Flamenco forever
Dancer Savannah Fuentes returns to Humboldt County in July
“I think that flamenco is truly a unique art form. It may have things in common with other art forms, but our rhythms differ greatly from Western music. … It can be entertaining but oftentimes it is a very deep, emotional experience. Once you love flamenco, it’s forever.” — Savannah Fuentes, flamenco dancer
March 2020 was going to be a big month for flamenco dancer Savannah Fuentes. She had planned to kick off a many-months-in-the-making tour March 1. By the middle of that month, though, COVID-19 had shut down most everything.
With her shows canceled, Fuentes headed back home to Seattle — and decided to make the most of the situation.
“The past year washed away all of my work,” said Fuentes, “leaving me alone with my dance — no audience, no stage, no show to race to. Just me alone. I studied and discovered wonderful concerts and expanded my knowledge of flamenco history on YouTube. I danced freely for myself.”
Now, Fuentes hopes to “offer a new and improved artist this summer” at several modified West Coast shows planned from June through August.
Last week, Fuentes announced her first live, limited-audience performances in June in Las Vegas and Washington State. Summer shows in Oregon and California will soon be announced on her website, https://www.savannahf.com.
Prior to the pandemic, Fuentes toured regularly up and down the Pacific coast, making stops for programs in Humboldt County along the way.
“I love the West Coast,” Fuentes said. “… I love to discover new communities and bring flamenco to them.”
Fuentes plans to return to Humboldt County on July 10, with the location of her show to be announced.
“I love working at the Humboldt Light Opera Company SPACE (Sunny Brae Performing Arts Center for Education), but we may need a larger venue to be able to adhere to the safety guidelines, or take the show outdoors. I am very much looking forward to coming back,” she said.
Fuentes says she loves Humboldt County and has often imagined producing a mini flamenco festival in this area.
“I feel like there is real magic in Humboldt,” Fuentes said. “I feel it every time I am there. It may be connected to the magnificent trees. I don’t know, but I have noticed on traveling up and down the West Coast that some places resonate really well with me. … I love the drive from Southern Oregon to Humboldt, when you hit the coast and you see the water, it’s an amazing feeling and the energy is really liberating. I always feel really happy to arrive in Humboldt.”
Fuentes was born and raised in Seattle. She fell in love with flamenco dancing and singing as a child while watching performances on television. She began studying the art form as a teenager and hasn’t stopped.
“I discovered flamenco and it has been guiding my life ever since. It’s an eternal study,” she said. “I studied for years without performing, but some opportunities came my way and the path kind of created itself. I consider flamenco singing as the most sacred aspect of my concert presentations, so I have always made sure that I have an authentic flamenco singer as the focal point of every show.”
Along the way, Fuentes has studied with many notable flamenco artists, including Guadiana, Joaquin Grilo, Eva Yerbabuena, El Farru and Isabel Bayon, and attributes her formation as an artist to her most significant mentor, Maestra Sara de Luis. According to her website, Fuentes has independently produced and danced in over 300 performances and workshops featuring internationally recognized Spanish flamenco artists, including Carlos de Jacoba, Saray Munoz and Jesus Montoya and her artistic partner, Diego Amador Jr., an acclaimed flamenco singer and guitarist, who’ll be providing the music for her upcoming summer shows.
“He is an incredible artist and person,” Fuentes said. “You have to be compatible with your bandmates on tour and we get along very well as friends and as artists. I usually work as a trio —voice, dance and guitar — but with the current state of things, we opted to work as a duo while we get back to performing after so much time at home. He sings and plays guitar beautifully and is also an incredible percussionist. He comes from a legendary flamenco family, so it is an absolute honor to work with him.”
Amador is also teaching several online classes through Savannah Fuentes Flamenco (https://www.savannahf.com). A flamenco singing class is offered Saturdays from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. at $20 a class. A cajon class is held every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to noon for $20 a class. For more information about the classes, email savannahflamenco@ gmail.com.
“I think that flamenco is truly a unique art form,” Fuentes said. “It may have things in common with other art forms, but our rhythms differ greatly from Western music. … It can be entertaining but oftentimes it is a very deep, emotional experience. Once you love flamenco, it’s forever.”