25 Jul Alejandra | José Almarcha with Lucía Ruibal

FUNDarte, in collaboration with the Miami Dade County Auditorium, presents:

Alejandra

with José Almarcha and Lucía Ruibal by Flamenco Spain Arts and Culture (formerly Casapatas) and FECACE

Duration: 70 minutes (no intermission)

Genre: Flamenco

Synopsis:

The tour and album of Alejandra are tributes to the mother of guitarist José Almarcha, who hails from La Mancha, Spain. His mother’s sudden and unexpected loss changed how Mr. Almarcha composes and interprets Flamenco.
Alejandra is a personal and intimate recording where memories reverberate within the flamenco themes José Almarcha develops. Behind each tone are glimpses into his interior being, personal history, roots, and identity. The result is an ideogram through musical sounds that evoke important memories, places, experiences, and people who left an imprint on him and are part of the DNA that comprises his identity.

Music Director and Flamenco Guitarist José Almarcha was born in Tomesello (Ciudad Real), where he earned a diploma in Classical Guitar from the Municipal Conservatory of Music. He furthered his studies in Córdoba, receiving a Licenciatura in Flamenco Guitar in 2009 from the Conservatorio Superior de Música. 

There he studied with Paco Serrano, Manolo Franco, and Niño de Pura, masters who taught him the minute details and specialized methodology required in playing the flamenco guitar. His comprehensive training, extensive artistic journey, and tireless artistic search have permitted him to develop a unique and personal language concerning the guitar, highlighting his impeccable technique.

He is a relentless composer and interpreter who has performed with prestigious dance companies, including those of Olga Pericet, Marco Flores (both of whom had won the Max Prize in Dance in 2020), and soloists such as Antonio Canales, Sara Castro, Francisco Hidalgo, Sara Calero, Rafael Amargo, and José Manuel Álvarez. Mr. Almarcha won several awards, including the Semifinalist position at the International Competition in Jérez (2004), the Semifinalist position at the XLVII International Guitar Competition del Cante de las Minas (Murcia, 2007), First Prize at the International Flamenco Guitar Competition “Niño Ricardo” (Murcia, 2007). He was the Semifinalist at the L International Festival del Cante de las Minas de la Unión de Murcia in 2010, and finalist in the television program “Tú Sí Que Vales” in 2011.

Mr. Almarcha contributed to and performed in “Los Silencios del Baile” and “Binomio,” which were produced by the Casa Patas Foundation and which toured the U.S. (Miami, Washington, D.C., Seattle, and Olympia, Washington) in 2016 and 2017. His original musical compositions were central to these productions. He toured the U.S. once more with Casa Patas in 2019, participating in the show “Raíz de cuatro,” where he accompanied the dancers Rafael Peral and Marisa Adame. In addition, he released his first solo recording, “Vejézate” in 2015 and recently issued his second solo recording, a more intimate and personal musical journey entitled “Alejandra,” named after his mother.

Lucía Ruibal is a choreographer and Flamenco Dancer. “My dance comes from a mixture of styles I performed while growing up. I search for the emotion expressed in each dance I perform, and in this way, I forge my style.”

Ruibal was born in Santa María (Cádiz). She studied classical ballet for fourteen years at the Conservatorio de Danza de Cádiz. While there, she also studied flamenco with master teachers such as Natalia Acosta, La Lupi, and Mercédes Ruiz. She received a Licenciatura (Advanced Bachelor’s Degree) in Flamenco Dance and Choreography from the Conservatorio Superior de Málaga (Advanced Conservatory of Málaga).

Currently, Ms. Rubial has been enjoying a wide variety of appearances as a soloist and choreographer in a variety of productions, such as “Maramente”, which was her first company presentation, “Flamenco de Hoy” with Carlos Saura, “Dionisio, La vid de las mil y una noches”, with Rafael Amargo, “Clitemnestra” with the Producciones Equivocadas Company, “Al son de Ida y Vuelta” with the Company of David Nieto, and “Caminos de España” with Spanish Brass. But her most personal show is “Casa Rubial” in which she shared the stage with her father, the guitarist Javier Rubial, and her brother, the percussionist, Javi Rubial. She also performed in the productions “Junca” and “Tauromagia” directed by Mercédes Ruiz, and ‘Los sones negros” a current production created by the dancer Juan de Juan.

Ms. Rubial participated in many festivals and flamenco tours throughout her professional career. She began touring with the Casa Patas Foundation in 2017, taking her to Algiers, Tunisia, and Egypt, where she performed in the “Tacones Bordones” production by Rubén Puertas. She also perfor- med at the FIA Festival in San José Costa Rica, at the Circo Price in Madrid, at the Festival Flamenco Atlántico in Estoril, and in Flamenco Festival Wien, as well as the Flamenco Festival Traun, in Vienna, in the “La isla ciudad flamenco” series. Her most recent artistic collaboration was with the famous Spanish pop group Amaral in which she starred in the video “Soledad”.

Press

“Flamenco, which is wide-ranging and high-flying, needed a recording like Alejandra. José Almarcha deserves to hold his head up high in the ever-demanding circles of Flamencology for being the great and lucid composer that he shows himself to be in this recording.”

Fernando Neira / Music Critic, El País

“The Ruibal legend has three arms, each being better than the other.   Its founder, the legendary multifaceted musician, and singer, Javier Ruibal, was joined by his two children: Javi, a percussionist, and Lucía, a flamenco dancer, whose high art is unmistakable every time she performs with them or with others.

Emilio Martínez / Music Critic, Madriddiario.es

“A guitarist schooled to perfection, with a refined technique, a well-acquired profession, and total and utter audacity…” “His naked guitar is incredibly complex, with a taste for a hallmark of identity worthy of praise …”

Pablo San Nicasio  / Critic, Writer, Flamenco Guitarist

Cast and Team

Production: Begoña Fernández

Music Director and Flamenco Guitarist: José Almarcha

Choreographer and Flamenco Dancer: Lucía Ruibal

Flamenco Singer: Fabiola Santiago

Flamenco Violinist: Fernando Clemente

Flamenco Percussionist: Epi Pacheco

FLAMENCO SPAIN Arts and Culture was born after the closure of the Casa Patas Foundation, which Begoña Fernández directed since 2006. Through FLAMENCO SPAIN, Ms. Fernández continues to present a large variety of artists’ stage productions, workshops, and cultural activities worldwide at public and private venues, including theaters and festivals. This treasured art form, designated World Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2010, will continue to be disseminated under the trade name FECACE  and  FLAMENCO SPAIN Arts and Culture.