Interview
Revealing musical links between Latin, Africa and Spain via the various mediums, Paco Pena’s new production ‘Flamenco Sin Fronteras’ is a vibrant exploration of music and dance.
Featuring three Flamenco dancers and eight virtuoso musicians and singers, Pena has painted a beautiful picture of the emergence of new styles and how they impacted on Flamenco as we know it today. There is intensity, depth and a raw energy that audiences have come to expect with Paco’s work but at its heart, it is a piece to be enjoyed by your eyes and ears.
Q: Describe your show in 5 words? Reaching for core essential emotions.
Q: This show is about flamenco - how does that dance make you feel? Flamenco is a musical culture based on very strong and very special traditions; all its disciplines are wonderfully expressive - the dance, the music and the flamenco song - and I love them all. The fact is Flamenco companies have nearly always been led by dancers, so being a guitarist and the leader of such a group is not common and it may confuse some. However, I love the dance as much as every aspect of this unique expression.
Q: How would you teach this dance to someone who had never danced before? There are many 'steps' to follow (funny pun) and they require discipline, time to 'rub' against the whole flamenco world and, above all, love and dedication. But it is sensual, intricate and liberating, so I encourage all to join in.
Q: If you weren't doing this, what else could you imagine doing? Flamenco chose me as much as I can say I chose it, so I can't possibly leave it or think of doing anything else instead.
Q: How is dance different in Australia as opposed to your home in Spain? I cannot pretend to know enough about Australian habits or disposition for getting up and dance. But I would like to think that the spirit of flamenco can inspire all people including Australians to get up and let go.
Q: So you are a guitarist, composer, dramatist, producer and artistic mentor - that is many skills. Do you have a favourite? I am simply a guitarist, a flamenco musician; and when I get on the stage I use any and all means at my disposal to try to move people, to stir them and make them engage with my musical world in a way that makes them feel that they discover something new and meaningful.
See Paco Pena and his show ‘Flamenco Sin Fronteras’ for one night only Saturday July 23 at the Playhouse QPAC.
