3 days until #DanceWeekend21! Meet Elena La Comadre, founder and artistic director of ꜟArte Flamenco!
At DanceWeekend’21 she’ll be sharing her thoughts and her digital dance creation ”Betrayed’, developed as part of her latest project Rough Cuts: a platform where improvisational dance/poetry/cante reflect what we, as dancers/artists, are feeling as we navigate through the landscape of COVID and these current chaotic times as part of the mini documentary Isolations: A Dance Response to COVID-19. “The COVID landscape allowed me to once again recognize myself as a dancer – someone who I had forgotten and closed the door to many years ago.”
Isolations: A Dance Response to COVID-19 will be presented on Sat May 1. Don’t miss it! #ComeDanceWithUs
Can you tell us a little bit about your company/collective/school?.
ꜟArte Flamenco! was originally formed to represent Spain during the Canadian National Exhibition’s ‘Say Si to Spain’ project in the summer of 1990, its school counterpart was established several years later.
Being the founder and artistic director of ꜟArte Flamenco!, my goal has always been to present Flamenco dance that embraces and honors the more traditional style of this artform.
In the late 90’s my focus for ꜟArte Flamenco! embraced the idea of Flamenco dance theatre – whereby means of dance, cante, guitar, and poetry – a storyline was conveyed. Themes that were chosen were profound in nature, rooted in human experience and more often than not – from personal standpoint like in Alma Encerrada – Encaged Soul (1998) which portrayed life of an abused woman.
With the death of Cesar Alvarez in 2003 – who was Flamenco singer /guitarist for ꜟArte Flamenco!, and perhaps due to artistic grief, I was slowly closing the door on any artistic endeavors that once filled me with excitement and inspiration.
Thus, attention on my teaching life as well as preparing and producing school concerts became the main focus. Since 2008 the school has been active in presenting successful sold-out performances such as the Viva La Danza series, Olė Flamenco series and Pasión Flamenca. The school’s recent dance series 2018 and 2019 were to a complete sold-out house in the series entitled Danza Española Con Amor.
And then there was Covid……
What will you be sharing at DanceWeekend ’21?
How has the pandemic shifted your work as a professional dance artist?
Using film – via online Youtube links for virtual teaching/ connecting with dancers/students was a major adjustment at the onset of Covid. It took several months of trial and error to find a method that more or less worked and it is still evolving. Yet to my surprise, what I did not expect was that dealing with Covid, an opportunity presented itself – almost like a door suddenly opening beckoning me to enter. In retrospect, it forced me to explore and rediscover myself through the medium of film. Now, many years later as a mature dancer living, dancing with severe sustained injuries, Covid brought me to the crossroads whether to take my leave from the world of dance or to persevere and hang on. And then I recall the profound message from my mentor Martha Graham – that a dancer encounters two deaths in their life – the first being when they stop to dance and the second is the final death. And of the two, the first is the most important
For me capturing dance in a tiny studio where one can edit, re do, delete and try again can be compared to a painter or writer that needs their solitude in order to connect with oneself – the artist inside. But video is flat – it cannot show the many hues of the dance, nor that electric spark in the air that bounces back and forth from performer to audience. Film/video is void of direct human touch, human connection and thus it cannot fully tap into at least three of our five senses – to hear, to see and to sense.
With live performance – you the artist brings the audience into your world. There is an obligation (and again I am only speaking from my end) not just to yourself, your dancers but to your audience when performing a live piece. You hope to execute the dance to the best of your abilities (and it gets harder for us mature dancers who resemble working war horses in dance). Working with film under the restrictions of Covid – the camera is your audience but in essence it is yourself who you are performing for and connecting with – at least it is for me.
Both are different having their pros and cons.
How has the pandemic shifted your work as a professional dance artist?
As I touched upon this in the previous answer, I will say that without expecting nor wanting to, the Covid landscape allowed me to once again recognize myself as a dancer – someone who I had forgotten and closed the door to many years ago. As I was working on teaching via film – I found myself stopping at times, straining to catch that dancer in the mirror. Finally, I recognized her – emotionally saying to the reflection that was starring back at me “I seem to remember you somewhat. You have been missing for an awfully long time. Ah! but you are much older now with many irreversible injuries – but clearly it is you. And your opportunity under these drastic chaotic troubling times is at hand. Take it! and be grateful. Persevere! even with all the ‘silver battles’ you have fought.’
And I am certain that many a mature dancer will share the same views.
Please share what you are most looking forward to at Dance Ontario’s first virtual DanceWeekend?
ꜟArte Flamenco! was part of the first DanceWeekend many years ago, and now I have been given this amazing opportunity (which I hope it will be fruitful) to be part of this new direction in DanceWeekend’s first virtual presentation. Dance Ontario is paving the way for the future of dance that will hopefully include both mediums to keep Dance alive in our province.
Do I have any up-coming performances/workshops/events?
That is a million-dollar question for the time being as the chaos with Covid is ever changing and our government confusing all of us.
I will say that Rough Cuts: a platform where improvisational dance/poetry/cante reflect what we, as dancers/artists, are feeling as we navigate through the landscape of COVID and these current chaotic times is my own small way of continuing to present dance even in raw/rehearsal/improvisational form. That is my contribution – and I will be tremendously grateful should some viewers find any value in them. www.arteflamenco.com/rough-cuts
In 1 or 2 sentences, what does dance mean to you?
Always remembering Martha Graham’s profound words to the effect that a dancer encounters two deaths with the first being when they cease to dance and the second – the everlasting death. And of the two, the first is the most important.
I would have to say – and this is my latest revelation of traveling through the landscape of Covid, that Dance is like a trance. Dance is like meditation and in essence – for me – Dance is Prayer. And I thank God everyday for the gift of dance because without it during these horrific times, I would have surely perished in more ways than one.