THUNDER BAY - There are certain art forms that have a power to move audiences through emotional expression and passion, and not just because of the performers countless hours of rehearsal and training, but rather their tireless dedication to the art.
Fin de Fiesta Flamenco, the acclaimed flamenco ensemble, is touring Canada and will be bringing their passionate Spanish music and dance to Thunder Bay on Friday, Aug. 25.
“For people who haven’t seen flamenco before, both the music and the dance are a really intense, extremely expressive art form,” said Lia Grainger, a flamenco dancer with Fin De Fiesta. “It’s not a subtle art form. It’s very expressive and passionate and emotional.”
The performance will feature two guitarists, including Thunder Bay’s very own flamenco guitarist, Matt Sellick, as well as a flautist, a singer, and Grainger dancing.
Grainger said being on stage with her fellow performers is almost like having a conversation because flamenco is such a communicative art form.
“You learn this musical language and percussive language and then you can kind of speak it to each other and you give each other signals through movement, or sound, or voice,” she said. “It’s very in the moment and exciting and lively.”
Grainger has been dancing for more than 12 years. The former writer and journalist from Vancouver is now based in Seville, Spain where she continues to practice her dancing, but getting there took even her by surprise.
“I always kind of went not knowing how long I would be there,” she said. “It was always sort of open. I think there are a lot of people who that happens to. They end up never leaving.”
Seville is home to many international dancers and performers who seem unable to give up the world of flamenco, Grainger said, because it almost becomes like a drug.
“It’s really technically challenging and it’s like you are never finished,” she continued. “There is always going to be a challenge. And also, it’s very alive. There’s nothing that really feels quite like doing it. When you are doing it and working with all these other people and having this creative exchange, it’s really like a drug, it’s a wonderful feeling.”
Fin de Fiesta recently finished a tour of France and kicked off a cross-Canada tour in B.C. earlier this summer. Grainger said they always like to include smaller communities while touring to share flamenco with new audiences and introduce them to the emotion and passion that has gripped so many around the world.
“Those experiences are always the strongest, because often there will be people who are new to the art form and flamenco is really impactful,” she said.
Fin de Fiesta Flamenco will be performing at the Finlandia Hall on Friday, Aug. 25 at 8 p.m.
