Flamenco on The Esplanade

On Sept 29th and 30th, Jamii, in collaboration with FabCollab and artistic director Tamar Ilana, transformed David Crombie Park as a stage for a powerful flamenco experience.

The show showcased a brilliant cast of 8 performers (singers, dancers and musicians), who transported the audience in the Flamenco world: Tamar Ilana , Shirlita La Pili, Alison McDonald, Nicolás Hernández, Chendy León, Ana Lía and Lia Grainger gave us their best and we were energized by their passion on stage and captivating performances.

A memorable evening on The Esplanade.

During the few weeks leading up to the event, brave Esplanadians took flamenco classes (both singing “Cante” and dancing) with artists Alison Macdonald and Shirlita Pili, who are part of the FabCollab collective, with the intent to perform at the show, alongside professional artists. Trust us, this was not an easy thing to do - and they did more than amazing!!!
Flamenco looks like a difficult practice: well, it’s more difficult than what it looks like.The rhythm is different than standards ways of counting, coordination is central, so is character and determination.
We are very proud for this group who jumped on the train and didn’t give up. The classes led to a public performance, and they displayed, with grace, their hard work to an audience of 500 (total over 4 performances!). It takes bravery and strength to go on stage like this, and geez, they did amazing.