Pasa Reviews La Emi at The Lodge at Santa Fe
The Lodge at Santa Fe, July 19
The torch is being passed this summer at the María Benítez Cabaret at the Lodge at Santa Fe. La Emi, the stage name for Emmy Grimm, is headlining there for the first time. Starting at age four, Grimm became one of local legend María Benítez’s most talented young protéges. Beginning in 1970, Benítez taught generations of bright-eyed Santa Fe girls and boys to dance, though onstage she often embodied the darkest and most adult emotions of flamenco. The tragic siguiriya, her favorite dance, was often performed to lyrics about death and persecution.
La Emi, on the other hand, is not a frowner. She’s a smiler. In fact, the ethos created among all the assembled dancers, singers, and guitarists onstage stays away from flamenco’s more tragic side, emphasizing its lighter, lyrical, and more joyful aspects. After years spent backing up other performers, studying in Spain, and then starting her own company and school, La Emi is clearly ready for this moment. Onstage, she radiates commitment and brings sensual beauty to her dancing. She has a strong technique, using footwork, castanets, and elements of Spanish classical, ballet, and modern dance to create a well-rounded program. Santa Fe audiences have watched her grow up onstage. Now, at twenty-seven, she is a confident, fully developed artist.
La Emi is partnered by two brothers who alternate in the role for the summer season. Fifth-generation flamenco dancers Nevarez and José Encinias are the sons of the dancer/choreographer Joaquin Encinias, and grandsons of Eva Encinias Sandoval, founder of the Festival Flamenco Internacional, the Conservatory of Flamenco Arts, and the National Institute of Flamenco in Albuquerque (a partner in this event). Their sister Noelle will also join them onstage this summer. What La Emi has done with this casting is to essentially unite two factions of flamenco that were, until now, somewhat rivalrous. Clearly, it is La Emi’s intent to work with the best performers she knows, but also to step into a future without artistic boundaries.
While the emphasis in this production is youthful — La Emi and José, the twenty-one-year-old Encinias brother seen on July 19, each perform with less gravity and perhaps more delight than other dancers who have appeared in this venue — La Emi’s group is joined by two veterans, Santa Fe’s leading flamenco guitarist, the inimitable José Valle Fajardo, or “Chuscales,” and the masterful singer Vicente Griego. Griego brings heft and soul to his singing but also great beauty. He was joined by singer José Fernández, from Granada, who has been working in Spanish since the age of nine. His sound is authentic and passionate, a more gritty alternative to the music of Griego.
At Chuscales’ side was the rapt Eloy Gonzales, who began studying flamenco guitar in 2010. A trio of strong dancers, Elena Heiss, Ysabela Trujillo, and Olivia Marin, performed with precision. A variety of dance forms blended into the mix, another example of La Emi’s emphasis on updating the art.
While some flamenco performances have an improvisatory excitement, this had seamless transitions and tight group choreography. There is also the influence of Yjastros, the flamenco company started by Joaquin Encinias, which emphasizes dancers moving through space rather than circling endlessly in place (the latter a tradition bound to the realities of the tiny bars in Spain where flamenco was popularized). This version of flamenco is younger, happier, and perhaps even a little American.
` — Michael Wade Simpson
La Emi headlines at the Lodge at Santa Fe Wednesday to Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. through Aug. 26. Go to hhandr.com/flamenco for tickets.