Nelson Arts Festival: Tierra Flamenca

Francine Sweet returns to her country of birth for the first time after twelve years with an exciting new dance performance - Tierra Flamenca: From the Heart of Spain to the Soul of New Zealand.

A dedication to the world of flamenco in Jerez and abroad, Tierra Flamenca will be performed throughout New Zealand in October 2008.

Francine brings with her a ninety minute show and will perform with five fellow Spanish artists: singers Manuel de la Malena and Ana de Los Reyes, guitarist Jesus Alvarez and dancers Jose ‘Rin’ de los Reyes Fernandez and Jonatan Miro.

Full of Andalusian passion and fire, Tierra Flamenca is an experience that offers antipodean audiences a taste of Spain's exotic side.

Dancing since age five, Francine traversed the globe with her dance and has gone through the rites of formation in flamenco in Jerez de la Frontera, the birthplace of the art form. Having dedicated most of her life to work and study with the gypsies, and the flamencos of Jerez, her dancing expresses a strong temperament and ´instinto flamenco´ (flamenco instinct) – a rare quality in a dancer.

Jerez de la Frontera is birthplace to the greatest exponents of flamenco. Situated in the province of Cadiz, Andalusia Spain, it is the source from which pure flamenco song, guitar and feeling resonates.

Flamenco is an art form that grows beyond its vital cultural roots and folklore. It originated in Andalusia (southern Spain) and is most concentrated in the provinces of Cadiz and Seville, which include Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz, Lebrija, Utrera, Moron, and the port towns, ‘los puertos’.

It is comprised of cante (song), toque (guitar) and baile (dance). The cante and compas (rhythm cycles) are the backbones of the art form and provide the primary inspiration to its interpreters. Similar to blues, flamenco cante possesses its roots in feeling at its rawest.

Tierra Flamenca is proudly sponsored by Trinity Hill Wines, Tio Pepe, and AllPress Coffee.

Presented as a part of the Nelson Arts Festival.