and Martin Sigamoney (sax and flute) Bryan Stone (percussion) Riley Giandhari (drums) and Micale Maduray (bass).
Tickets for this show by the Linda Vargas Flamenco Dance Company, which celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2018, cost R150 each and will only be on sale for cash at the door on the night of the performance – entrance will be on strictly first come first serve basis.
Domingo Ortega is in South Africa courtesy of Alianza Flamenca, a non profit organisation which brought him to Johannesburg to teach a Flamenco Seminar which was held at the National School of the Arts from the 15-20 March.
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