5 days until #DanceWeekend21! Meet Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company: Award winning dance company that was founded in 1982 under the artistic direction of Esmeralda Enrique and has a history rooted in flamenco and Spanish Classical dance.

Catch the film on Friday, April 30! Get your ticket to DanceWeekend’21: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/danceweekend21-tickets-149965399547?aff= #ComeDanceWithUs

 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself/your company/collective/school?

The award-winning Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company (EESDC) was founded in 1982 under the artistic direction of Esmeralda Enrique and has a history rooted in flamenco and Spanish Classical dance. The company is dedicated to the creation and production of new choreographic works, original music and the presentation and preservation of its extensive repertoire. 

EESDC is valued for its important pioneering contribution to the development of flamenco in Canada. It stands on the pillars of traditional flamenco singing, dance and music while beautifully balancing classicism with a contemporary aesthetic. EESDC has been presenting an annual Toronto Season since 1990 and has developed an ever-expanding repertoire that has earned both critical and popular acclaim. The company is recognized for the exceptional level of its productions, receiving three Dora Mavor Moore Awards in addition to 27 nominations over the years. Esmeralda Enrique and her exemplary company of dancers and musicians enthrall audiences with the contagious excitement and full depth of feeling that the passionate art of flamenco delivers. 

What will you be sharing at DanceWeekend’21?

Remediaora choreographed by guest artist from Spain, José Maldonado, is a peteneras, a rarely presented flamenco “palo” (song).  It received its world premiere at Fleck Dance Theatre in the 2019 production Impulso.

The video is of a live performance from this production. It provides virtual DanceWeekend audiences a rare opportunity to see EESDC in performance with our local flamenco dancers and musicians as well as guest artists from Spain and Montréal.  

What interests about film as a medium and how does if differ from a live performance? 

Our video is of a live performance, the highlight of our 2019 show, Impulso. 

In film, the camera shots, angles, edits are another layer of the storytelling. In live performance, the live audience is part of the story. This recorded piece was a charged moment in time due to personal circumstances and we are grateful for the opportunity to re-live this one moment in time.  

How has the pandemic shifted your work as a professional dance artist?

The pandemic has stopped a lot of our work. We can’t perform, we can’t rehearse, all we can do is plan. This unfortunately can be gloomy and stifle our creativity, but we are preparing for future projects as best we can until we can come together again.

Please share what you are most looking forward to at Dance Ontario’s first virtual DanceWeekend?

We are looking forward to seeing other artists’ stage shows that we missed because we were performing. We are fortunate to have access to a vast array of different groups and artists.

Do you have any up-coming performances/workshops/events you would like to share?

We are planning on shooting our first dance film as soon as we are safely able to do so. Announcements coming soon.

In 1 or 2 sentences, what does dance mean to you?

“Dance has always been my means of expressing things I can not express with words. Sometimes it’s not even expressing them but acknowledging them. Things I don’t want to acknowledge within myself or that are happening. Dance forces me to look inside and acknowledge them. Plus, it helps relieve many anxieties. It has been the means by which I have been able to work; I danced out of poverty. It has been the means by which I’ve gotten to know more of the world, not just my small little town. The means by which I’ve gotten to know many people from all parts of the world.”

  • Esmeralda Enrique