![]() ![]() Born in Cadiz in 1971, she studied dance with her mother as a child and began performing professionally at age 18. She has also been featured in commercials, has modeled in fashion shows, and last year was pictured on a postage stamp. Vivacious and beautiful, she was the host of a hit television show on flamenco for two years. Sara Baras, Spain's most popular flamenco dancer, has almost single-handedly won a new audience to the genre. These artists faithfully carry on the tradition. Gypsies, Arabs, Jews and other outcasts then mingled in the region and poured their emotions into the fierce and sensual music and dance that became flamenco. They all grew up in Andalusia, where flamenco first developed in the 16th century. I saw them all during the Bienal last September. In Washington the venue is George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium, beginning Tuesday and Wednesday with Ballet Flamenca Sara Baras in the dramatic ballet "Mariana Pineda." Juana Amaya and Farruquito will perform "Por Derecho" ("Pure Flamenco") on Friday and Saturday, and the guitarist Tomatito will appear in concert Feb. 25,000 people turned up for 20 concerts, all of which sold out. Inspired by glowing reviews and record attendance, he extended the festival to six cities in 2001. Marin brought the first Flamenco Festival USA to Washington, Boston and New York in 2000. ![]() Marin comes here from Madrid to find new artists and productions for the United States, which after Spain is the world's biggest market for flamenco. In 2001, 63,000 people attended the festival from as many as 15 countries. Audiences who pack the city's elegant old concert halls are treated to a premiere every day. A rousing success since its founding in 1980, the Bienal offers a month of top-flight flamenco every other September. Marin took the Seville Bienal as the model for his festival. "I want people to know just how good it can be," he said. ![]() A flamenco lover who grew up in Andalusia, Marin set out to fill the void. Still, for all its popularity, until the Spanish impresario Miguel Marin established Flamenco Festival USA in 2000, few American venues consistently offered high-quality performances. Increased exposure and a higher level of performance have given the art this boost. Go clubbing and watch the patrons try their hand at it. Children - and their mothers - take classes, and pop musicians sample its plaintive chords. Once generally regarded as corny and arcane, it is now performed in opera houses and theaters all over the world. ![]()
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