La Rosa Flamenco Dance Group

La Rosa’s exciting new pure Flamenco production that features new choreographies and a rotating cast of soloists, giving audiences a fresh take on the structure and spirit of the performance each night.

 
A peña is a regular social get-together of a group of flamenco locals within a community where each participant has the opportunity to practice their art in a relaxed, informal, spontaneous context. Membership of  peñas in Spain is often limited to people with an interest in and knowledge of flamenco, known as flamencos and aficionados, and it is a sought-after experience for those looking for a taste of authentic flamenco.
 
Highlights of this season include the two new pieces– the opening piece and a Fandangos de Huelva that have been facilitated by La Rosa’s Artistic Director Carolyn Holden, calling on the dancers to create short solos for themselves within each piece. There is enormous space for creativity and growth for the dancers, who, whilst improvising and choreographing, are responsible for their own connections with the singer and musicians onstage.

Dancers include Lisa Ventura, Luvuyo Simandla, Maria Cortes, Ndumiso Tafeni, Thandolwethu Sam, Ché Adams, and Deidré Jantjies. The  musical ensemble is headed by Bienyameen Camroodien on Flamenco guitar, with Robert Davids on cajón and percussion, Robert Jeffrey on guitar and cello, Heather Roth on flute and saxophone, and the vocals of Loreán Swartz supported by a vocal ensemble drawn from members of La Rosa’s Vocational Training Programme.

Peña Flamenca runs from 23 August to 1 September 2012 with shows Wednesday to Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2:30pm and 6pm and on Sunday at 3pm. Tickets cost from R55 to R65 with discounts for the Masque Theatre Club and booking via 021 788 1898 during office hours or email bookings@masquetheatre.co.za.  Tickets are also available at webtickets.co.za.

La Rosa is South Africa’s premier professional Flamenco and Spanish dance theatre performance company, also teaching and training Spanish dance at Community, school, recreational, tertiary levels. In 1997 La Rosa established its Education and Skills Development Programmes, focusing on making flamenco accessible to the youth, developing the artistic and technical skills of potential professionals and growing audiences across the broader socio-economic spectrum. Flamenco was recently acknowledged by UNESCO as a World Intangible Heritage and La Rosa’s work in South Africa over the past two decades has contributed to making this rich art form a staple of the South African cultural landscape.

Ché began Ballet at a very young age and completed all of her Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) examinations up to Intermediate level at the Ingrid Carlson School of Ballet. She started Spanish dancing classes at the Wilvan School of Dance with Veronica Williams at age 11. There, Ché achieved Distinctions for all her exams up to Tercer Año Estudiante Flamenco (Advanced) through the internationally-recognized Spanish Dance Society (SDS). Ché also achieved a Distinction for Dance Studies in Matric (2009), which she did as an 8^th subject at school. Ché has performed in various classical ballet productions, including Cape Town City Ballet’s The Nutcracker at The Artscape Theatre, as well as numerous Spanish productions at the Wilvan School of Dance.

In 2010, Ché, along with her mother and teacher, Carlyn Adams, opened her own Spanish Dance school, Tierra Flamenca Dance Studio. In 2011, she completed her Instructor de Baile (SDS) and is now a qualified teacher.

Over the years, Ché has developed a deep love for Flamenco dancing, and it is this love for the art form that has allowed her to further her Flamenco studies in Spain with some of the best flamenco dancers and teachers in the world.

Ché is a 19 year old Psychology and English student. It is her dream to launch her own professional dance company one day.