The Nutcracker is a holiday classic that has been loved by people from all over the world since 1892. Imagine the production with a Spanish twist!
TMJ4's Andrea Williams sat down with local artist Karensa DeMars to discuss The Flamenco Nutcracker.
"Thank you so much for being here. I'm excited to hear more about this beautiful take on The Nutcracker. Tell us more," Andrea began.
Watch: Bringing a Spanish twist to a holiday classic.
"So, The Flamenco Nutcracker is a re-imagining of the classic Nutcracker story, but through the lens of Flamenco music and dance. The production features live music and is a bilingual program, with most of the lyrics in Spanish," said DeMars.
Karensa DeMars, Artistic Director of Studio K Flamenco, came up with the idea after taking her daughter to see the traditional Nutcracker.
"I thought, wouldn't it be fun to have a Flamenco Nutcracker... and the first thing I thought of was to have the music of the Sugar Plum Fairy, but accompanied by castanets. That’s where it all began, and it has just evolved from there," she said.
Flamenco is a passionate art form, known for its music, dance, and as an icon of Spanish culture.
"It really is an incredible art form. The guitarist we’re bringing this year, Andrés Vadin, is actually a native of Havana, Cuba, and he’s a Latin Grammy nominee."
This is the fifth year of the production, and each year the performers change.
"So this year, I have dancer Manuel Gutierrez, who’s coming from Spain, and a really amazing percussionist, Diego Alvarez, who’s Venezuelan but coming from LA. He’s a Latin Grammy Award-winning percussionist," explained DeMars.
The music is deeply rooted in Spanish history, and its evolution is full of anecdotes and fascinating stories.
"If you haven’t seen Flamenco before, it’s really a journey. The music is very passionate, and the costumes are elaborate... When we see Flamenco shows, as Flamenco artists, we participate. We yell out 'ole' and clap whenever we feel like it," explained DeMars.
Watch: Behind the scenes on Andrea Williams' Flamenco Nutcracker interview:
Excited to see her perform, Andrea invited Karensa to show off her skills. "Alright, well, we can't have you here in full costume and not have you perform for our audience. So, if you don’t mind..." Karensa replied, "I'd love to."
The event is happening on Saturday, December 7th with performances at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at 901 15th Avenue in South Milwaukee. For ticket information follow this link.
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