A Burnaby dancer will be front and centre when the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival opens at the end of September.
Kasandra Lea, a dancer, instructor and choreographer from Mozaico Flamenco, will be hitting the stage as part of the festival on Thursday, Sept. 29.
Mozaico Flamenco Dance Theatre will be featured on the bill that night at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island, alongside solo performances by Palma Bjarnason, Angela Gomm and Alice Gerbrecht. The performance is set to start at 8 p.m.
Lea - who will be familiar to some readers as the subject of a feature profile in the NOW in November 2010 - came into flamenco with a background as a classical violinist, when her violin teacher suggested she try out flamenco as a way to improve her expressiveness.
Over the years, she's studied with a variety of highly regarded teachers - including Oscar Nieto, one of the most acclaimed flamenco dancers in North America, who first founded Mozaico de Danzas in California in 1972 and Mozaico Flamenco in Vancouver in 1983.
In 2003, Kasandra joined forces with him to re-establish Mozaico Flamenco Dance Theatre, which works to push the boundaries of traditional flamenco by infusing it with the influences of jazz, pop and Latin rhythms - and through a project called Café de Chinitas, Asian influences as well.
For the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival, they'll be part of a wide range of performers offering up solo and ensemble works in styles ranging from traditional to contemporary.
The festival kicks off for the public on Monday, Sept. 27 with a free lecture, Understanding Flamenco, along with a dance demonstration at the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library. The event is at 7 p.m.
On Wednesday, Sept. 28, an evening of dance called Tradition Meets Contemporary is onstage at Waterfront Theatre.
On Friday, Sept. 30, it's The Nationals, also at the Waterfront Theatre, with Esmerelda Enrique Spanish Dance Company and Flamenco Rosario.
On Saturday, the Vancouver Playhouse hosts a performance by the Javier Barón Company.
The festival also includes master classes for a variety of levels of dancers.
For more information, check out the festival website at www.vancouverflamencofestival.org.
