FEATURE SHOW

Ballet Flamenco Eva Yerbabuena
December 8 and 9 at 8:00 pm Zellerbach Hall

Chilly December ushers in Spain’s hottest bailaora, Eva Yerbabuena, as she returns to Zellerbach Hall for two fiery performances Friday and Saturday, December 8 and 9 at 8:00 p.m. in a program that promises passion, precision and pulse-pounding excitement. Eva Yerbabuena is acclaimed by many as the most important flamenco artist working today, receives accolades for the purity of her work and the intensity of her spirit. “Even standing completely still, Eva Yerbabuena is a mesmerizing presence” (Boston Globe). “…she is extraordinary, dancing with the intensity of a heroine from Greek tragedy, contracting her body and lowing herself down towards the stage, then drawing out her inner desolation with her hands in a gesture of solemn violence” (Diario de Sevilla). Performing with her company of six dancers and seven musicians, Yerbabuena strips flamenco to its bare essentials: dramatic footwork, dreamlike solos and the eloquent grace of a dancer at her peak.

Cal Performances World Stage
Fri, Dec 8, 8 pm
Sat, Dec 9, 8 pm
Zellerbach Hall
Price: $24/$36/$48

Purchase Tickets:
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EVA YERBABUENA
Eva Yerbabuena began studying traditional flamenco in Granada at age 12 with masters such as Angustillas del Sacramonte, “La Mona,” Mariquilla and Mario Maya. Her exceptional talent was quickly recognized and her training continued in Seville, the flamenco capitol of the world. Intensive studying in Cuba with Johanes Garcia followed. Over the years she has danced with Paco Moyano, Javier Latorre, Montele, Merche Esmeralda and Joaquín Cortés. Unlike many of her well-known contemporaries who borrow from hip-hop, tap and rock, Yerbabuena is a purist and feels such modernizations have traded flamenco’s intimacies for sensationalism. “The new flamenco does not exist,” she has said. “Everything has already been invented in flamenco; it encompasses all the human emotions. You make it modern by revealing yourself, not with embellishments. What's difficult is revealing yourself.”

Although her passion is traditional flamenco, she has not isolated herself from other forms of dance. In her quest for longer narrative pieces for her company, she studied Pina Bausch’s work who, in turn, returned the compliment when she invited Yerbabuena to perform with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Caetano Veloso, Marie-Claude Pietragalla and Ana Laguna at Bausch's annual festival in Wuppertal, Germany. Yerbabuena excites audiences and fellow artists alike. Film director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) featured Yerbabuena in his 1997 documentary, Flamenco Women. “Eva Yerbabuena is an extraordinary artist, she’s unique…she will not disappoint you,” says Figgis. Sending the documentary to William Forsythe, the great American choreographer was immensely impressed, observing that “[Yerbabuena] inspired me to use more heart and less intellect.” In 2001, she appeared in Hotel, an experimental film by Figgis with John Malkovich, Burt Reynolds and Selma Hayek. Soon after, she appeared in Pulse, Stomp’s award-winning IMAX film.

Since the company’s founding in 1998, Ballet Flamenco Eva Yerbabuena has toured throughout Europe and has recently increased its performance schedule to reach an even wider global audience. Audiences are enthralled with Yerbabuena’s explosive footwork and the graceful movements of her arms and hands. But above all, audiences respond to her duende, the soulfulness that is the trademark of flamenco. In 2001, Yerbabuena was awarded Spain’s most revered prize for dance, Premio Nacional de Danza. She has also won the Flamenco Hoy for Best Dancer for three consecutive years, and at the 11th Biennial in Seville in 2000, Eva Yerbabuena received the Best Performance and Best Ballerina honors for her work. In 2005, she was awarded two MAX awards for best dancer and best show and last year, she choreographed her most recent show A Cuatro Voces.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Ballet Flamenco Eva Yerbabuena performing Friday and Saturday, December 8 and 9 at 8:00 p.m. in Zellerbach Hall are priced at $24.00, $36.00 and $48.00. Tickets are available through the Cal Performances Ticket Office at Zellerbach Hall; at (510) 642-9988 to charge by phone; at www.calperfs.berkeley.edu; and at the door. Half-price tickets are available for purchase by UC Berkeley students. UC faculty and staff, senior citizens and other students receive a $2 discount, and UC Alumni Association members receive a $3 discount (Special Events excluded).

For more information, call Cal Performances at (510) 642-9988, or visit the Cal Performances web site at www.calperfs.berkeley.edu.

Cal Performances’ 2006/07 Season is sponsored by Wells Fargo.
Classical 102.1 KDFC and SFStation.com are 2006/07 season media sponsors.

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SF Flamenco is an online community center and magazine working to support and showcase the entire flamenco community in the greater San Francisco Bay Area by providing a promotional media interface representing flamenco culture, arts and artists to facilitate public awareness and understanding. This California on-line flamenco magazine, includes event listings, an artist directory, flamenco artist support and resources, historical and education resources, art, nightlife and resources on local, U.S.A., Spanish and international flamenco art and culture. If you are a local flamenco performer, find out about the free Feature Articles, and Performer's Network. Site created as a community arts project by Jason Engelund, El Pintor.