reunion:
the act or process of being brought together again as a unified whole.
an instance of two or more people coming together again after a period of separation.
the act of uniting again.
(Oxford Languages)
Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre's upcoming production REUNIÓN-Decameron is exactly that - an extraordinary reunion, in which Zorongo will reunite a cast of internationally acclaimed flamenco dancers, choreographers, and musicians in an unforgettable celebration of creativity and resilience.
"And just as pain always ends in distress, so sorrow is overcome by joy."
Giovanni Boccaccio, 1349
REUNIÓN-Decameron has its origins in a work conceived by Zorongo Artistic Director Susana di Palma four years ago during the height of COVID isolation. Inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio’s Black Death-era novel “Decameron,” di Palma invited a group of world-renowned artists to gather virtually over ten days to share – without stages or theaters, with canceled tours and borders closed, suspending them in foreign cities or isolated at home – telling each day’s experience through dance set to original music sent to them daily. Zorongo’s Decameron 20:20 captured their 100 stories and brought them to us virtually through daily reflections and a provocative film masterfully produced by video artist Jim Peitzman. Here is a clip from Decameron 20:20:
Decameron 20:20 featuring Fanny Ara, Susana di Palma, Jeanne d'Arc Casas, Belen Maya, Jesus Muñoz, Emilio Ochando, Rebecca Tomás, and Isaac Tovar, with music by José Luis de la Paz. Video Editing by Jim Peitzman.Now, four years later, Zorongo reunites these artists in person here for the first time to bring their artistry, talents, and creativity to Twin Cities audiences for an unparalleled experience.
A Stellar Lineup of Flamenco Virtuosos
The cast of REUNIÓN-Decameron includes guitarist and composer José Luis de la Paz (recognized as one of the best flamenco guitarists of his generation), and renowned dancer/ choreographers Fanny Ara, Emilio Ochando, Isaac Tovar, and Susana di Palma herself. Adding to the vibrant energy of the show, guest flamenco singer and percussionist Francisco “Yiyi” Orozco will deliver a passionate and invigorating performance.
Innovative Choreography and Multimedia Integration
Highlighting the innovation spurred by the pandemic, Fanny Ara virtually choreographed a new piece, “Les Dames en Bleu,” to be premiered by the Zorongo Ensemble (Amanda Dlouhy, Deborah Elias, Rachel Holmes Fargione, Laura Horn, Angela Rancone, Molly Stoltz). The performance will also feature multimedia elements, with video artist Jim Peitzman incorporating footage from the original Decameron 20:20 project, blending past and present to create a rich, immersive experience, along with lighting design by Mike Grogan.
TICKETS
$37 general admission / $20 students
Join us after the show Opening Night to meet and greet our guest artists.
Tickets are available through The O'Shaughnessy ticket office by calling 651-690-6700, visiting oshag.stkate.edu, or in person at 2004 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
-
Susana di Palma (Director/choreographer) is Artistic Director, choreographer and founder of Zorongo Flamenco. Having studied Spanish dance and flamenco since childhood, Susana di Palma continued her apprenticeship with maestros such as Ciro, Manolo Marin, Manolete, Carmen Mora, and Merche Esmeralda. She performed throughout Spain in tablaos and with companies such as La Singla. In 1982, she founded Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre in Minneapolis with the mission to create innovative theater works that expand on traditional flamenco to reflect on controversial contemporary issues. Di Palma’s full-length theater-flamenco ballets include Flor, Garden of Names, Gernika, Sadja, First, I Dream, La Virtud Negra, Encuentros, Tales of the Black Legend, Zorro in the Land of the Yellow-Breasted Woodpecker, Convivir, Los Caprichos, and Conference of the Birds, among others. Her works have been presented at New York’s Joyce Theater, Miami’s Florida Dance Festival, St. Paul’s O’Shaughnessy Theater’s “Women of Substance Series,” and the Walker Art Center among other venues. She choreographed Lorca’s Blood Wedding for the Guthrie Theater and Bethany Lutheran College. In 2012, she was a curator for the Walker Art Center’s “Choreographers’ Evening.” In 2016 she was invited to choreograph Pica, a work on Picasso for the New York company, Flamenco Vivo. Her work Casita on homeless women premiered as part of What The Moon Sees at the Lab Theater, April 2019. A devoted teacher, di Palma taught in the University of Minnesota, Department of Dance for over 25 years. She currently teaches in The Cowles Center’s Distance Learning Program and directs classes at the Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theater School. As an individual artist, she has received grants and fellowships from the Minnesota State Arts Board, National Endowment for the Arts, The McKnight Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and The Bush Foundation. In 2017 she was awarded a McKnight Fellowship for Choreography and a Minnesota Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant.
-
Fanny Ara (dancer/choreographer) is an internationally sought-after and award-winning choreographer, performer and instructor. Her most dedicated worldwide fans especially credit her as one of the driving forces of flamenco today; an artist excelling in the full spectrum of flamenco, from the most traditional to the avant-garde. Fanny has been an invited artist in national and international festivals and has toured extensively in Canada, Central and South America, the Middle East, Africa, and throughout Europe. She has been distinguished since 2006 with nominations from the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards in the categories of Most Outstanding Individual Dancer, Most Outstanding Music, Ensemble, and Individual Performance for her project, Juncal Street, and Best Ensemble for her work with the San Francisco Opera in La Traviata. New York’s Vilcek Foundation also awarded Fanny a prestigious finalist prize for “Creative Promise in Dance” in 2012. Fanny’s versatility in the art form of flamenco is manifested in her many artistic works. Her latest productions were reviewed as a triumph of artistry and self-actualization where the ovation was immediate, standing, vociferous, prolonged.”
-
José Luis de la Paz (guitarist/composer) is considered one of the best guitarists of his generation. His versatility, his virtuosity, his interpretive ability and his work as a composer and producer make him a guitarist who transcends beyond traditional flamenco. De la Paz has received various awards during his career, both in competition and in recognition of his career, and he is mentioned by Félix Grande in his book Agenda Flamenca 1990 as one of the best guitarists of the moment. Between his collaborations he creates works for the ballet of Cristina Hoyos, Belén Maya and Siudy Garrido. José Luis has collaborated with great flamenco artists such as José Mercé, Farruquito or Antonio Canales and with artists from other disciplines such as Concha Buika, Colin Farish, Big-Band Raíces, Federico Britos. With a focus on symphonic music, José Luis collaborated on the Amor Brujo project for Ballet Flamenco, under the artistic direction of Siudy Garrido, and the L.A. Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro Gustavo Dudamel (2015 & 2019). In 2018 he performed the Concerto de Aranjuez with the Philharmonic of Des Moines and received the nomination from the US Artists in 2016 and 2018. Of the period 2022-23 he received the recognition of the Marquis Foundation Who is Who for contribution to the arts, and his the name was registered in the Library of the Congress of the EU. In the last few years in the USA, de la Paz has created new discographic projects, starting with his discs “Introspective” (2020), Olé-Olá (2022) and his live projects “De la Paz Sinfónico” (2023), “de la “Peace Trio” (2020-2023) and “Solace” (2023).
-
Emilio Ochando (dancer/choreographer) was born in Valencia in 1984. He began training as a dancer at the age of 9, at the age of 12 he collaborated with the National Ballet of Spain and at the age of 16 he moved to Madrid where he continued his training as a professional dancer and finished his studies in the Royal Professional Conservatory of Madrid. He began training in the corps de ballet and as a soloist in companies such as Domingo Ortega, Inma Ortega, Malucos Danza, Nuevo Ballet Español (Rojas and Rodríguez), Aida Gómez, Rafael Aguilar, and Flamenco Vivo, and also began to dance in various tablaos, where he toured the entire international and national scene. In his professional career, he began as a choreographer, creating his own company 9 years ago with shows such as Ida y Vuelta Escuela Bolera, 3DEUNO, SIROCO, and now his fourth work CLASICA TRADICIÓN; he also creates choreographies for new elite companies and recognized as Rafael Aguilar and in shows such as Oh Cuba within the circle of Lorca in the summers of Generalife (Granada) and Romeo y Julieta by EBB company, at the same time he holds workshops and masterclasses around the world such as the United States, Canada, London, Europe and Spain. Throughout his career he has won national dance and choreography awards. He is currently immersed in solo projects for national and international companies as a guest artist and touring with his latest shows SIROCO and CLASICA TRADICIÓN throughout Spain and abroad in renowned festivals such as the Jerez festival, Suzanne Dellal festival, Almeria dance festival, red theaters among others. He also combines it with the Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana company where he is part of the creative team and directs the company's productions.
-
Francisco Orozco “Yiyi” (singer/percussionist) is from an Andalusian family, born in Barcelona, and was introduced to Flamenco rhythms at the tender age of four. Yiyi was trained by Flamenco singer and father– “Joselón de Jerez” in his Spanish peña named “Peña Fosforito.” Considered a child prodigy of percussion, Yiyi began his professional career at the age of twelve. By 17 years of age and one CD later, he became more involved with singing, particularly for dancers, and left Spain for Germany on a long-term contract with the company “Flamenco Rubio.” Since that time he has performed with “Compañia Flamenca Alhama” throughout Europe and Japan; with internationally known María Benitez “Teatro Flamenco” on Broadway and throughout the U.S.; Domingo Ortega in Venezuela as well “Casa Patas” in Madrid; Jose Greco II in the United States of America and Taiwan; and world-renowned guitarist Serranito. He has also performed with Nino de los Reyes, Alejandro Granados, Raquel Heredia (La Repompilla), Jesús Carmona, María Serrano, La Tania, and Antonio Granjero. Critics, worldwide, have toted Yiyi’s performance as “fiery,” “riveting,” his percussion techniques executed with “machine-gun speed” that possesses and “casts a spell.”
-
Isaac Tovar (dancer/choreographer) is a celebrated international flamenco dancer and choreographer from Seville, Spain. He was a longtime soloist of the Ballet Nacional de España, Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía, Compañía Andaluza de Danza, Compañía Antonio "El Pipa", and Compañía Aída Gómez, among many other premier Spanish and international companies. Isaac recently choreographed and performed at Lincoln Center in NYC in a production of Bizet’s Carmen. He was then featured alongside Esperanza Fernandez and conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto in performances of the composer Falla's at the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami. Isaac headlined the Festival Flamenco at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto in 2022 and was the invited artist at the Chicago Flamenco Festival with Ensemble Flamenco in 2023. He then was soloist in the Detroit Opera’s production of Ainadamar in Spring 2023. His first solo production “Añejo” debuted in Seville in 2018, and his second production “Generaciónes” premiered at the prestigious Royal Theater in Madrid in 2019. Tovar is the recipient of numerous important international 1st prizes in dance and has worked alongside flamenco legends in iconic theaters around the world.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
