MULTI-TALENTED South Africa-based flamenco dancer, Linda Vargas, put up a sterling performance which enthralled the audience at Spanish Cultural Festival held at Reps Theatre in Belgravia, Harare, last week.
The festival opened with a flamenco dance workshop on the first day, while the second day was a commemoration of the Spanish Day at the ambassador’s house in the capital.
Flamenco is a dance art form which originated from the Gipsy community in Spain. Also known as baile, it is a mixture of Spanish, Arabic and African dance routines which have guitar accompaniment and singing.
Flamenco, which also encompasses lots of stamping, clapping, rhythm and singing, is listed with the United Nations as a Spanish World Heritage.
Vargas’ exhibition of flamenco dance had a highly fluid and seamlessly coordinated solos and group dance movements which glued the eyes of the audience to the stage.
The guitar music and the stamp dancing acts were highly in sync with the percussive drum.
The gorgeously-dressed dancers would either wiggle, wind their hands, slide and stamp their feet with hands held in an amazing way.
The prolific dancer, choreographer and producer, Vargas, said it takes a long time to produce an accomplished dancer.
- Mzansi dancer dazzles at Spanish culture fest
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Away from the dance floor, Vargas is also an author, lecturer and motivational speaker.
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style on the sidelines of the three-day Spanish Cultural Festival, Spanish ambassador to Zimbabwe, Natividad Pena-Bovilla, commended the immense growth in the country’s cultural industry.
Pena-Bovilla said the festival was meant to enrich their relationship with Zimbabwe through cultural exchange programmes.
“This festival is just one of the events on our cultural agenda as the Spanish embassy. This year alone, we have been very active in supporting cultural activities and we have enabled artists to take part in the Mitambo Theatre Festival, Jacaranda Festival and Shoko festival respectively,” she noted.
“We would like to strength the ties with Spain through the Spanish language development programme. We are working closely with the Women’s University in Zimbabwe in the teaching of Spanish language.”
In his opening remarks at the concert, Spanish deputy head of mission Diego Calatayud highlighted that their embassy brought the Mzansi dance company as part of their intangible and tangible heritage drive.
Calatayud thanked Vargas and her dance crew for popularising the Spanish flamenco dance which has resulted in her extensively touring the globe.
Prominent dance teacher, Debbie Flemming, who took part in the flamenco dance workshops, acknowledged that it was a mind-blowing experience which took her to another level of understanding the Spanish culture.
“The flamenco night was absolutely fabulous. I studied Spanish language and dances when I was at Cape Town University and tonight’s performance was just out of this world. The rhythm, the passion and feeling by the Linda Vargas was just brilliant,” she noted.
“We learnt the basics of the dance during the workshops and we wish to lobby for flamenco dance classes in the immediate foreseeable future.”
Theatre and dance director Zane Lucas described the flamenco dance showcase as a great experience which is inspirational to many.
