Shawl we dance?
Put your foot down and demand flamenco this spring
By Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
The mostly dark stage was lit only by lamp posts wrapped with fairy lights and a single spotlight shining down upon a lone singer and guitarist, Diego Amador Jr.
He started slowly and gathered steam, adding a beat created by the blunt tapping of his fingers against the front of the guitar.
When he started singing, you could hear generations of flamenco guitarists rising up through his vocal cords.
The music created the perfect backdrop for the appearance of flamenco dancer Savannah Fuentes.
When she hit the stage, I was struck by a few things in rapid succession: she’s younger than I expected; she’s quite lovely in person; and she’s really tall.
As Fuentes danced, her feet beat in rapid staccato along with the rhythms of the guitar.
The experience was, in a word, cool.
The performance was supposed to be in the middle of Fuentes and Amador’s first tour together, back in 2020.
It turned out to be the one of the final performances as the tour was shut down, like so many others, by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now ready to tour again, Fuentes and Amador, who hails from Seville, Spain, will present “Eterno, el Flamenco Vive,” to the Central Coast, hitting Bay City, Newport and Yachats from Thursday, April 21, through Saturday, April 23.
Fuentes was born in Seattle to parents of Puerto Rican and Irish ancestry. Her fascination with flamenco dance (or baile) and singing (or cante) came to her in early childhood, fueled by watching a flamenco performance on television.
“Although I was just a child,” she said. “I felt an immediate connection to the art form.”
Fuentes considers flamenco a lifelong study, an artistic journey she began in her late teens that continues to this day. She has studied with many notable flamenco artists including Guadiana, Joaquin Grilo, Eva Yerbabuena and Isabel Bayon. She attributes her formation as an artist to her most significant mentor, Maestra Sara de Luis.
Accompanied by her notable guest artists, Fuentes has toured the West Coast regularly, bringing audiences an authentic, passionate Flamenco performance art to communities that would otherwise be unable to enjoy this unique art form.
Amador was born in Spain to flamenco royalty. His father is a celebrated flamenco pianist and composer. At the age of 27, Amador is already an extraordinary multi-instrumentalist who recently released his first full-length album, “Presente en el Tiempo.”
From a very young age, he began performing and touring with some of Spain’s top flamenco artists, including Remedios Amaya, La Susi, Lole Montoya, Farruquito and Joaquín Cortés. He has also worked alongside jazz greats such as Pat Metheny, Bireli Lagrene and Charlie Haden. Known mainly as a flamenco singer, he also plays guitar, piano and percussion.
For more information and tickets, go to savannahf.com
Bay City
Thursday, April 21 • 8 pm
Bay City Arts Center, 5680 A Street
General admission $27, VIP seating $40 student $16, child $12
Newport
Friday, April 22 • 7:30 pm
Doerfler Family Theater, 545 SW 9th Street.
General admission $27, VIP seating $40 student $18, child $12
Yachats
Saturday, April 23 • 8 pm
Yachats Commons Building, 441 N Hwy. 101
General admission $26, VIP seating $40 student $16, child $12