The personal soul-searing passion of flamenco will be explored in a dance performance by a University of Rochester alumna at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 5, in the Dance Studio of Spurrier Hall on the River Campus.
In "Soñando Flamenco" ("Flamenco Dream"), Rebecca Thomas brings together her experiences with flamenco to demonstrate the fiery artistic forces that permeate the imagination.
The performance begins with a flamenco-style lullaby that rocks a child into a dream world, spanning flamenco's roots and rhythms and the pain and joy at the core of this art. Using a wide variety of music and dance, Thomas's flamenco dance is complemented by a poetry reading from Federico García Lorca's "Poema del Cante Jondo" ("Deep Song Poem") as well as guitar and percussion accompaniment.
Thomas is a 1999 graduate of the University, where she studied religion and classics and Spanish and also completed a provisional teaching certificate in secondary Spanish from the Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development. After graduation, Thomas left for Granada, Spain, where she studied flamenco music and dance. She has presented flamenco programs and performances both locally and in Spain.
"Flamenco Dream" is presented by the Program of Movement and Dance. Admission is $7 for the general public and $5 for students. For more information, call (585) 273-5150.