Sublime
Looking to spice things up this Valentines Day? Look
no further than SUBLIME, Nova Scotia’s annual mid-winter Flamenco extravaganza
taking place this coming weekend at Alderny Landing in Dartmouth. Event founder
and organizer Maria Osende brings the love.
What motivated you to start this event, and when was
that?
Flamenco and Valentine’s Day are the perfect match for
each other – romantic, passionate, exotic and for a change of weather – hot!
How
has the event evolved over the years?
The event started in 2005 as a small, intimate,
one-night show with four artists on stage at FRED Art Gallery and Café. Now, it
is a full main stage production taking place at Alderney Landing Theatre with
10 performers and a stage.
What's
on the agenda for this year's event?
This year we are premiering SUBLIME, a blend of
flamenco, blues, and opera fusion. Inspired in the
concept of the SUBLIME, that moment that ebbs between beauty and passion, it
has a dangerous quality of greatness. The production has nine scenes of very
different nature and style, all under this concept.
What
were some of the challenges of putting it together?
The most challenging is for sure finding rehearsal
space and rehearsal times for such a large group of people. Additionally, for
me dealing with many decisions, as well as being the director, choreographer,
and one of the performers, it gets very intense. Sometimes, I wake up at night
thinking about the long lists of things that I have to get done the next day.
What
is the biggest reward working with SUBLIME?
Creating, choreographing and working with great
talent. That makes it all worth it.
You've
pushed the Flamenco agenda here for a number of years. How has that community
grown?
The community has embraced flamenco and grown
incredibly in the last 10 years. Halifax has one of the largest flamenco
communities in Canada, next to Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, of course.
What
are the Seahorse soirees all about?
Our Flamenco Happy Hours all about bringing
Haligonians an authentic flamenco grass roots experience. They run the last
Thursday of the month at the Seahorse Tavern from 6 – 9 p.m. featuring and
promoting local talent. It truly feels like being in a "tablao" a
flamenco nightclub, in Spain. I love the place. They also have great tapas and
sangria, by the way!
What's
next on your Flamenco agenda?
We have some very exciting shows happening next season
as well as of course the Fall for Flamenco Festival in October, but for now it
is all a surprise. I can tell you in a couple of months!
