Duke to Offer Flamenco Symposium

Duke University's Dance Program will place flamenco under a microscope in early February with a lecture, panel, and masterclass, all free and open to the public.

This vibrant and dynamic dance & music form will be the subject of "Flamenco Alive! New Research in the Vital Art of Flamenco," Saturday, Feb. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Duke's East Campus. Detailed information is available at danceprogram.duke.edu/news-and-events.

"The event may dispel some myths about flamenco's origins," Dance Program Director Keval Khalsa said. "Many assume flamenco has entirely Spanish roots, but it is the result of a remarkable intercultural exchange."

Meira Goldberg's keynote lecture, "Sonidos Negros: A Meditation on the Blackness of Flamenco" will explore its African influences.

A panel discussion, moderated by Thomas DeFrantz from Duke's dance faculty, will follow two presentations by Michelle Heffner Hayes, professor and chair of dance at the University of Kansas, and William Washabaugh, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an award-winning flamenco scholar.

The final event is a master class taught by Carlota Santana, artistic director of Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. Flamenco Vivo, the premiere Flamenco/Spanish Dance Company in the United States, will perform Saturday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. at Page Auditorium as part of Duke Performances. For tickets, go to http://tickets.duke.edu.

Goldberg's 10 a.m. keynote address and the panel discussion to follow will be held in 209 East Duke Building on East Campus. The 1 p.m. master class will be held at the Ark Dance Studio on East Campus.

This event is sponsored by the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, the Department of Romance Studies and The Program in Women's Studies.