The dancers whirled, stomped and postured in classic full-length dresses and shimmering shawls. Behind the two dancers, Maria Avila and Michelle Harding of the Calle Verde flamenco group, dynamite violinist Pat Ernst performed soulful tunes in the Spanish style. A percussionist, Mario de la Sota, wailed and trilled songs in Spanish while a flamenco guitarist, Peter Mole, poured his heart into his instrument.
The five-member group is based in Vancouver and brought their act – and a flamenco dance workshop – to Gibsons on Dec. 11 in a presentation by Sunshine Coast Dance Society.
The troupe’s performance was dramatic and sensual – each one offering a piece of the centuries-old flamenco tradition. Even an original composition by Ernst, The Celts of the North, seemed to blend the Scottish fiddle tune with the more intense notes of the other vocalists to give an authentic Spanish feel.
They invited a special guest who lives on the Sunshine Coast, Gerardo Avila, to the show and he has a special connection. He is the father of Maria Avila, the dancer. Gerardo is a mime artist, a comedian, a performer and a magician and on Dec. 11 he showed that he also plays piano and recites in Spanish as well. At the end of the show he drew laughter from the audience for his robotic flamenco.
Gerardo was involved with the Cirque du Soleil from its beginnings and he performed as a solo artist with them in 1987. The Avila family travelled together with Cirque, and Maria has always told her father that he was a definite influence on her career. She studied flamenco in Seville, Spain through a grant from the Canada Council and the BC Arts Council then joined the Calle Verde troupe that has been performing together since 2012.
